MR Talent Showcase

[brywool]

Christmas!!!

...etc.

Is that u singing Bry? That was fun!

Singing and playing everything.

[Jeremey]

Hey guys, sorry about the size of that pic - TVL & JourneyRox, would you mind editing the image out of your quote? Don't want to piss anyone off with a big red picture taking up bandwidth...Thanks!!

[ArnelRox]

Hey Jeremey, got any Christmas songs? Or anything else? I can never get enough of ur voice!

Nothing but the Frontiers low-quality bootleg. I've done Christmas stuff before, but nothing readily available. I'd like to do a Christmas show sometime but I always remember it around November or so, when it's just too late to put anything together ...Maybe next year!

Hey I liked that boot. I played it 3 times already.

Do u have any non-Journey stuff u recorded Jeremey? That, I'd love to hear. If not, I'll settle for an audio clip of u doing Good Morning Girl so I don't have to go to YouTube to see it all the time.

Also, get ur butt into my SP Speaking Voice thread. I want ur take.

Gee, I'm full of demands. Love ya Jeremey!

[ArnelRox]

Christmas!!!

...etc.

Is that u singing Bry? That was fun!

Singing and playing everything.

Damn Bry, that makes it even better. Bravo.

[dextertragic]

Hey everybody...I'll play...here's a song from my new CD, Ed James...In The 21st Century:

Miss Polly

Yeah...it's goofy, but so am I, dammit!

Ed James
http://edjames.net

This is YOU!!!! I love your stuff!!!! I just listened to Ode to a Jellyfish...reminds me of the Cowsills, hope that doesn't insult you but they are one of my all time favs.!!!! Getting ready to order more of your stuff off of itunes right now, cool !!!!!!!! love your stuff !!!!!

This IS me!! Thanks for the awesome compliments...it makes me feel really great.

The new CD won't be on iTunes for a month, or so....but is already available at the following locations:

http://www.koolkatmusik.com/showproduct ... uctid=3823
http://jamrecordings.com/catalog.php?inventory_id=1602

I'll let you know when it's on iTunes. It'll also be on CDBaby.com very shortly.

Thanks for not hating my music.


Ed
http://edjames.net
http://myspace.com/meetedjames

[NealIsGod]

Cool! I'm tired of just being a singer. Here's one of my most recently completed paintings:

http://www.journeytributeband.com/redlake.jpg

Jeremey

You talented bastard.

[brywool]

AWESOME PAINTING!

[Liquid_Drummer]

I think everyone around here has heard this stuff but here ya go. Me singing, I'll be alright without you, Lights, Feelin that way, If he should break your heart (with wrong lyrics!), and I dont Believe in love by Queensryche...


http://www.acidplanet.com/artist.asp?so ... 951&t=9501

Hot damn. I haven't heard u sing before. That is a whole lot of raw talent there. I loved Feelin' That Way & the way u synched up both takes. U got it going on fella. Do u have a good vocal coach? U just need a little work in that upper register w/bringing those vocal cords together as u go from chest to head smoothing it out into more of one full voice (less nasal resonance--fuller sound). U do a lot of it naturally, which is amazing. Just a little training (or a little more, if u have some going on) & u would be perfect. Excellent stuff. Huge round of applause.

BTW no offense meant by the stuff above. I can't do anything like that myself!

No vocal coach just me winging it. I am very fortunate to be able to sing that high at all really. I smoke, I have allergies, can NEVER breath out of both nostrils at the same time and I have no clue on how to warm up properly. I could never front a Journey cover band because after 2-3 songs my upper range is toast for 10-15 minutes probably because of the reasons I just mentioned. I dont think I am a natural tenor. Can someone that knows all the alto, tenor etc tell me what I am ??

[Jeremey]

Thanks guys! That's called STRESS RELIEF!!

[brywool]

Hey everybody...I'll play...here's a song from my new CD, Ed James...In The 21st Century:

Miss Polly

Yeah...it's goofy, but so am I, dammit!

Ed James
http://edjames.net

WOW. Great stuff!!!!

[brywool]

is that 'ode to Jellyfish' the band? Where's that track??? I'm a HUUUUUGGGEEE JF fan...

