What makes this guy's voice so rich, apart from genetics

[Kentrel]

 

This guy has an amazing voice, and he claims to have never had a singing lesson, but he's a professional songwriter so I assume that he at least knows how to professionally train and warm up his voice. Whether he uses his own intuition or not is hard to know.

 

I'm learning to sing, (using a Brett Manning package) and would love to be able to sing even a tenth as good as this guy. His voice is obviously natural, I purposefully ignore any discussions about genetic factors or "natural voices" as it just discourages me from trying harder. I've already come a lot further than I ever thought possible. Don't want to stop now.

 

My question is this: What is this guy doing apart from just singing "in pitch". Maybe this is a stupid question, but its hard for me to figure out. He has an amazing timbre - is there anything that can be done about that? If I sing without going offkey I sound fine, but my voice warbles a little bit, thins out as I go higher, is a little slow to respond to certain pitch changes etc. I'm confident that my voice training package will help me deal with all of those weaknesses over the next few months, but is it possible to ever have a timbre and style like his which is so varied and expressive?

 

I don't want to imitate his voice - I know that's probably not possible, but I do want to have the same result - make people think "Wow, I LOVE your voice". (besides my girlfriend who's biased ).

[Bajazz]

1. Nothing is genetics. When he was born all that his genes had programmed him for was crying. He had no singing abilities at that point just like you and me.

2. He simply had sung much in his life. I guess he have tried to sing along to lot of songs and therefore learn techniques like vibrato, different tones, phrasing etc...

3. It's not THAT great... It's basic vocal techniques and range is very limited, and yes pitch is good. He got all things fine.

4. Everyone that practice a few hundred hours will be at this level. If your practice 4 hours a day, I bet you'll do this song as good within a year.

[Kentrel]

If that's possible for me within a year I can definitely practise 4 hours a day.

 

But how should I practise. The CD sets I use say to do the exercises once a day. Should I do those, then practise on songs and technique afterwards? How much is enough without overtraining my voice?

 

So far, with 30 minutes of warmup exercises and about an hour or so of singing I have no troubles, but if I try to push my range I get tired very easily and can't sing much afterwards.

[crossways]

 

1. Nothing is genetics. When he was born all that his genes had programmed him for was crying. He had no singing abilities at that point just like you and me. 2. He simply had sung much in his life. I guess he have tried to sing along to lot of songs and therefore learn techniques like vibrato, different tones, phrasing etc... 3. It's not THAT great... It's basic vocal techniques and range is very limited, and yes pitch is good. He got all things fine. 4. Everyone that practice a few hundred hours will be at this level. If your practice 4 hours a day, I bet you'll do this song as good within a year.

 

 

1. The timbre of your voice IS a matter of genetics. Your ability to sing in tune is a matter of practice, though it may come more naturally to some than to others.

 

2. Good vibrato is a matter of unretricted natural airflow, and hopefully not something you try to mimic after listening to other singers.

 

4. Again, practice will make you a better singer, no doubt. However, hours do not equal a professional quality voice. I could run everyday for two years. I might be able to improve my time and distance to a point. But I would never be worldclass. At that point genetics do play a role.

 

Anyone can be a good singer.

 

A few are GREAT.

 

Hardwork + some amount of genetics = GREAT

[AzraelsWings]

Whether or not he's had individual voice lessons, I would wager that he sang in a chorus or two. From his site, he claims to have spent 6 school hours daily on music. Also, he grew up playing violin. Being brought up playing a string instrument will give you one sharp ear, which is half the battle.

 

Good luck with Singing Success. I found it less helpful than purported. It may be different for you, different approaches work differently for different people. I might even get better results if I returned to it now. My best results have come from a much less expensive program by Jeannie Deva. (Google her if you're interested.)

 

He's got a nice voice and the song suits it well. Don't be intimidated. Just practice away.

 

To answer your question about what he's doing, he is singing naturally and has enough experience to allow his voice to remain relaxed and resonant.

 

To answer your question about how much is too much, once you lose focus or get hoarse, you've reached a point where you probably should have stopped twenty minutes prior. With respect to forcing your range, don't do that. Or, rather, don't think of it as forcing. When you're singing higher notes loudly, you need to maintain a relaxed feeling in your throat. Don't confuse a painful, emotional sound with muscular stress in your body.

