Performing for a camera is different to live anyway; I reckon your first version might have been better for live, but either way I wouldn't have said you're voice sucked!
And the harp tone is great too. ---------- Lucky Lester
Toxic - I thought it was much better, though maybe a shirt would have helped even more! You're first take wasn't in tune for most of the track, and to my ears you were putting on a forced "blues voice".
This one is much more natural and tuneful. The high notes could do with some work to make them more consistent - maybe get yourself a book on singing technique or a lesson or two. You seem pretty relaxed but with a little more support you could really nail those notes. All in all I think that you definitely have the ability to front a band.
Harp was good too, though would be better without the distortion on the recording.
I think both versions were fine. The one thing I've done over the years is to only use the original songs that I cover as general guide. If you only try to copy the original, it never goes anywhere new. That's fine if you're a purist, but I think musicians in general like to take songs to a different place.
Put your own spin on it. Make some changes where you can. If you play with a band, you may find a whole section where you bust into a different time signature, key change, tempo change, etc. Play around with stuff like that and come up with something that makes your version, YOUR version. There are enough covers out there the way it is, so try to set yourself apart from other covers. Don't worry about what people say about trying to sound like anything else. Do what feels natural. Use phrasing and accent that flows with the music. These old school songs were written by old school blues guys. The majority of them were black. To be true to the feel of the song, you're going to have to adapt to some of their vocal rhythms and pronunciations in order to make the song flow vocally. I do that sort of thing all the time, and so do thousands of vocalists around the world. Foreigners are covering western music all the time. They have to adapt to our cadence and flow in order to make it sound natural. Have fun.
thanks gamblershand!! hey do you have any suggestions on where i should start with improving my singing technique? i am singing everywhere i go. but maybe there is also somthing else i can do. let me know if you know a site or a specific book.. colynjames i totally get what you mean by make it my own. i will be experimenting with this song along the way. thanks for your advice. its great stuff ty very very much. all of you rock
I learned like most of the old blues guys- by ear and then totally imersed myself in the live music world. Nothing can beat sitting next to a great musician, getting to know them, and learning from them by just being around them. For me that is the way to go. It has much slower learning curve than paying for lessons but I have developed my own sound. The key to singing is to make it comfortable. Most white guys that sing blues try to sound black and push their natural voice into unatural ranges. The greatest singers often have very limited ranges but work them sweetly. That only happens via singing, like playing an instrument, with lots of time spent on it. Ask yourself what approach is most exciting- lessons, or self discovery. Walter
PS: I started out with music in total isolation from other musicians. That lasted until I was old enough to get out of my house and hit the NYC/NJ live music scene as a teenager. I believe my style was pretty much established by then and getting with the greats just put more inspiration and shine to my soul. Beware of becoming a generic player. That is happening all over now more and more because of these interent learning options. ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
they always appear if you blindly follow the messages in your heart. For me, wilbert harrison, pulled me over in his caddy as I walked down the street blowing my harp. Louisiana Red invited me to live with him after I saw him perform. Sonny Terry let me help him get around, Lightning hopkins became my friend, and the list goes on and on......I also have traveled around the globe , without a clue as to where/reason why I was going, but it always landed me in a better musical place than I left. Most recently we blindly moved to central ohio. The gift here has been to be able to live cheap, build a studio to my musical needs that will soon be as good as most any decent professional one, and be able to play/record my music anytime I want. At different times in my life different musical realities have been there. Now it is more on recording than playing live. I realize this phase is getting me totally self contained with the 1 man band and controlling my recordings. It was a piece of the puzzle that was missing. It is like the journey is one big puzzle and the right pieces are shown at the times when they need to be. I will keep walking blindly till I die! It is like the guy in the big book of life saying drop everything and walk with me and you will find greater things than you could ever imagine staying where you are. That is what I am talking about with the walking blindly to find your musical dreams. Unfortunately most people never do this. I am happy I have. I have missed out on lots of things-kids, being a longtime member of community, and all the other stuff that comes with moving so much. The journey guided me to become a special education teacher and I now have 17 years in. That gig has provided the $ to move to the recording setup and soon will pay me a pension. Like I said, walking blindly is the way to roll! Walter ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
true again i have done kinda the same thing except i havent got the oppertunity to meet any good players yet. i have moved alot!!! im about to see if i can wing it to tampa to watch popper play. im going to try and meet him if thats even possibale but i wont take no for an answer. lol you inspired me walter thanks man i owe u big time.... lol
go man go! ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