[ArnelRox]

No vocal coach just me winging it. I am very fortunate to be able to sing that high at all really. I smoke, I have allergies, can NEVER breath out of both nostrils at the same time and I have no clue on how to warm up properly. I could never front a Journey cover band because after 2-3 songs my upper range is toast for 10-15 minutes probably because of the reasons I just mentioned. I dont think I am a natural tenor. Can someone that knows all the alto, tenor etc tell me what I am ??

U know what, I think that's all bullshit about who is a natural tenor, who is a bass etc., & that determines what range u can sing in. I wouldn't say that Jeff is a natural tenor, yet he can hit those high notes w/ease now. When I was on tour many years back, there was a woman performing at some corporate gigs who sang in all 5 octaves. She talked at length about the training she went thru to be able to do that. Her natural range was actually a low one for a female. It's all about training, warming up, warming down. If u keep singing high w/out properly warming up & down, u could damage ur cords. All u need is a good routine to get u warming up & down properly & stretching that voice out. U could do all that very easily. Trust me!

[*Laura]

I think everyone around here has heard this stuff but here ya go. Me singing, I'll be alright without you, Lights, Feelin that way, If he should break your heart (with wrong lyrics!), and I dont Believe in love by Queensryche...


http://www.acidplanet.com/artist.asp?so ... 951&t=9501

OMG.
I remember you...I've heard you on I'll Be Alright Without You a couple weeks ago and I was really impressed!
You know what stunned me?You have that warmth in your voice that is SO hard to find at most rock singers,and you definitely have that...how is it called? "Mojo"?
Well,whatever it is,it shines through your voice.
Perry had tons of it when he sang those tunes,and that is why you could sing IHSBYH and Lights so well.You have it too.

Funny thing you wrote on the "Lights" player page:" I suppose I am going to keep doing this until I break my voice or I improve"
Naw,you will improve,cuz you are a natural singer,you don't force yourself to do this.

It would be a shame if you would give up,seriously.Hope you won't.

Congratulations!

[brywool]

It's all about training, warming up, warming down. If u keep singing high w/out properly warming up & down, u could damage ur cords. All u need is a good routine to get u warming up & down properly & stretching that voice out. U could do all that very easily. Trust me!

I'm so coming to believe this. For all my life I've been chasing the 4th night. Meaning, after the 3rd night of doing a gig, I can't sing or barely talk. Had several voice teachers and have only recently found what's worked for me. Luckily I haven't had to do a 4th night in a row, but I know that now I could because I've learned what not to do, how to warm up and down and how to repair some minor blowout. I think it's different for everyone.

[*Laura]

No vocal coach just me winging it. I am very fortunate to be able to sing that high at all really. I smoke, I have allergies, can NEVER breath out of both nostrils at the same time and I have no clue on how to warm up properly. I could never front a Journey cover band because after 2-3 songs my upper range is toast for 10-15 minutes probably because of the reasons I just mentioned. I dont think I am a natural tenor. Can someone that knows all the alto, tenor etc tell me what I am ??

Didn't see this last post of yours,was busy listening and replying to your initial one.
I don't know what you are,but you are definitely a natural singer,just like I said in my previous post.
The fact that you can sing this way being a smoker,having breathing difficulties and without even doing a pro warm up on your voice,it's even more proof that this voice just gets out of you as it is.Naturally.
A lot of rock singers have to go through hell to keep their voices in a good shape.No smoking,no drinking,doing scales everyday,then taking long vocal "vacations",then constantly checking their respiratory tracks and lungs,taking medications,using voice sprays or who know what kind of wonder potions ...
So I say you are gifted.
If you could find a good vocal coach your upper range problems would be solved.Your cords get tired because they're not trained.
Think of athlets.Could they run the Marathon without training?

Again,congrats on the good job you've done on those songs.

[ArnelRox]

I'm so coming to believe this. For all my life I've been chasing the 4th night. Meaning, after the 3rd night of doing a gig, I can't sing or barely talk. Had several voice teachers and have only recently found what's worked for me. Luckily I haven't had to do a 4th night in a row, but I know that now I could because I've learned what not to do, how to warm up and down and how to repair some minor blowout. I think it's different for everyone.

