Members lunarlander76 Posted June 24, 2002 Members Share Posted June 24, 2002 I find that in certain keys (E, F, A minor) I can sing very well, while in others (F#M, etc) I just can't seem to do it very well. Plus, I seem to sing best with just an acoustic guitar at room level, but when I try to sing over a full band with distorted guitars, it's a whole different story. If it sounded good at home with the acoustic, it might not come off well at all with the band in the studio. Anybody else experience this? I'm still trying to figure out which key are best for me, and which are best for loud songs, and which are best for soft ones. Am I alone in this? Am I a bad singer? Is this normal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tedddy Posted June 24, 2002 Members Share Posted June 24, 2002 I know a lot of people in bands who don't like to play songs in keys other than what they were actually wrritten in. I don't understand this. Thats why capos were invented. Why put unnecesary strain on your voice singing in a range that is outside of you natural range? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Greenshoe Posted June 24, 2002 Members Share Posted June 24, 2002 Originally posted by Animal I find that in certain keys (E, F, A minor) I can sing very well, while in others (F#M, etc) I just can't seem to do it very well. Plus, I seem to sing best with just an acoustic guitar at room level, but when I try to sing over a full band with distorted guitars, it's a whole different story. If it sounded good at home with the acoustic, it might not come off well at all with the band in the studio. Anybody else experience this? I'm still trying to figure out which key are best for me, and which are best for loud songs, and which are best for soft ones.Am I alone in this? Am I a bad singer? Is this normal? I'm in the same boat regarding acoustic guitar vs. whole band. Some possible solutions: 1) Instrumental arrangement of song - your vocals may sound 'better' with just an acoustic guitar simply because there's less 'stuff' happening around it - you'll be able to hear a lot of the dynamics in the vocal (color/tone, vibrato, pronunciation, etc.) when there's only one other instrument competing with your voice. With a full band, your voice may sound less 'dynamic' because too many of the instruments could be playing in the same range as your vocal, which then masks all those nuances you hear with just and acoustic - it's not an issue of just turning the volume of the guitar/bass amps down, but rearranging the guitar/keys/bass parts altogether. That riff may sound cool on its own, but when you're singing, the music around it is meant to support it, not compete with it. 2) Enunciation - Do your vocals in the band sound muffled or the words sound mumbled? Enunciation is so much more critical when singing with a band. 3) Apply some EQ - if you're recording, some EQing may help 'brighten' your vocals a bit, especially if there are fuzzy electric guitars or keys that fill the mid-range. At least for me, fiddling with the instrumental arrangement, enunciaiton and EQ helped. btw, where in sf are you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lunarlander76 Posted June 25, 2002 Author Members Share Posted June 25, 2002 Originally posted by Greenshoe btw, where in sf are you? Thanks for the tips. I think the arrangement suggestion might really help. I try to play around with the eq when demoing songs at home...it helps a bit. BTW, I live/work near the upper haight. I'm in 2 bands here, Disciples (www.mp3.com/thedisciples) and The Walk-Ups. How about you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Greenshoe Posted June 25, 2002 Members Share Posted June 25, 2002 Originally posted by Animal BTW, I live/work near the upper haight. I'm in 2 bands here, Disciples ( www.mp3.com/thedisciples) and The Walk-Ups. How about you? I'm in the Mission. I listened to "Baitin' the Hook" - the fact that you guys kept it raw, short and matter-of-fact definitely works for this song (whether you intended to or not). I usually have the bad tendency to make it more complicated than it should be. Not in any bands here yet nor plan to be for a while (always more work involved than I'd anticipate, takes multiple iterations to find compatible musicians/personalities, etc.) - focusing mostly on writing and recording in my spare time, mostly Adult Contemporary (just kidding). Should have a first upload of 2-3 mp3's this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lunarlander76 Posted June 25, 2002 Author Members Share Posted June 25, 2002 The Disciples is sort of a side project..not stuff that I write...I just play guitar. Anyway, shoot me an email (lunarlander76@hotmail.com)when you get some stuff uploaded. Is it sunny in the mission today? It's foggy as all hell here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Greenshoe Posted June 25, 2002 Members Share Posted June 25, 2002 Originally posted by Animal The Disciples is sort of a side project..not stuff that I write...I just play guitar. Anyway, shoot me an email (lunarlander76@hotmail.com)when you get some stuff uploaded.Is it sunny in the mission today? It's foggy as all hell here. Will do. My email is greenshoelace@hotmail.com In potrero right now actually. Sunny and not a cloud in the sky... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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