Gary

I'd never heard this song until you posted your two versions. You did say you wanted other folks to post their versions well here's mine. You will notice I changed my shirt and had my hair cut specially for the video.

Donny

I really am trying, honest.

BTW the green spot on the wall is to help me line up with the camera, didn't realise it was so prominent, I'll have to find a more sophisticated method, maybe a cross on the floor LOL


Regards - Col

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6HC3Ozv2DU

You're gonna have to get a cowboy hat to do that right!
Seriously, great job.

Col, I couldn't sing that high if you clamped my shorts into a machinist vice. Sounds good, though. How about a description of the equipment - keyboard, vocal settings, etc...

Gary

Col you will never get that real feel unless someone videotapes you in real time....have your wife or a friends do it while you song a song at different angles ...but as you sing make believe the camera isn't there ...
DON"T FOLLOW the Camera WITH YOUR EYES as they move around ....just sing as if there was an audience there. Otherwise you look like a DEER in the headlights!

good luck

Oh DEER

Donny: Only my second attempt at a video just using a hand mic and backing tracks. If I'd been at it as long as you Donny I'll probable look more like an old "Stag"


Don: Thank you for your encouraging comment, I'll see if I can find a suitable hat for the future performances.


Gary: I've found since I started my lessons my breathing and my range has definitely improved although I've got a long way to go yet.

I've just done "If Tomorrow never Comes", not sure I should post it but I'll probably stick it on YouTube anyway.

At least it's given you something to "rabbit" about LOL

All the best

Col

Hi Gary

The backing was a MIDI file played on the G70 recorded into Cubase and converted to an MP3 file. The key was the same as the original by Alabama. The VH was the TC Helicon Voicelive Touch one voice of harmony a third up. The Mic is the TC Helicon MP-75. The backing track was played on an Android Tablet the outlet sent to the VH to trigger the harmony. The audio was sent from the headphone outlet of the VH to the Camera which was my Kodak Zi8 (Same as Don's) recorded at a resolution of 720/60 fps.

Kind Regards

Col

Thanks Col, that's the kind of information I was looking for. Good info.

Gary

Col, thanks for sharing. You sing really well. I had the biggest laugh at the green dot

Correction, Colin, you DON'T have "a long way to go yet!"

Singing is NOT that difficult when you know HOW to do it. It's all in the "breathing." I'm sure your teacher has told you that already.

When you yawn, THAT is correct breathing, from the bottom of the lungs. Babies "sing" naturally because they haven't learned how to develop (mental) "blockages" yet.

I spent years, unnecessary years, looking for the magic formula to learn to sing. Then one day I realized what my teacher had been telling me for years. That it's all about breath control, and when the sound rides on the breath, it resonates all over the facial cavities.

Of course, that's simplifying the whole process. But that's the basics of it. You're NOT trying to sing opera......that DOES take years, but pop singing is about breathing, resonating and STYLE (interpretation)!

One more thing, work like the Devil to develop your abdominal muscles. That is what supports the breath. Not only that, you'll feel healthier and stronger all around when that area gets developed.

Above all....don't view it as "difficult!" If you do, it's going to become "difficult!" I can't tell you the number of times I looked at a piece of sheet music and thought...."this is going to be difficult." When I learned to change my mental attitude to "this is going to be a piece of cake".....it became "a piece of cake!"

Wish I was this wise at the beginning of my career and not at the end of it!

P.S. "stage posture" is a whole new animal.....to be approached in a different way. One of my suggestions is to get into your "head" so deeply that as you "feel" the music, the hand movements happen by themselves. Also, it DOES need to be practiced. I suggest you just throw caution to the wind, get yourself in a solitary place where no one can see you, and EXAGGERATE your hand and body movements.......make them as silly and as crazy as possible. Then when it counts on stage, you'll be used to flailing away!

