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Hi all,
When I was younger, I wanted to be a rock singer, and always seemed to like those groups with singers that had high voices - and I just don't have that kind of voice. I loved groups like AC/DC, Guns & Roses, The Scorpions, Journey, Eltnon John, Queen, Foreigner, Ronnie James Dio - the guys with the real in-your-face kick [*****] high voices - gritty, growling, or just outright powerful sounding. It seems to me that these voices sound "higher" and cut above (on top of) the sounds of the instruments.
Many of these songs, played in lower keys (within my range) seemed to lose much of their effect and power - I thought that perhaps lower keys had less 'natural' energy - whatever that means.
My voice has much less range, does not go very high, and has way less 'depth', also I'm just not a natural singer either - but I would have LOVED to not have to work so hard at singing - because I like the idea of being able to create beautiful (probably not possible) and/or catchy sounding vocals (maybe catchy would be possible if I find the right mix and style).
As I realized I would never sing in the range of the first group, I started listening to singers with lower voices - Jethro Tull, The Doors, Bruce Springstein, Johnny Cash, Dire Straits (some of these voice more polished than others, but most just impressionistic). Now their music also sounded powerful, and I'm assuming was in much lower keys (vocal ranges lower of course - I'm guessing songs in lower keys too ?). Somehow, these voices seem to sound 'below' the other instruments to me - with the guitar and keys filling in the higher range.
I'm guessing many of these groups found their sound through lots of experimentation, trial, and error. But I was wondering if there are little tricks of the trade in selecting instruments that will complement a lower voice and result in a fuller overall band sound - maybe instruments that have more depth in the high frequency range ? so that the overall band sound fills the spectrum and doesn't sound empty.
I would love to hear your take on this. Thanks in advance.
Last edited by Joe V; 06/06/15 12:21 AM.
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EQ is your friend. It goes a long way to getting the vocal to stand out from the mix. Accent the frequency ranges with EQ on your vocal that make it sound good. Cut those same ranges a little on the other instruments. Learned a lot of similar tips like that on therecordingrevolution.com.
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As is panning.
It is an art in and of itself.
Last edited by HearToLearn; 06/05/15 03:00 PM.
Chad (Hope that makes it easier)
TEMPO TANTRUM: What a lead singer has when they can't stay in time.
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Eq and panning is one way.
A couple of weeks ago the interview about mixing was here somewhere. The guy said something like: "When the bass starts a solo, software just dims the bass drum for that sequence so that the bass has more room." I will lok for that thread...
When I sing to playback tracks, those are eq'd to give room to my bariton voice.
Another way is arranging.
I play rhythm guitar. When I accompany myself I mostly play barré chords. when I play with a band I must not use those chords. These chords often just double notes, like the root note is played two or three times in different octave. The guitar plays a lot of notes the piano is playing or plays the same notes as the bass does. It may interfere with the singer in his/her vocal range. Freddy Green, google him if you want ton know more, in his later years used to play rhythm guitar using "single note chords".
When I accompany myself, this way of playing would sound awfully thin.
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Thanks for your comments - those are the type I was looking for. I'm looking for some good books or videos to go into depth on this topic, please continue to recommend other resources.
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I was so happy when I found country music because I ran into the same issues trying to play and sing rock in my early years. Country singers were singing in a natural voice.
What hasn't been mentioned yet is that most of the groups in BOTH categories also had their own internal songwriters. A songwriter/singer will naturally write the song in a key he or she can sing comfortably and that provides the energy level the writer is trying to get across to the audience.
You are correct about the energy. Transpose a song from one key to another and more changes then just the key. Unless you are careful and attentive to the entire thing, energy levels can and do change as well, and singing it in a different key changes the entire feel, as you have noted.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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So that raises an interesting point - how to keep energy levels high in lower keys. Can anyone elaborate on that ?
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Google/bing vocal recording techniques and you will find a ton of information on this subject.
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So that raises an interesting point - how to keep energy levels high in lower keys. Can anyone elaborate on that ? You bet! Find songs by singers who sing in your range. Study the melodies, orchestration, and production. You don't have to re-invent the wheel. Just start studying what some of the best have already done 
Chad (Hope that makes it easier)
TEMPO TANTRUM: What a lead singer has when they can't stay in time.
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I recall quite a number of interviews where producers would put a song in a key that would place singers at the top of their range for songs. The singer having to strain to get the note translated (in their minds) to performance that brought more drama and energy.
Back in the 80s, I remember reading through the instructions for a digital sampler. The suggestion was that if a singer was having trouble hitting a high note, you would have them sing the highest note they could reach, and then transpose it up. That was partially because the formants don't get transposed (the "chipmunk" effect), but also because the need to mach the effort and intensity of the other notes.
Of course, you can't put the whole song at the top of the range, so the there, so it's reserved for the places that need that sort of impact.
So it's not whether the range is high or low, but if it's high or low for that singer.
Being able to duplicate that performance is a different matter. I've been at shows where the singer pulls out a capo and somewhat sheepishly admits that they now do the song in a different key. Or they'll simply sing lower notes, or even slip to a lower register for that phrase.
But as to the mix, Steve really nailed it. Every instrument in a mix serves a purpose, and they'll have their own frequency range in the mix. They all need to subservient to the vocal.
