Pitch correction...anyone can sing!

[Mark Wein]

An article in the "New Yorker" that demonstrates pitch correction.

http://www.newyorker.com/online/2008/06/09/080609on_audio_frerejones/?xrail

[mosiddiqi]

It's obviously useful, but also a bit of a shame. Can you imagine a modern producer would probably want to "Fix" Robert Plant's singing on "Four Sticks" which has so much character even if the pitch is a bit weird. In fact, it's the weird pitching that gives it the character!

[Mark Wein]

It's obviously useful, but also a bit of a shame. Can you imagine a modern producer would probably want to "Fix" Robert Plant's singing on "Four Sticks" which has so much character even if the pitch is a bit weird. In fact, it's the weird pitching that gives it the character!


That is the reality of music in the modern age, I'm afraid...a singer like Otis Redding would have had much of the "character" smoothed out of his voice...one reason why pop music has no "guts" anymore IMHO....

[hobo]

An article in the "New Yorker" that demonstrates pitch correction.

http://www.newyorker.com/online/2008/06/09/080609on_audio_frerejones/?xrail



my computer shows that this is a bad site so be careful on it :o

[warren0728]

not trying to hijack the thread....just taking it slightly of course....i would really like to sing better....when playing a song i start singing and am not happy ith my voice....sometimes i'm on key (sorta) and sometimes just miss completely....any tips on improving my singing....i would love to sit around and play and sing for friends or maybe at an open mic night but i'm not there vocally yet....

mark if you want me to start a new thread on this i will....

ww

[Mark Wein]

not trying to hijack the thread....just taking it slightly of course....i would really like to sing better....when playing a song i start singing and am not happy ith my voice....sometimes i'm on key (sorta) and sometimes just miss completely....any tips on improving my singing....i would love to sit around and play and sing for friends or maybe at an open mic night but i'm not there vocally yet....

mark if you want me to start a new thread on this i will....

ww


no biggie! I'll post something I just did in the new "Singers Forum" on Harmony Central here and then I might start a new thread, too!

Here it is!



Disclaimer - I am not a professionally trained vocalist..I am a college educated guitarist who works as a guitarist because he can sing

I teach performance classes in my studio and while we have a great vocal staff (5 instructors with Masters Degrees from places Manhattan School of Music, USC and Chapman university) I end up having to do some coaching with the students in the classes who are instrumentalists that do not take voice instruction.

Besides the obvious task of teaching them to breath properly my quickest fix is getting them to pronounce vowel sounds better and feel the resonance on their head in the proper place. Since you carry most pitch duration on a vowel sound if we sing those better they will usually sing in tune better.


"E" - pronounce the word "feet" - feel the vowel behind the front of your mouth or teeth.

"eh" or "eye" - pronounce the word "High" - feel the vowel in your forehead and sinuses around the nose.

"A" - - pronounce the word "hay" - feel the vowel in the top of your head, or envision it a column that is shooting up through the top of your head from your throat.


"o" or "oh" - pronounce the word "boat" - feel the vowel in the "top and back" of your head and passing diagonally down to your mouth.

"u" or "oooh" - pronounce the word "you" - feel the vowel from the back of your throat shooting straight out the front of your mouth.


Try singing a little bit of your favorite song but really focus on feeling the vowels in the words that you are singing in this fashion...see if you sing more in tune!


Properly trained vocalists probably have other (and better) ways of doing this but I has gotten quite a bit of progress out of untrained singers with this little nugget

[Mark Wein]

OK...we now have a "Singers Salon" forum here:

http://markweinguitarlessons.com/forum/index.php?board=19.0

;D

[warren0728]

i think it's a great idea mark!

thanks,
ww