From my own limited experience & what I've heard from others, a lot of vocal coaches are classically trained. They focus on doing scales after scales after scales. Others try to tell u that u can learn to sing by singing along w/another singer. Many of them focus on creating resonance by pushing air through the nose which creates that nasally sound I often hear in amateur singers. Or they end up screaming & belting out the higher pitched notes. That ends up wearing out the voice. I've seen some singers in bands at work do this & by the end of the set, their voice begins to strain. Many of them jut out their jaws instead of opening their mouths wider to get to the higher notes. When u see a really good singer sing, it's different. They make it all look easy & relaxed. They use the same amount of force to hit the highs as they do to hit the lows, all seemingly at a speaking level. I found my own range was limited by pushing air up into my head cavity. It gave me a church choir type of sound. Finding a vocal coach who can train a person to sing popular music is kind of tough. Someone has to teach a singer to shorten up the vocal cords (adduct) first & yet many coaches skip this step. I think they hope it will happen if they sing enough scales. IMHO that helps someone to smooth out the breaks & achieve that wonderful sound that is smooth from low through high registers.

Also, a lot of coaches focus on warming up, but do very little w/warming down. That is kinda funny to me. U would never work out w/out a warm up & a warm down. Otherwise, u would strain ur muscles. U need both to work out & both to work out ur voice.

[Liquid_Drummer]

I'm so coming to believe this. For all my life I've been chasing the 4th night. Meaning, after the 3rd night of doing a gig, I can't sing or barely talk. Had several voice teachers and have only recently found what's worked for me. Luckily I haven't had to do a 4th night in a row, but I know that now I could because I've learned what not to do, how to warm up and down and how to repair some minor blowout. I think it's different for everyone.

From my own limited experience & what I've heard from others, a lot of vocal coaches are classically trained. They focus on doing scales after scales after scales. Others try to tell u that u can learn to sing by singing along w/another singer. Many of them focus on creating resonance by pushing air through the nose which creates that nasally sound I often hear in amateur singers. Or they end up screaming & belting out the higher pitched notes. That ends up wearing out the voice. I've seen some singers in bands at work do this & by the end of the set, their voice begins to strain. Many of them jut out their jaws instead of opening their mouths wider to get to the higher notes. When u see a really good singer sing, it's different. They make it all look easy & relaxed. They use the same amount of force to hit the highs as they do to hit the lows, all seemingly at a speaking level. I found my own range was limited by pushing air up into my head cavity. It gave me a church choir type of sound. Finding a vocal coach who can train a person to sing popular music is kind of tough. Someone has to teach a singer to shorten up the vocal cords (adduct) first & yet many coaches skip this step. I think they hope it will happen if they sing enough scales. IMHO that helps someone to smooth out the breaks & achieve that wonderful sound that is smooth from low through high registers.

Also, a lot of coaches focus on warming up, but do very little w/warming down. That is kinda funny to me. U would never work out w/out a warm up & a warm down. Otherwise, u would strain ur muscles. U need both to work out & both to work out ur voice.

All that just seems like so much trouble. Fact is that I am 35 now and do not plan to pursue a singing career. I wish I would have started singing 20 years ago but I was too shy to sing around people and got all of my musical satisfaction from drumming which I have been doing for 22 years now. I didnt start singing really until about 96 I think. I joined a band and they twisted my arm because they wanted 3 part harmonies. They forced me in to vocal bootcamp basicly and I am glad they did. I cant imagine how my stamina and range would have been if I would have put it 1st. I dont regret the decision however it would be interesting too see how it would have played out had I taken a different route. I do appreciate the complements ! I didnt think I had a warm sounding voice but everyone hears things their own way I guess. I have to admit I think I sound like a damn nerd and really dislike hearing my own voice ! Weird eh ?

[brywool]

I'm so coming to believe this. For all my life I've been chasing the 4th night. Meaning, after the 3rd night of doing a gig, I can't sing or barely talk. Had several voice teachers and have only recently found what's worked for me. Luckily I haven't had to do a 4th night in a row, but I know that now I could because I've learned what not to do, how to warm up and down and how to repair some minor blowout. I think it's different for everyone.

