Members WRGKMC Posted April 26, 2015 Members Share Posted April 26, 2015 Man I worked on this song for at least 8 hours today and did at least 50 Takes and I'm still not closer to getting what I want. The guitar and bass parts were done in a single takes but the vocals have been torture. Maybe I'm over the hill and just expecting too much for my age and have lost my Mojo. I guess I'm just discouraged with having worked on this song for two weeks and it stillisnt where I want it to be. I've done other songs and gotten vocals down in a single take and sounded good. I guess this one is just too tough for me to pull off. Its got some really ofball scales and its either too low or too high for my voice. I wrote it about 35 years ago when my voice was allot higher and thought II could do a retro version. I guess I should have just been happy with the original even though its recording qualityu was piss poor. The music isnt too far off but without some decent vocals its never going to be as good as it could be. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...20%5BM3%5D.wav Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Burgess Posted April 26, 2015 Members Share Posted April 26, 2015 Drop the key down a whole step or two. It's your song, arrange it so that it works for you now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bucksstudent Posted April 26, 2015 Members Share Posted April 26, 2015 Eight straight hours without breaks? That would be my problem. It's best to stop and put something away for a bit so you can return to it with a different mindset later. But, if you're working on this one song for so long, maybe it's not worth it? Maybe you could have someone else come in and sing for you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mistersully Posted April 26, 2015 Members Share Posted April 26, 2015 i'd sing another take with a smoother style in a lower register and blend the two... could be interesting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Etienne Rambert Posted April 26, 2015 Members Share Posted April 26, 2015 Good advice from both Bucksstudent and Burgess. Singing is a kind of acting. Speak the words as you would in a conversation.Is each phrase a coherent statement? Does the whole thing make sense? Every beat, every syllable matters. How does each syllable fit into the melodic line?Play the syllable of each word on piano keys. Find the melody.Once you do, rehearse ituntil you are sick of it and disgusted with the whole thing. Then you're ready to record it. I listened to it twice BTW. No need to give up singing IMO. You can still hit the notes.Figure out the right way to hit them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted April 26, 2015 Author Members Share Posted April 26, 2015 Thanks guys. I did try a bunch of different styles, everything from speaking the words to singing smooth. I did 4 completed tracks over a two weeks time and hundreds of single and half line dubs. The gritty vocal seemed to be the only version that works with the music. I did some clean tracks and they just didn't have what the song needed. The song is in the Key of A, and I can usually sing in that key but this songs melody range is wider then a single octave. I was able to sing it at the lower octave but it didn't sound right for the song. The middle range is where it needs to be but I had to modify the melody because I couldn't hit get the upper notes without using falsetto which didn't sound right either. I wrote and recorded the song back in the 80's and it didn't sound bad. I just have to face the fact I'm not the singer I was back then. I do know a couple of female vocalists who can do the rock vocals thing really well. Maybe I'll enlist their help to complete it. The only other option is to redo the whole thing over again in the key of D which should suit my voice better but I been hearing this one play back in my head for weeks now and I'm burnt out on it. I'm not sure the music is worth all that effort so I'll achieve it for now and revisit it at some later date. Sometimes just giving a song time to ferment is all it needs. I usually keep dozens on the back burner and revive them with fresh ears and fresh mind. I often wind up nailing down the essential part the song needed all along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thatsbunk Posted April 26, 2015 Members Share Posted April 26, 2015 kinda reminds me of this song... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mistersully Posted April 26, 2015 Members Share Posted April 26, 2015 Thanks guys. I did try a bunch of different styles, everything from speaking the words to singing smooth. I did 4 completed tracks over a two weeks time and hundreds of single and half line dubs. The gritty vocal seemed to be the only version that works with the music. I did some clean tracks and they just didn't have what the song needed. The song is in the Key of A, and I can usually sing in that key but this songs melody range is wider then a single octave. I was able to sing it at the lower octave but it didn't sound right for the song. The middle range is where it needs to be but I had to modify the melody because I couldn't hit get the upper notes without using falsetto which didn't sound right either. I wrote and recorded the song back in the 80's and it didn't sound bad. I just have to face the fact I'm not the singer I was back then. I do know a couple of female vocalists who can do the rock vocals thing really well. Maybe I'll enlist their help to complete it. The only other option is to redo the whole thing over again in the key of D which should suit my voice better but I been hearing this one play back in my head for weeks now and I'm burnt out on it. I'm not sure the music is worth all that effort so I'll achieve it for now and revisit it at some later date. Sometimes just giving a song time to ferment is all it needs. I usually keep dozens on the back burner and revive them with fresh ears and fresh mind. I often wind up nailing down the essential part the song needed all along. did you try blending a smooth vocal with the gritty one?... i think it could work....i don't think it has to be either/or the gritty vocal has kind of a cool tone to it, but by itself i don't know that it works just a thought Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mistersully Posted April 26, 2015 Members Share Posted April 26, 2015 . Find the melody.Once you do, rehearse it until you are sick of it and disgusted with the whole thing. Then you're ready to record it. disagree completely Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chordite Posted April 26, 2015 Members Share Posted April 26, 2015 I can tell you from experience, you will get it perfect while driving in the car, without a recorder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Into Nation Posted April 26, 2015 Members Share Posted April 26, 2015 Kind of has a Replacements vibe to it, I like it just as it is... