Karaoke Forums

Micheal,  this really isn't advanced.  You can ask her about interval ear training, see what she thinks..  Ear training is something you can practice without her in fact...  for instance.... Plagal cadence....Piano   F-C    Full closed cadence  G-C   Perfect descending 4th and 5th...  Just so you get used to singing this eventually A capella, These are common closing intervals found in many songs.. So it would be working your descending last two notes in a song.. I wonder what those that sing in here feel about this concept... You can just sit at a piano, and practice the common song cadences.... Just the last two or three notes...commonly found in songs.... Get those intervals down into memory..

The objective being, to stegnthen those ending notes you don't feel quite as confident with..
Just a thought... Nothing difficult..  Along the lines of Solfege.. *at least as I recall*


I'm thinking this might be a means of getting those ending notes down in such a way, that you can somehow imprint them into something like memory, they will become familiar to you, Hence more confidence during the ends of the songs and passages.

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

I'll bring it up next time I'm there, but certainly will sit at the keyboard and give that a whirl--never thought of that to be honest.  She certainly has me doing enough exercises, oy vey! But this is one that has not come up, so let me ask her if she help me your idea as well as doing it at home.  I don't know about my singing "perfect ear" as they call it but I've been known to hear a car horn outside and play the exact note on the piano the first try (one of my crowning achievements in life) so this should help me out with the cadences.

Do you remember that bit Ernie Kovacs used to do with the three monkeys playing musical instruments.  Well, the music they used, which is very familiar to most people but no one knows the title, is called "Solfeggio".  

That should be separate topic, familiar music cues (some of them quite ancient and cliched) that no one knows the title of.  I wish I could hum "Narcissus" for you right now--you'd recognize it immediately ("Oh! Is THAT what's that's called?")

Look Michael, They finally let me in... I've been following this thread since you brought it to my attention and I think it's really a great idea. I want to see more serious singers in here.
I was that kid you mentioned that always was asked to sing the solo in every school choir performance. The only training I had consisted of  3 "Voice" lessons when I was 12 years old and, not ever being one to enjoy discipline I decided quickly, I'd rather be hanging out with friends and playing than learning technique, and breathing etc...  I was always in choir and loved that, every choir teacher I ever had singled me out and recognized that I had a natural ability... I just loved to sing and HAD to do it.... of course NOW, I wish I had taken advantage of what didn't seem the least bit important to me at the time, because I KNOW very little about music. I don't read it, I don't play any instrument...  I do have a very good ear and eventhough it does happen, I know when my pitch and timing are off and if I'm not impatient, I will get the sound I want to acheive...  But I am impatient so you will hear imperfections in most of my recordings.... Recording is also something I don't have a clue about... I am totally guessing when it comes to settings etc... I use a BR1600 digital recording studio and have only learned the barest of basics as to how to actually use it...  I hope to get alot out of this discussion... I would love to get some real advise on how to improve my singing... I sure hope it's Never Too Late, because in my case it is pretty late....... Thanks Mike for letting me know about it...

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Just Shut Up and Sing!!!!!!!Sing it like ya' mean it!!!

Songbird, I know this is not the place to "mush" here but you should be teaching us!
Michael (folks this lady is amazing).

I used to have the same problem with the low notes. It wasn't that they were low, hitting the note and coordinating it with the vowel seemed foreign to me. Try imagining and picturing the note with the vowel. That seems to have worked for me.

Last nights critique was a few hours after we listened to it. We have an unwritten rule about how we spend our time together when my wife and I are both home. I couldn't remember more specifically what I was referring to in the critique.

When I listened yesterday I had to hook my laptop to my mixer and then into the stereo through the TV. This is also my current karaoke setup.

I'm listening to the Tommy Edwards tune right now. The blending souns really good. Theecho has a realy good drop-off point for this tune. Your timing is perfect, like a dream. The first time you dip down to "Game" it was very good. A little dramatic and it works. People often do lower notes softly to not burden the melody with the weight of heavier notes. The second time "Game came up it was soft but also a touch unconfident sounding.

Your tamber (Timber, tambor, tomber) is perfect for this style of music. I think you have a home there.

I must confess to not knkowing the original so I might be saying that some of the intentional bits are wrong when they are actually deliberate.