 

Also, cool down with a few of Manning's exercises after singing.

[Bajazz]

 

4. Again, practice will make you a better singer, no doubt. However, hours do not equal a professional quality voice. I could run everyday for two years. I might be able to improve my time and distance to a point. But I would never be worldclass. At that point genetics do play a role.

Why would you know unless you have run everyday for many years? 2 years won't make anyone a good runner. If you put in the same work as pro runners do you would be in their league. But you will not know or believe this because you don't do this. So you assume and blame your lack of hard work on genetics. Sorry to be so hard on you....

 

I can agree to a small point that genetics can contribute to small variations, but to use it as an excuse of not practicing is taking it very far.

 

I know this cause in my family no one have been a musican for generations. As the only one I started to sing and found only one thing that could make me a better singer: Work. Hard work.

 

Sorry, but there are no singer genes to blame....

[Consume]

1. Nothing is genetics. When he was born all that his genes had programmed him for was crying. He had no singing abilities at that point just like you and me. 2. He simply had sung much in his life. I guess he have tried to sing along to lot of songs and therefore learn techniques like vibrato, different tones, phrasing etc... 3. It's not THAT great... It's basic vocal techniques and range is very limited, and yes pitch is good. He got all things fine. 4. Everyone that practice a few hundred hours will be at this level. If your practice 4 hours a day, I bet you'll do this song as good within a year.

 

That's not necessarily true, genetics does play some part of it in regard to internal structure of the resonant chambers. Some people just naturally have better tone than others, it is just a fact of life. Timbre can only be tweaked so much without massive amounts of plastic surgery.

 

 

If you look like Geoff Tate, the odds are much greater that you will sound like Geoff Tate than somebody who looks like... Paul Stanley from Kiss.

[Consume]

Hy Kentrel, what is your address?

 

I want to send you some Q-tips! :poke:

 

No offense, but that guy was just short of awful!

 

 

 

You should be able to sing like that within 8 weeks of doing Singing Success. If not, I'd go take a private lesson or two, because that guys just was not anything special. In some parts he was running out of breath, so h doesn't understand breath support. His tone wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything to write home about.

 

I defintiely prefer the tone of Thor.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmxtDl-u1aQ

[Kentrel]

Fair enough, that's a matter of opinion. I realise he's not the best. He's a professional song writer, not performer - he just performs for youtube. For me, that performance is a benchmark that I want to achieve. I can go higher than him, so maybe I can do better. However, I'm 6 weeks into Singing Success, and I'm not even close to that...I think it will take longer.

 

As for the genetics argument: I don't care what component of genetics plays a factor, or how much or how little. I know I can improve drastically anyway, so I'm not going to let that demotivate me. I just pointed out genetics, because I was trying to show that I wanted to be able to create a very rich tone, regardless of my particular genetics. I'm pushing myself to the limit. Would still be interested in knowing if creating a rich tone is possible for anyone? I'm starting to think it is because I feel a few notes low in my bass are starting to sound a lot more pleasant...

 

Thanks for all your advice. Would still appreciate any more input, if anyone has any.

[SevenString]

That's not necessarily true, genetics does play some part of it in regard to internal structure of the resonant chambers. Some people just naturally have better tone than others, it is just a fact of life. Timbre can only be tweaked so much without massive amounts of plastic surgery. If you look like Geoff Tate, the odds are much greater that you will sound like Geoff Tate than somebody who looks like... Paul Stanley from Kiss.

 

Perfect example: Roy Khan of Kamelot.

 

[Consume]

Fair enough, that's a matter of opinion. I realise he's not the best. He's a professional song writer, not performer - he just performs for youtube. For me, that performance is a benchmark that I want to achieve. I can go higher than him, so maybe I can do better. However, I'm 6 weeks into Singing Success, and I'm not even close to that...I think it will take longer. As for the genetics argument: I don't care what component of genetics plays a factor, or how much or how little. I know I can improve drastically anyway, so I'm not going to let that demotivate me. I just pointed out genetics, because I was trying to show that I wanted to be able to create a very rich tone, regardless of my particular genetics. I'm pushing myself to the limit. Would still be interested in knowing if creating a rich tone is possible for anyone? I'm starting to think it is because I feel a few notes low in my bass are starting to sound a lot more pleasant... Thanks for all your advice. Would still appreciate any more input, if anyone has any.