One way to make sure that happens is to think of an arrangement as placing each instrument in a particular frequency range, and keeping the remaining instruments out of that range. That's the best approach.
This can be augmented by EQing each instrument, with a low cut and high cut to keep it in bounds.
For example, the guitar can cover a wide frequency range. But for a particular part - say, low power chords, or perhaps high arpeggios - you only want a fairly narrow frequency of what it's capable of. So you could apply some drastic high and low EQ cuts to the part to help keep it in place.
When you solo the part, it's going to sound very thin. But in context, other instruments are going to fill in the missing parts, and the listener will never notice it's gone.
If there are spots where instruments that competing for the same frequency range, the simplest thing to do is figure out which is the most important (the voice always wins), and then remove the less important instrument at that point.
The question to be answered at every point in the arrangement is: what should the listener be paying attention to at this point? That should be the most active part, and that section should be mixed so that everything is secondary.
Ostinatos and patterns are a fortunate exception - if the "busy" part is a repeating motif or arpeggio, we tend to automatically take focus off that part.
Setting up a sort of call and response between the voice and the other instruments works really well. Giving the high instruments a repeating motif (so they get mentally tuned out) works well.
The good news is these are things you do to get a clear mix too, so you kill two birds with one stone.
As far as building energy goes, it's the same for high and low voices. Make sure the chorus is higher energy than the verses - it's hard to build energy if the chorus is a letdown. Pare down the instrumentation on the verses, so the chorus has more impact. The old trick of changing key before the final chorus is very effective in building energy. Less is more - make the listener look forward to an riff (like a horn stab), instead of overplaying it. Add more harmony to the chorus as the song progresses.
Most importantly, remember that an arrangement doesn't try to hide or make up for deficiencies of a vocal: it needs to highlight it and show it in the best light. The vocal is the song.
If you want to hear effective instrumentation for a low voice, have a listen to Swing Out Sister.
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You are right in thinking about the frequencies of a song. Lower voiced songs sound great with an acoustic guitar's fingerpicking of the higher strings/notes, as well as the upper keys of a screaming B3 during a chorus etc.
It is all about the overall sonic quality of a song that makes it easier on the ears. The lows during a verse, building the tension for the listener and then when the highs kick in during the chorus etc.
You are on the right path in asking these types of questions.
Good luck.
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I would suggest having a listen round at our own members in the user showcase, once you find a song that you think might give you some more insight, I am sure the member in question may give help.
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Wow really great tips - I know this is old hat for some, but for me it's brand new territory. Thanks for sharing.
Also - do you think people that grew up in the 70's during the analog years have a better focus on mixing than those that grow up solely in the digital domain ? Or is mixing mixing - I guess it's similar to asking about photographers that grew up on film vs. digital photographers. Certainly - with the older technology, it was more important to get it right the first time given the expense and time to redo things. Maybe that led to better planning and thought to the craft itself ?
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Dcuny nailed it when he wrote "So it's not whether the range is high or low, but if it's high or low for that singer." You should try to find a key for the song that places the chorus almost to the very top of your comfort range. Verses tend to be lower in the vocalist's range, with prechoruses building and starting an upwards movement of the melody....and the chorus should let it hit the power range for that vocalist. Singing in the lower part of your particular vocal range suggests intimacy with the listener.... they have to "lean in" (so to speak) to listen. But as you hit the chorus and the higher range, the natural power it takes to project those notes imparts the energy that the listener picks up on. In this song>>> Come & Go , notice the verse and the pre-chorus to some extent is in the lower to middle of this singer's range. When she hits the chorus, the melody has been written higher and her power comes out naturally as she sings the now higher melody. We changed the key several times until it fit her the most comfortably. If the key is too low, the power is simply not there because the singer is scraping the bottom of their range. If you listen to this and other songs forums you will hear singers doing that. In the song "Fools Errand" also on my web page, Joanne sounds like she is very near the bottom of her range on one note. I'm not gonna tell you which one, but if you listen closely, you can probably hear it. In the video, you see her reaching for that note. On the other hand, if the key is too high, you end up screeching and straining to try to hit the notes. That's not good either unless you're singing death metal. So select the key that puts and keeps you in the upper half of your vocal range for at least the chorus of the song. Singing in your natural vocal range's mid to upper comfort zone is where the magic naturally happens.
Last edited by Guitarhacker; 06/07/15 12:42 AM.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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The voice is the most amazing instrument of all - we hear phrasing in instruments and have some words to identify aspects of it - but in vocals, there's far more phrasing techniques going on to create charisma and interest, and draw the listener in.
In fact - I would be willing to bet if you try to emulate some of your favorite singers characteristics - you can do so far more easily than come up with the correct words to describe the vocal technique being used. I do some things with my voice in copying songs and I don't have names for them (not that they do justice to the artist). About the only 3 that come to my mind are falsetto (think Robert plant - but I'm pretty sure people refer to his as a 'head voice'), vibrato, and as you pointed out 'singing at the top of your range' - but obviously, the effect of 'singing at the top of your range' (I don't know that there are words for what happens to your voice at this point) can't easily be applied if you're NOT at the top of your range.
As you can hear, this is an area probably well studied and old hat for many hear (pun intended ; ) but I'm just discovering it...
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