Tried improving my songs a few years ago

[Bevan]

List of 4 of my songs, lyrics are in each video's description:

 

Thanks for listening.

Edited April 27, 2024 by Bevan

[jack c.]

your voice sounds muddy and pitchy work on it a bit more.jack c

[BPorter]

3 hours ago, jack c. said:

your voice sounds muddy and pitchy work on it a bit more.jack c

Yea thanks forgot to mention the vocals still need work, and on the last track I shouldn't have tried to sing any parts louder, I can't really manage that well.

I don't suppose anyone here would know what vocal exercises might help for this?

[OutrageProductions]

2 hours ago, BPorter said:

I don't suppose anyone here would know what vocal exercises might help for this?

Always stand up (no sitting), place the microphone bottom (hung) so that it is at eye level and you're projecting level/upwards, and voice from your diaphram. Also, it is important to enforce a smile, as that will engage more maxillo-facial muscles, which improves diction.

Edited April 27, 2024 by OutrageProductions

[Terry Carroll]

There is something really good here. The melody just kind of goes on though, with no structure, but who knows a may be start of a whole new sound. Please stay with this sound, it's cool. Listen to songs like yesterday and work with your melody in that vein. Keep the melody, just work on a little. Use your voice like you want to hear it, don't hold back. Love the piano.

Cheers, Terry 

[Terry Carroll]

4 hours ago, OutrageProductions said:

Always stand up (no sitting), place the microphone bottom (hung) so that it is at eye level and you're projecting level/upwards, and voice from your diaphram. Also, it is important to enforce a smile, as that will engage more maxillo-facial muscles, which improves diction.

Good Stuff to follow

[BPorter]

18 hours ago, Terry Carroll said:

There is something really good here. The melody just kind of goes on though, with no structure, but who knows a may be start of a whole new sound. Please stay with this sound, it's cool. Listen to songs like yesterday and work with your melody in that vein. Keep the melody, just work on a little. Use your voice like you want to hear it, don't hold back. Love the piano.

Cheers, Terry 

Its not really anything new tbh - my music is in a similar vein to Norah Jones and Alicia Keys, albeit placed over staggered 4/4 'ragtime / striding bass' inspired backing. An apt 'AI speech' description could be 'Gentle, Passionate, Romantic Soulful Jazz'. 

My home studio setup has simply been sat in disarray for a while between getting burned out and temporarily quitting again between PC upgrades, I'm trying to set it up again and will work on a few more tracks this year, and try to improve the vocals of the current ones.

Edited April 28, 2024 by BPorter

[BPorter]

Wow, and I actually just tried singing with my head pointing up and such ... no vocal errors ... why did I never notice that before god.

Gonna need a new mic stand or such to record like that standing up though.

And more wow, like, I'm sounding like a male Corinne Bailey Rae now, exactly as I needed to sound for my songs. Will do a month of intense practice then return to recording.

I spent the last two weeks dwelling on 'I cant get any further without a vocal coach or mentorship'. @OutrageProductions thank you so much for the advice.

@Terry Carroll I've always tried singing 'Yesterday' on and off, just tried it again after a long vocal session and its now added to my warm up tracks.

I'm currently using:

Trouble Sleeping - Corinne Bailey Ray

Strange Relationship - Darren Hayes

Unchained Melody - Gareth Gates Version

And Beatles Yesterday.

What other songs in similar styles should I try adding to my practice sessions? Slower the vocals the better - while the vocal lines in my songs are rapid pace, they are intended to be sang as slow as possible at the last rhythmically perfect placement. 

Edited April 29, 2024 by BPorter

[Terry Carroll]

Write some lines, any lines at all. Then sing them. Your Style is your style, trust it

 

 

Edited April 29, 2024 by Terry Carroll
word

[OutrageProductions]

5 hours ago, BPorter said:

Wow, and I actually just tried singing with my head pointing up and such ... no vocal errors ... why did I never notice that before god.

@OutrageProductions thank you so much for the advice.

You're welcome!
When we started the Control album with Janet Jackson, she was very timid and shy and always tried to sing with her head sunken into her chest. Made her sing up and out and now the album speaks for itself. Altho she still preferred being in a completely dark room for ambience. ?

[BPorter]

31 minutes ago, OutrageProductions said:

You're welcome!
When we started the Control album with Janet Jackson, she was very timid and shy and always tried to sing with her head sunken into her chest. Made her sing up and out and now the album speaks for itself. Altho she still preferred being in a completely dark room for ambience. ?

Theres another great suggestion for me to add to my vocal practice list - particularly 'Doesn't really matter' which has rapid fire gentle lyrics in the chorus, and my favourite song of hers.

Ideally I'd wish I could sing like this guy, but I can't, I have no depth to my voice - puberty made my voice break upwards instead of down lol - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meTwPu1Quuw

Oh right I just remembered ... what someone once told me ... I have 'Tiny Tims' voice :x. The Living In The Sunlight guy. And I hate it lol.

Edited April 29, 2024 by BPorter

[BPorter]

2 hours ago, Terry Carroll said:

Write some lines, any lines at all. Then sing them. Your Style is your style, trust it

 

 

I have like 3 albums worth of leading original songs, my voice is holding me back - just singing my own songs alone doesn't work. I have some basic vocal exercises from youtube and songs which train the tones I want to use.

Edited April 29, 2024 by BPorter

[Bevan]

After 4 sessions of practice through the day, my own songs and most of my practice ones are crystal clear without faults - but I still cant get unchained melody due to its chant based drawn out syllables or also another one I added - Didos Thank You right, so I need more practice. Still the most progress I made entirely from singing from my head held up, this was amazing. I'll need to wait 2 days before trying more for throat recovery, then continue trying to get those two songs correct too to strengthen my gentle tones.

Previously when I was always going by the general advice of 'sing louder / stop holding back' - none of this ever helped as my vocals cannot sing loud without sounding bad. To this day I hate my voice for having broken upwards as a man.

Also only just realised... Different accounts on tablet and PC cos one of them is my cakewalk account and the other logged in with my google one oops.

Edited April 30, 2024 by Bevan

[Terry Carroll]

I have heard  the song  ":Love Hurts" by over 50 artist (most of them know as great singers) but the only group that I like it by is Nazareth. If your going to do a cover song, sing it to fit your voice, not the Righteous Brothers. Make the song your own if your gonna sing a cover song.  

[BPorter]

41 minutes ago, Terry Carroll said:

I have heard  the song  ":Love Hurts" by over 50 artist (most of them know as great singers) but the only group that I like it by is Nazareth. If your going to do a cover song, sing it to fit your voice, not the Righteous Brothers. Make the song your own if your gonna sing a cover song.  

Not 'cover songs' sorry, I'm looking for songs that suit my style as 'vocal training / improvement' songs for  lessons / rehearsals. 

I have all my own songs, I need ones such as the ones I suggested to train with as just singing my own ones over and over again doesn't do enough to improve my voice.