 

 

Actually, I was just teasing you. That guy was okay I guess.... I guess that I just set the bar so high that I never think of people like that as a level of singing to strive for.

It's easy to hit your target when you aim for mediocre.

 

I don't have "Singing Success" but I've been to a function that Brett lectured at, and had 1 private lesson. One of my good friends is friends with him.

 

The best thing that I saw that he had going for him based on the lecture and instructions that he taught, was the Nay exercise to get you through your passaggio. That is an excellent exercise.

 

#1. Make sure that you warm up really well. massage your neck and throat and get out any stiffness.

 

#2. Make sure that you are well hydrated. A lot of singers do not recognize the role that these first two play in singing.

 

#3. Make sure that when you do the practice routine, that you focus on it and are uninterrupted.

 

I personally would say do his routine 2 times a day, but that's me. You can overdo it - but you need to be dedicated as well. Only you can say whether or not your practice is enough.

I suggest a minimum of 30 minutes to an hour a day, 6 days a week.

[Kentrel]

Thank you, that's really helpful. One more question.

 

A friend of mine who used a Seth Riggs program said that he had a technique for getting through trouble spots in songs. He said, that whatever your problem was just sing the exercise at that point. So, you would sing "Nay" while going through your passagio, and Gug and Gi or whatever those were for other parts.

 

Do you know if that's good advice or not? Bear in mind, I don't have that program and don't really know if my friend was telling me accurately or not.

[strat2]

I just listened to 60 seconds or so , he was on pitch but I totally missed the 'amazing' timbre part.

 

There should be no obstacles I can think of to keep you from reaching this level of singing.

 

-

[Kentrel]

Thank you. Right now, I sound like someone who's been learning violin for just 6 weeks, lol. But I'll persevere.

[strat2]

Thank you. Right now, I sound like someone who's been learning violin for just 6 weeks, lol. But I'll persevere.

 

We all do at first ...........

Jack Benny always sounded like 6 weeks, but that's different animal....

You'll get it down.

[strat2]

 

Thank you, that's really helpful. One more question. A friend of mine who used a Seth Riggs program said that he had a technique for getting through trouble spots in songs. He said, that whatever your problem was just sing the exercise at that point. So, you would sing "Nay" while going through your passagio, and Gug and Gi or whatever those were for other parts. Do you know if that's good advice or not? Bear in mind, I don't have that program and don't really know if my friend was telling me accurately or not.

 

 

It's only good advice if you use it up in your head, it's useless if you use it in your throat area.

Glug, nay, kee goo, good stuff , but only if you are working the mask if you know what I mean by mask area.

Any focus on throat is useless with these tricks.

They work incredibly well if applied as intended.

[Consume]

 

Thank you, that's really helpful. One more question. A friend of mine who used a Seth Riggs program said that he had a technique for getting through trouble spots in songs. He said, that whatever your problem was just sing the exercise at that point. So, you would sing "Nay" while going through your passagio, and Gug and Gi or whatever those were for other parts. Do you know if that's good advice or not? Bear in mind, I don't have that program and don't really know if my friend was telling me accurately or not.

 

 

Yeah, I have heard of students doing that. I personally would say, put in a half an hour a day on the Nay exercise to really get it into your mind about making the zipping action of the vocal cords second nature as you go through the Passaggio. Then start working upward with it as high as you can go.

 

Then work on another sound - I personally prefer to stick with one sound, and do a different sound each week if I am going to be using anything other than simply vocalizing vowel sounds. (i.e., such as sliding E, A, or O scales, or mesa di voce.)

[Bajazz]

No offense, but that guy was just short of awful! You should be able to sing like that within 8 weeks of doing Singing Success. If not, I'd go take a private lesson or two, because that guys just was not anything special. In some parts he was running out of breath, so h doesn't understand breath support. His tone wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything to write home about.

