wanna help a newbie out? singing feedback

M

Mystique

New member
hi, i'm so glad i found this forum because i could really use some help/feedback, firstly i'm having trouble figuring out what vocal type i have - mezzo soprano or contralto, i'm working on increasing my range but i know for now i can more comfortably sing lower and mid notes, i can only really sing high notes in head voice. also are my transitions between chest and head voice okay, or should i work on that?. If you have any constructive criticism of how i can improve i'd love to hear it, and i'd love any artists or style recommendations, ones you think i should familiarize myself with, or any songs you think would suit my voice. thank you!

here are a few covers -

Only Hope - Switchfoot (Mandy Moore version)

https://soundcloud.com/musicovers94/only-hope


Royals - Lorde - this song was fun to cover because i did the main vocals then 3 tracks of background. i think i have a similar range to Lorde, i find i can sing all of her songs comfortably

https://soundcloud.com/musicovers94/royals-cover


young and beautiful - Lana Del Rey

https://soundcloud.com/musicovers94/young-and-beautiful


and a toned down acoustic cover of I will follow you into the dark by Death cab for cutie

https://soundcloud.com/musicovers94/i-will-follow-you-into-the-dark
 
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I hope you're ready for brutal honesty, because you are likely to get some on this website. Let me give you what I think. (Worth exactly what you pay for it).
Okay. Firstly, labels aren't necessary. Just sing. Everyone sings lower and middle notes easier. That's not an issue. It's normal. You have a great voice.
Listened to the first song. Your voice is very pleasing. You have that airy style down well. No pitchy problems. No loss of air on the longer notes. You are doing a very good job. You even hit and held the high note. Captivating performance.
Royals had some pitch problems. When the BU vocals kicked in on Royals, it was nice and tight and on target, though. This needed a bit more practice.
I think maybe young and beautiful wasn't practiced enough before you put it down. There were really good parts, but lots of flat going on. It also sounded like it might have been in too low a key for you.
Into the dark again was pretty on track like it was practiced well. The guitar was not poorly played, but there were some distracting performance issues that took away from your vocal. The vocal was not on par with Only Hope, but still sounded really nice.

I did notice that you don't do any belting. Everything is airy. If that's what you're after, fine, but it is limiting on what styles you will be able to pull off. You've got to listen to your own stuff as well and figure out where your hot spots are and learn a bit about singing to the mike. I would definitely get some more practice time in on some of your songs before tracking.

From what I can hear, you are a very talented young lady. Your voice seems 20's and possibly teen. If you are older, congratulations. If I'm right, and you're interested in singing, you should be looking for opportunities to do so professionally. I would also find a vocal coach. Do some research and get one that fits your needs.
 
thank you so much for your feedback, i need to work on belting and singing with more power, (my voice tends to break when i do) for now i will to try consistently do vocal warm ups and exercises, and maybe build more confidence in my voice. i don't usually sing in front of people, so i only record when no ones around, which is not often and not for long amounts of time so i record what i can in 1 take, but its true and i appreciate the comment that i should practice more before recording.
 
I don't know you personally. I am not a vocal coach. I'm only putting this out because it helped me 30 years ago, and I'm using the same advice again now. (see below)
I do recommend (again) that you find a vocal coach. Especially if you start to sing for a living. Too many great vocalists end up without a voice from polyps or other problems. If you use them once a year to steer, that's fine. If you go "pro" you'll want one on call.

Okay. First tool: Confidence (you already know that). Get comfortable with your voice. If you don't love your voice (and believe me, that's a hard thing), you'll be shy about using it. Listen to your best recordings until you get comfortable with your voice. I did that when I was 20 and it made a world of difference to my singing (and confidence around others). I'm re-doing that because I took 10 years off from singing and I'm (again) not comfortable hearing my own voice, mainly because it's completely different. I'll give you your first vote of confidence. You have a great voice. You learn to use it and EVERYONE will want to hear it. Brutal honesty.

Second tool: Breathing. I believe you have this down, but don't let it go. Practice when you walk. Take in as much air as you can on the first step and let it out over the next seven. Keep doing this until you do it with controlled, smooth exhales. Proper breathing technique will help with the breaking when you reach for the hard hitters.

Third tool: Vocal dexterity. Next, when you are comfortable with your voice, open up and start letting loose. 1) Record your practices. Use guitar or piano or something you are comfortable playing. Play a note. Sing the note. Play a different note. Sing the note. Push your edges. Sing the notes in full out (belt), moderate (sing) and soft (airy) voices. Go slow and build speed. Then do slow and quick scales. Last, listen to what you did. Listen for slides and glissandi. Listen for breaks. Learn where your weak points are and push them. This is where the second (and most important) vote of confidence will come from. You. When you start being able to recognize how good your voice is, and where you sound brilliant. You'll focus more on those aspects. If you're intelligent (and I'm sure you are) you'll learn where your soft spots are and get help with them.

If you're going to sing for your supper, you're going to eventually stand in a small room with headphones and a mike hung from the roof and be staring into the eyes of a tech recording your voice. That scares most people to death. If you have confidence in your own voice. If you've got the techniques and breathing skills down pat. If you've practiced your songs until they are muscle memory. If you've focused on your strong points and shored up the soft. You have absolutely nothing to fear. You'll blow the tech away!
Good luck!
 
Wow, I don't even know what to say. Everything you wrote, is, and will be so helpful to me. Thank you again for taking the time to help me out, I appreciate it immensely!
 
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