There is a song that I do to get used to to extreme vocal runs. It is one of the most over requested songs in karaoke but I still do it every now and then. It is also not exactly your style so you might not care to  try it. The song is "Friends in Low Places" by Garth Brooks. It has a few times where it drops down to a long "O" but it has helped me to picture that note.

Thanks for doing that for me Chuck.  I think (honestly) my first "dip" might actually have sounded a wee bit too "hard" as I leaned my coconut a bit closer to the mic at that point but as I listen it's not bad really.  I do feel very much "at home" doing this style of vibrato singing.  I used to run around the house impersonating "The Ink Spots" when I was kid after they played a week at my dad's place (much to my chagrin I found out years later these were only "spin-off" Inkspots, not the original guys, dagummit!). The "Inkspots" almost single-handedly originated this type of singing style and are worth looking into.  

I think Steven's suggestion is a good one (geez that guy knows more about music theory than I do--I just played it, never learned what it was!).  Take care Chuck,

Michael

Klein's Dilemma, Solved! Oh I am just a motza ball head! All this struggling with the famous "low" note problem for naught! I was in the shower, singing the same song I had trouble reaching those seemingly difficult, but for no apparent reason, low notes. Came out beautifully and I even lowered it a key and it worked fine.  I was standing.  NOW I know why when I'm running through the drills and exercises with my teacher I do just fine--because she has me stand at the podium in front of her, that's why! I'm standing! I'm just a maroon!!  This is what has been frustrating me because I KNOW I can reach those notes, much lower then the @!*&$(W*& note mentioned above.  

I'm reasonably intelligent and have been trying analyze WHY ON EARTH this never occurred to me.  I think I know why and it's because the very first time I recorded something with my voice here on the computer (I had discovered !TUNES one night and found they had a karaoke backing to "Witchcraft"--hey, I like this music, what the hell, let me try this karaoke type stuff) I was sitting down. And I've been doing it like that ever since.  There is a very nice mic stand sitting just 3 feet away from me with my video and film equipment--did I ever think to use it no? Why, because I'm a MOTZA HEAD!!!

Well, as we all say, we live, we learn.  Anyway, this has been the BIG revelation for me....just wait, next submission, "Old Man River" in the key of A flat......

Because you didn't ask me DAMNIT!!!!!  STAND UP AND SING!!!!!!..... Geeeezzzeee!

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Just Shut Up and Sing!!!!!!!Sing it like ya' mean it!!!

Okay Miss Wisenheimer! Speaking of standing on your feet while you sing, that reminds me, do you remember a TV show that was on quite a while back called "Johnny Mann's Stand Up and Cheer"?  Everytime that came on my dad would go to turn the channel on it and mutter "Ah, sit down, and shut up!".....

What do you mean, do I remember???... Don't you know I'm only 20 years old!!.... How could I possibly remember that, but my mother told me about so yeah, I do KNOW about it....
My "mother" drove a school bus for 25 years... She used that same line ALOT!

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Just Shut Up and Sing!!!!!!!Sing it like ya' mean it!!!

Hi MoM.... ...........Good to see you in here, now I don't feel so bad about my post count.......

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Satisfaction is the death of desire

Ah, that biting satirical wit! Wonderful.

Hey Kappy.....  Sounds like a really good idea you guys have going here, I think it could benefit those who actually are not afraid to take the feedback and try to use it to their advantage, but...............I think the same things that happen in SS would probably happen in here as well........As someone who has been around much longer than I have, you can attest to the countless battles and backstabbing that has occured over what?.........Someone singing a song.  The critique feature in SS is there for one reason, to attract new subscribers, at least that's what sucked me in. It was about a month before I got any negative feedback, I mean I am pretty confident I don't suck, but I know i'm not perfect either.

          If people can handle it, so be it............but i'd keep your guard up, it could get ugly..............

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Satisfaction is the death of desire

Hey Sweetie Pie...  Ive never been in here until michael dragged me in here.....  It'll take me awhile to catch up... But I really love this thread... I'm glad to be here too... Momsie

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Just Shut Up and Sing!!!!!!!Sing it like ya' mean it!!!