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jtr654 Posted April 26, 2015 Members Share Posted April 26, 2015 Give your voice at least a few days rest then try it again . O r can you fly in your original vocals from the 80's if you can get tempo line up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members badpenguin Posted April 26, 2015 Members Share Posted April 26, 2015 There is no shame in asking for help, if you feel you can't get what you want. Know anybody with a decent voice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted April 26, 2015 Author Members Share Posted April 26, 2015 I can tell you from experience, you will get it perfect while driving in the car, without a recorder. That's usually the case. I often do that on songs I haven't got a melody for yet and I'll come up with something that will work. I have one I been working up for a couple of weeks now which I have a few ideas for. I just have to nail down some lyrics. I have a pretty good system in my Mustang and its handy because I can just use a USB stick and plug in a rough mix. Unfortunately I don't drive as much as I used to. I used to be on the road all day, but now that I have an indoor job 8 miles from the home. I may only get to hear a couple of songs to work and back. At least I'm not burning my car out with all that mileage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted April 26, 2015 Author Members Share Posted April 26, 2015 Like I said I know some excellent female vocalists I may recruit. Actually one of them sang the song in a band with me around 15 years ago. We were doing pretty good for awhile there but things changed. Female vocalists are a pain in the butt when it comes to a band, especially when they get hooked up with some guy who get jealous of her performing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted April 26, 2015 Author Members Share Posted April 26, 2015 Two problems there. The tempos and beats have been modified on this one and the older version was more laid back. I only have the stereo masters of the old one, not the multitracks so I cant extract the vocals only from a stereo mix. My studio was all analog back then recording to tape. Much of that old stuff was bounced between one reel to reel to another and I reused many of those master tapes once I got a good mix down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted April 26, 2015 Author Members Share Posted April 26, 2015 I worked through the whole gambit. When you layer vocals the pronunciation has to be dead on or it sounds like crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted April 26, 2015 Author Members Share Posted April 26, 2015 I got a kick out of hearing that song when it came out and noted the similarities. Thing is, I wrote my song before he came out with that album. As with most musicians we are all influenced by the music we listen too. I really cant trace back what my influences were then but we were both likely influenced by similar music back then and came up with similar ideas for a song. I've had the same thing happen on many songs. I have another I wrote back then, and I was listening to a Jamed Bond Theme song done by Sheryl Crow and nearly the entire song has the same progressions and even a similar melodies happening. Add to the fact I was playing that song out live with a band about 15 years ago with a lead singer who was singing a bunch of Crows songs and it makes you wonder. I did make allot of CD's back then and also had stuff on line. You never know who may have heard your stuff and had it influence them. I don't let it bother me because you can drive yourself into paranoia. The way I look at it is if I was able to write my song back in the late 70's and have someone come up with nearly the same song all those years later and have it wind up in a Bond movie, It tells me I had a darn good song written that just lacked the right circumstances to make it a hit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members catscurlyear Posted April 27, 2015 Members Share Posted April 27, 2015 Maybe if you came up with some decent lyrics something much deeper with some thought behind them you might find your voice again , the lyrics you have at the minute sound like they have been written by a teenager,c`mon Bill you can do better than that . you just might get a Bob Dylan Leonard Cohen going on .nice chords on the verse by the way.sorry if your offended ,only trying to help . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Steve2112 Posted April 27, 2015 Members Share Posted April 27, 2015 Maybe give Bob Dylan a call and see what he thinks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted April 28, 2015 Members Share Posted April 28, 2015 Try to sing more quietly but retain the passion. Most people sing too loud into a mic in my experience and it can affect pitch and the overall balance. Start with an almost whisper and practice until you can make it sound like you're belting it out at that volume. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members knotty Posted April 28, 2015 Members Share Posted April 28, 2015 Rest your voice for a couple of weeks. Then retire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted April 28, 2015 Author Members Share Posted April 28, 2015 I've had a chance to play it back in the car a few times and was thinking the same thing. I really don't think much about what the words say as much as how the tones sound, but you're right. those 35 year old lyrics can use some revamping. Its not that hard to do, especially if I use my rhyming dictionary to substitute words. The basic structure is there already. Plus I may find some words that have better cadence and are easier to pronounce at those pitches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted April 28, 2015 Author Members Share Posted April 28, 2015 I've borrowed enough of Bobs techniques over the years singing his songs without asking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted April 28, 2015 Author Members Share Posted April 28, 2015 You know, that was actually the first thing I tried. I thought it would work well along with starting at an octave below and then an octave up to a sustained drive at the end. After I put the leads in the song morphed into something else and that no longer worked, which is why I redid the vocals 3 more times. I liked the drive at the end with the octave up so I dumped the gradual buildup. Thats the funny thing about recording. You may have some great ideas you want to use. Some work well, some require skills beyond your ability to pull off, and some just don't work as you planned. In the end you have to use what's best for the musical composition. If you're lucky it retains many of your original ideas and is enjoyable playing that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.