From my own limited experience & what I've heard from others, a lot of vocal coaches are classically trained. They focus on doing scales after scales after scales. Others try to tell u that u can learn to sing by singing along w/another singer. Many of them focus on creating resonance by pushing air through the nose which creates that nasally sound I often hear in amateur singers. Or they end up screaming & belting out the higher pitched notes. That ends up wearing out the voice. I've seen some singers in bands at work do this & by the end of the set, their voice begins to strain. Many of them jut out their jaws instead of opening their mouths wider to get to the higher notes. When u see a really good singer sing, it's different. They make it all look easy & relaxed. They use the same amount of force to hit the highs as they do to hit the lows, all seemingly at a speaking level. I found my own range was limited by pushing air up into my head cavity. It gave me a church choir type of sound. Finding a vocal coach who can train a person to sing popular music is kind of tough. Someone has to teach a singer to shorten up the vocal cords (adduct) first & yet many coaches skip this step. I think they hope it will happen if they sing enough scales. IMHO that helps someone to smooth out the breaks & achieve that wonderful sound that is smooth from low through high registers.

Also, a lot of coaches focus on warming up, but do very little w/warming down. That is kinda funny to me. U would never work out w/out a warm up & a warm down. Otherwise, u would strain ur muscles. U need both to work out & both to work out ur voice.

BINGO!!! My problem is my jaw and toungue. Too much... going on there. I've found some excersises for loosening these up. Before I couldn't sing all at one volume. Had to belt the top parts out. In fact, some teachers preach this and it's just plain wrong. One famous coach I went to had me doing that and it toasted my voice within a few months of his lessons.
There should be no facial muscles involved, etc. You'll see singers do that, but it's mostly for the visual. If you're doing it 'right' you should be able to do it without facial musle involvement. That actually hinders what you're doing because it creates tension in the jaw and neck. For me, the jaw and the tongue thing are key to me being able to get more out of my voice as far as stamina goes. The ribs opening also has a lot to do with it and I'm still working on that. My best teacher was a little old man that used to make me sing with a stick in my mouth to keep the mouth open and to take the strain off the jaw. That was 20 years ago and I'm still trying to assimilate it.
It's a learning process. Also, to hit higher notes, you use less air. That is another one I'm still trying to assimilate.

Now, I DID hear that Perry didn't have a teacher and maybe one would've helped him. Have you guys heard that?

[brywool]

I have to admit I think I sound like a damn nerd and really dislike hearing my own voice ! Weird eh ?

yer in good company. John Lennon H A T E D the sound of his own voice. That's why a lot of his Beatle tracks had so much stuff on them.

[Liquid_Drummer]

Really nice art there Jeremy. Always wished I could do that. There are 3 year olds that can draw straight lines better than me !

[Melissa]

lol- I have to laugh at not liking your own voice, I hate mine whenever I've heard it on a video or something, I know we hear ourselves differently when we speak (or sing I'm sure too, lol), & I sound nothing like I hear myself, makes me cringe, lol.

[Jeremey]

BINGO!!! My problem is my jaw and toungue. Too much... going on there. I've found some excersises for loosening these up. Before I couldn't sing all at one volume. Had to belt the top parts out. In fact, some teachers preach this and it's just plain wrong. One famous coach I went to had me doing that and it toasted my voice within a few months of his lessons.
There should be no facial muscles involved, etc. You'll see singers do that, but it's mostly for the visual. If you're doing it 'right' you should be able to do it without facial musle involvement. That actually hinders what you're doing because it creates tension in the jaw and neck. For me, the jaw and the tongue thing are key to me being able to get more out of my voice as far as stamina goes. The ribs opening also has a lot to do with it and I'm still working on that. My best teacher was a little old man that used to make me sing with a stick in my mouth to keep the mouth open and to take the strain off the jaw. That was 20 years ago and I'm still trying to assimilate it.
It's a learning process. Also, to hit higher notes, you use less air. That is another one I'm still trying to assimilate.

I've found that by taking your facial apeture completely out of the picture you can focus on one continuous pathway from your diaphragm to your upper sinus area. When I'm going to go for something on stage, it's just one effortless push from the guts through the area just above your upper front teeth. Lower jaw, tongue, etc doesn't have much to do with it. Breathing is one of the greatest keys to successful stamina and range. That being said, this is why it's similarly just as hard to sing a fast song than a slow one - Once you get that note out there, it's pretty easy to hold and maintain. But if you're excited and jumping around, or singing fast and don't have enough time to follow proper breathing technique, you're going to get in trouble.

Now, I DID hear that Perry didn't have a teacher and maybe one would've helped him. Have you guys heard that?

Perry's had several vocal coaches, I believe...He's got great natural ability, but as a vocal technician, the guy was just off the charts with his knowledge of control and delivery.