Mark

Mark

My singing teacher (thanks to you) and you are definitely singing from the same hymn sheet, when I'm singing I hear these voices in my head, drop your jaw, control your breathing etc. uncanny, must be something I ate. LOL

BTW I also have Donny bending my ear, a DEER in the headlights, over here we have rabbits.

Not sure how old you are Mark but at 72 it feels like a fresh start. I don't do many Gigs these days but the ones I do are becoming more enjoyable.

Much of the reason for doing the video's was to help improve both my singing and performance, My singing teacher has me performing in front of a mirror, the only problem with that of course is there is no replay button.

Once again, thanks for your help

Col

Col singing in the mirror wont help much....you need to sing in front of people, your wife, friends, any live audience you can look into their eyes and relate the message your sending thru the lyrics of the song. And be ready to do this at anytime, putting aside all butterflies, nervousness, anxiety & all else almost like an Actor of sorts,....because YOU have to have the CONFIDENCE that You are the BEST singer in the world!!, & YOU have to BELIEVE IT or else it will be shown in your performance on stage for examle when the director shouts "ACTION" you have to change persona and sing your butt off. The more you do it the more better you will become....good luck buddy!

Best singing instruction I ever got was playing the clarinet! Breathing, phrasing, dynamics ... the whole package minus the syllables.
All other things being equal, wind players make better singers.

I thought I would give this one a try recording direct on the Pa900 ... I still need to work on the vocal EQs ...

I used Country Ballad 2, Tempo = 88 ... Harmony was 2 Male voices, Up1 and Up2, and a Female voice Up2 ...
Comments welcome ...

Perfect style file, good harmony setup - not bad for an old guy.

Gary

Nice work Tony. I use that style a lot. You can also bring in some nice sounds from multi-pads.
Vocal and harmonies sound really nice.
I did this song for a year or so after it came out, but haven't done it in quite some time. Maybe I'll put it back in the lineup.

Hi Tony

Best one from you yet, suits your dulcet tones

That's three versions, four if you count Gary's two, any more takers before the next song LOL

Col

Col ... thank you ... you give the inspiration, I follow ... ... I enjoy doing songs like this ... country, lite rock (think Eagles), etc. ... music I can put a nice harmony to ...

Maybe Don will post his version also ...

I have a '50's Soda Shop Sock Hop' gig coming up this summer, and I am going to try to lay down some Pa900 backing tracks with harmony and 'counter melody' lines to some of the doo wop and RnR songs of the era ... should be fun ...

Tony glad to hear your mixing it up using all the tools we have to create music...there is life after styles..

Donny ... admittedly, I did not do much style 'modification; on the KN6000, but the VH and the ability to record directly on the Pa900 makes creating a backing track using the on board style as a base much easier ...
I really am enjoying exploring the possibilities with this board ...
But the KN6000 still remains my true love ...

Tony maybe your ready for the editing power of the PA3x?

Actually, Donny,so far the editing capabilities of the Pa900 have been all I need, and I know I haven't gone much below the surface ... at this point I think the Pa3x would be overkill ...
It is a shame we will never know what capabilities a KN8000 might have offered, but, we must move on ...

Id like to hear an A/B of a song between the Korg & Technics to compare... ...just seems old technology to me these days?

Donny ... older technology compared to today? yes, BUT, in the early 2000's, based on what I read on various forums at the time, technics was far ahead of the curve ... it is my favorite board, because it is the one I've had the longest, it served me SO well for 13 years, and I'm just a sentimental old guy ... ... but an A/B might be interesting ... and as I said, I am really enjoying the Pa900 ...

PS ... kn6000 had one MAJOR problem in that the VH use UNusable ...

I gave up on Technics after my KN5000......
I couldn't warm up to the K6 or K7 OS thats when I moved on to Yamaha & every other company out there for a while until now as Yamaha & KORG are my first & second choices. ...

Surprising about the OS, because I found it SO easy ... much easier than KORG OOTB when I first started ...

There's a keyboard for every person, and a person for every keyboard ...