Cham echoes something others have mentioned here...one suggestion I would make  is that if we ask others or designate someone to listen to one of our pieces that we point out exactly where we'd like them to listen...to confirm or negate or give advice on what the requestor is looking for.  I myself would prefer this--I have a pretty good ear and really, most of the time I know what I mucked up or what needs work but ocassionally there are times when I want another sensitive ear and from someone whose own abilities I have some appreciation for.  I'm fortunate to be taking lessons and have a teacher I can trust to do this for me, but many people here maybe don't have the time or the resources for formal lessons and this is something they should at least have, and be able to do, safely.

Signed
Clarence Darrow

We actually had a great thread going for awhile.  Believe it or not the critiquing was going quite well..  Here.. (for slightly easier perusing, start at around page 4)



(The song comments page is likely around 4-6 pages back now)

... Billy, Jeanne, Lonman, Jian, and a few others were critiqued, it was a great interaction in general, problem likely was we didn't have enough to take part to really keep the momentum going. While everything went well, and we ALL learned something from the positive process, It takes a larger group than 2 or 4 individuals doing the actual Critiquing.. Also, we all know the more detailed and specific one get's, the more time the process takes. In addition to time constraints, few of us have a diverse enough knowledge of all the genre's of music people submit.. While my stronger area's might be R&B, classic rock, and ballad, I don't feel capable of knowledgeably Critiquing traditional country styles, Opera, certain classical styles, etc.  I have limitations, as do most.. If there's interest, I believe it can work... We did have many that would've loved to have been Critiqued by those of us that had the ability to help out, I must know my limitations, and be honest with others, as well as myself.  It takes enough of us wanting to get this going, to do-so.

Night guys  !   I need to crash, we have a few neck & neck days over 100 degrees up here... When it's this oppressive each time I open my mouth I take a risk..

TTYL

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

I've been applying this, (also I believe it was Chris who mentioned "singing is like talking in a different pitch", or am I thinking of something someone else stated elsewhere?) anyway, I'm working that concept as well.  What I'm finding is my biggest problem is that I effort too much. SInging for me was about as comfortable as abdominal crunches.. I thought singing was essentially controlled hollering, or yelling.. I've just never taken the time to get set up with the basics..While I've watched it, heard it, stood next to it.. I never learned how to set myself up to do it.. Just never asked.. Too ashamed, embarassed...I assumed those that could sing, had to be naturals, or train very hard to even attempt ANY aspect of it.. There's a tendency to believe I should push my pitch higher than I need to,  also to tense up in certain ways, etc.. seems everything I was doing was wrong, and totally unnatural for my likely range, making the whole process not only unbearable to listen to, but so uncomfortable I was starting to think a person needed to have amazing breath control to comfortably sing.. TOTALLY tensing up everything as if I was trying to blow out a cake full of candles.. Sort've the same problem with golf.. While the assumption a person who doesn't know how drive a golfball will make, is that muscling, and powering the ball enables the ball to be driven further, tensing and powering is not what you do... This is why I don't understand how some are naturals at certain things, while others of us haven't a clue what to do even prior to opening our mouth and making a sound. While it may seem foolish NOT to know the basics,  sometimes we just don't know them, can't figure them out on our own.. So yes.... I've been "singing" or trying to sing for MANY years... But I never learned how to sing..and this is what I hope to get out've my experience in KS, coupled with using Karaoke in private as a session training type tool...

(need to run, it's hot, I'm tired...catch you later)

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Ive never had lessons in singing in fact none of my family have any musical talent at all so we never are sure where i got my singing from,i went to a karaoke when i was about 20 and had never sung in public before and noone was more amazed than i was when people would come up and say why are you not doing this for a living,sadly i never did take it further,i still kind of regret it and now im 36 maybe its too late,but i do listen to what people tell me and enjoy constructive criticism and always like to know what i can do to improve what i do

Nigel, Take it from me... It really is NEVER too late!!  REMOVE that thought from your head, and develop your gift!... I am MUCH older than you and just getting started!!!  Ellan

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Just Shut Up and Sing!!!!!!!Sing it like ya' mean it!!!

thanks i really do love performing and havent been out singing for so long maybe i should come to america everyone seems so much nicer there than the uk