[*Laura]

Brywool,SP had several vocal coaches and one of them was Judy Davis - she was one of the best.She died in 2001 if I remember well.
She was well kown for fixing voice problems,more than for training voices.
Judy Davis had a studio in the Bay Area and was friends will Bill Graham.
I guess it was easy for SP to get to her.

They say she was a wonderful woman...Never failed "fixing the pipes".

[dextertragic]

Hey everybody...I'll play...here's a song from my new CD, Ed James...In The 21st Century:

Miss Polly

Yeah...it's goofy, but so am I, dammit!

Ed James
http://edjames.net

WOW. Great stuff!!!!

Thanks a lot, Brywool...I really appreciate it.

Ed

[brywool]

Brywool,SP had several vocal coaches and one of them was Judy Davis - she was one of the best.She died in 2001 if I remember well.
She was well kown for fixing voice problems,more than for training voices.
Judy Davis had a studio in the Bay Area and was friends will Bill Graham.
I guess it was easy for SP to get to her.

They say she was a wonderful woman...Never failed "fixing the pipes".

Cool. Thanks. I had always heard he did not. thanks.

[*Laura]

Christmas!!!

Run Run Rudolph!
Happy Xmas (War is Over)!
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer!
Rockin Around the Christmas Tree!
Christmas, Baby Please Come Home!
Please Come Home for Christmas!

Just finished downloading and listening to all these great songs.What a good voice you have,Bry!
I played Please Come Home For Christmas twice - nice rendition,your voice had the "mood" of the song.I liked it very much.

Great job!

[brywool]

Lower jaw, tongue, etc doesn't have much to do with it. Breathing is one of the greatest keys to successful stamina and range. That being said, this is why it's similarly just as hard to sing a fast song than a slow one - Once you get that note out there, it's pretty easy to hold and maintain. But if you're excited and jumping around, or singing fast and don't have enough time to follow proper breathing technique, you're going to get in trouble.

Right, it SHOULD NOT have anything to do with it, but my jaw muscled and my tongue muscles would interfere. The jaw is the jailer of the voice.

[brywool]

Just finished downloading and listening to all these great songs.What a good voice you have,Bry!
I played Please Come Home For Christmas twice - nice rendition,your voice had the "mood" of the song.I liked it very much.

Great job!

Wow, thanks! I am one of those that gets weird about his voice too, so that means a lot! I recorded that a few years ago and I SHOULD redo it actually. I can sing better now and my recording set up is better- but its still cool. My wife likes it and thats good enough for me! My band, during Christmas shows, would play this as a band and so I kind of recorded that version. This past weekend though, we did an 1100 seat club that was full and I went out into the middle, just me and my wireless 12 string acoustic guitar and sang it. It would have been really cool but I was at the end of my wireless range and so I kept getting interference on it. GAGGGGGG! Oh well. The thought was there and the audience liked it. Pretty cool!

[*Laura]

Just finished downloading and listening to all these great songs.What a good voice you have,Bry!
I played Please Come Home For Christmas twice - nice rendition,your voice had the "mood" of the song.I liked it very much.

Great job!

Wow, thanks! I am one of those that gets weird about his voice too, so that means a lot! I recorded that a few years ago and I SHOULD redo it actually. I can sing better now and my recording set up is better- but its still cool. My wife likes it and thats good enough for me! My band, during Christmas shows, would play this as a band and so I kind of recorded that version. This past weekend though, we did an 1100 seat club that was full and I went out into the middle, just me and my wireless 12 string acoustic guitar and sang it. It would have been really cool but I was at the end of my wireless range and so I kept getting interference on it. GAGGGGGG! Oh well. The thought was there and the audience liked it. Pretty cool!

You mean you played/sang "Please Come Home..." acoustic??And on a 12 string?Oh,now that's something I would love to hear!
You think you could record it next time if you will sing it that way?If you will I hope you'll get rid of the intereference problems.

Never heard that song on a 12 string...I bet people loved it.

[brywool]

Shania- VERY nice of you to say that. I sing better live than recording. I cannot get over the fact that my family is upstairs while I am recording so I rarely get a decent home vocal. If I ever do it where I can record it, I will send it to you. I have done it twice this xmas season live but have not been able to record it. oh well! Thanks again!