Xactly what I was talking about. It's all a matter of taste, and Kentral thought he was so awesome that he had to be born a good singer. Just because he wasn't able to do it himself

 

I agree that we all sound different but with some work we can learn to alter our sound tremendously, maybe Consume hasn't learned to do this, so he thinks it is impossible. There are millins of impersonators, of course it is possible to make a very wide range of sounds.

 

You have the choice of still pushing when you reach a virtual impossible wall or you can give up. It's only those who push that truly will know the mechanisms who make great musicans. And also the fact that there is no magical tricks, just plain hard work. And that can seem terrible boring at times.

 

But what a kick to break the wall!!

[SevenString]

Some thoughts about "capturing a vibe".

 

[YOUTUBE]D4xzgbyMGyQ[/YOUTUBE]

[ratroast]

Sorry bro, I honestly don't see what you see in that guy. Yes, he's capable, but his style and sound just has "wannabe" written all over it..And his rasp sounds unhealthily artificial

 

But anyways, I can totally see you being at that stage in a year. Really, the only factors stopping most people from singing is the balls meng..And I totally understand, it's {censored}ING HARD to raise your voice infront of people like an asshole and have your dignity at their disposal.. But hey, if you want to do this, that's the only way to go man. We've all been through it and have some hilarious stories to share.

 

Just wondering though, how old are you? I'm asking because generally when adults with minimal musical background start singing for whatever reasons(getting rid of monotone, impress women, etc.), they are more prone to developing bad habits. It's like learning a language..Put a kid in Korea for a year and he'll come back fluent in Korean, now try that with an adult..Know what I mean?

 

Keep on rockin man

[stevesherbert]

reverb aka 'mistake mist'

[BigVoiceTenor]

How many times do we have to go over this?

 

PEOPLE..........

 

Practice will NOT make you sing well or sound good (to those who know a well sounding singer voice) if you simply do NOT have a well sounding singing voice!!!!!!!!!

 

PLEAZZZZZZZZZZZEEEEEEEEEEEE......

 

Those folks who get kicked off American Idol and "think" they sound better than Mariah Carey or whoever....just:

 

DO

NOT

HAVE

THE

TRAITS...to be a good singer!!!!!!!!!!!

 

OMG, you got it or you don't.

 

And for those in "limbo"....practice and lessons can help but you can't take a bad singer and make them a good singer if their voice doesn't have the timbre, pitch, range or genetic make-up to sound PLEASING to the masses.

 

~~~~~~~

[BigVoiceTenor]

Perfect example: Roy Khan of Kamelot.

 

I have NEVER in my life heard Roy Khan of Kamelot so I YouTube'd him. I like the sounds and I will look into the more. Kinda sounds like a Laguna Coil, Evanesence, Nightwish style sound.

 

Oddly your voice is eerily similar to his 7Strings.

[percept]

 

How many times do we have to go over this? PEOPLE.......... Practice will NOT make you sing well or sound good (to those who know a well sounding singer voice) if you simply do NOT have a well sounding singing voice!!!!!!!!! PLEAZZZZZZZZZZZEEEEEEEEEEEE...... Those folks who get kicked off American Idol and "think" they sound better than Mariah Carey or whoever....just: DO NOT HAVE THE TRAITS...to be a good singer!!!!!!!!!!! OMG, you got it or you don't. And for those in "limbo"....practice and lessons can help but you can't take a bad singer and make them a good singer if their voice doesn't have the timbre, pitch, range or genetic make-up to sound PLEASING to the masses. ~~~~~~~

 

 

Hi there,

 

Only having good voice is not at all a priority. There are lots of factors required to be a good singer. There are many voice improving exercise practiced in order to improve voice quality as well as maintaining the voice quality. If a person has a good sound but don't know the various ragas or tunes that makes people enjoy the song, then what the use of having good voice. Every thing is required ina good singer and by practice anyone can improve and become a good singer.

 

Regards.

[Bajazz]

Put a kid in Korea for a year and he'll come back fluent in Korean, now try that with an adult

That's a very good example. Actually I see kids not learning the language fluent, and adults do in some cases. I've noticed that those who learn the language simply spends lots of time speaking it and playing with the other kids. Adults often finds ways to preserve their "old" language.