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Post by toramenor on Aug 7, 2015 5:34:15 GMT -5
However, with Adam, there is an alternative to fourth gear. Starting at A4-C5, if sung with full voice, is like overdrive. D5 and above in full voice is some kind of freak overdrive with an afterburner. So, Adam's range, as we have heard it live with full voice, is B2(very rarely), C3, D3, E3, F3, [shift], G3, A3, B3, C4, D4, [shift], E4, F4, G4, [shift], A4, B4, C5, [shift], D5, E5, F5, G5, A5, Bb5. Three octaves. Each "gear" requires a different technique and approach to vocal production. Great description! Makes it so easy to visualize. |
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happy
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Post by happy on Sept 19, 2015 1:13:25 GMT -5
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Post by cassie on Nov 8, 2015 23:08:40 GMT -5
I was interested in the reactions to the falsetto Adam employed on TOH at the Vineyard. I wanted to comment but didn't want to stir up the ire again, so I am posting here.
As some pointed out, Adam rarely uses falsetto in live performances. It is a technique that he is not practiced in, and probably never studied formally. It is used in certain styles of music, Hawaiian being one. some singers in that style use it impressively. In pop, however, it is frequently used by men who want to hit higher notes than they can in chest or full voice, when they don't have the technique or ability to use a well developed head voice. That rather jarring shift from strong lower tones to light wispy falsetto
is common and comfortable for some pop fans. For fans of a more classical, trained sound, not so much.
The problem I had with TOH was the tones were pitchy and wimpy and wobbly. After hearing such well supported, refined full tones from Adam on other songs, it sounds amateurish and sloppy... Adjectives I never associate with Adam's singing.
Some folks say that fans should accept Adam "learning on the job" and experimenting with the technique. As a performer myself, that seems a bit crazy. Experimenting and learning a technique is something one does in rehearsal and drills and practice. A performer doesn't go ON STAGE and say, "well, I can't really do this very well, but if I keep working at it I will get better."
But, even if Adam works and studies until he sings falsetto note perfect, it is not ever going to sound as rich and full and resonant as his head voice, which is stunning. The way falsetto is produced precludes warmth and resonance. It also precludes variations in intensity and emotion. I don't comprehend why one would drive a moped instead of a Harley-Davidson. I don't comprehend why perfectionist, Adam, would use a technique that is inferior to what he already does magnificently, much less to use a technique he has yet to master for performance. I don't get it. Of course, Adam isn't asking me, is he?
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Post by cassie on Nov 8, 2015 23:34:03 GMT -5
Why is falsetto so hard for Adam to control? As a female I don't use falsetto so I have no personal experience. but, from what I ave studied, it is produced using the vocal cords differently from singing in full or head voice. (I don't think an anatomical explanation of what the cords do in normal singing vs falsetto would be helpful to this explanation. ) The upshot is that the minute muscular adjustments Adam uses to hit a pitch in full voice or head voice would not result in creating the same pitch in falsetto. The breath control he uses to support a normal note accurately will not work effectively with a falsetto note. The muscular manipulations and positioning Adam uses to create the full, rich resonance of his full or head voice won't work with falsetto where the breath flows between the vocal cords differently.
I am am a pretty good typist on a computer keyboard. Typing on this iPad requires a different touch and motion, and I make a lot of mistakes because I am not used to the feel. Typing on a cell phone using number keys is even more awkward, and I produce a lot of jibberish in the attempt. I COULD become much more proficient with lots of practice, but I prefer to just use a full computer keyboard instead whenever possible. Adam COULD learn to sing falsetto consistently and accurately with practice but why? Falsetto, by its very nature, will never sound nearly as luscious as his full or head voice. It may sound more acceptable for pop music, but also more generic without the extraordinary qualities I love in his voice. IMHO
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Post by momtomany on Nov 8, 2015 23:47:20 GMT -5
I wonder, too, Cassie.
His falsetto is lovely and light, and meant to appear fragile.
People wonder why; well, in my mind it's because falsetto is meant to be this ethereal voice - an original high, if I may say.
To sing falsetto is to bring your mind into a fairy tale place of cotton; and lightly drop your tone into those spaces. Sing the dream, in a perfect world.
I think Adam sings falsetto amazingly well; but, he does not do it 'regularly'.
He's not out there 'learning'; he's performing and he expects his voice to cooperate.
And, it almost did. We analyze every note; every tone; every vibrato . . . and we noticed the wobble and the break. Who noticed it more? Adam.
All being said - Adam works his voice, directs and manages his unbelievable instrument, through great breath control. Falsetto feels more spinning. It's an in-your-head creation - not inspired or controlled by breath. Adam doesn't need falsetto, IMO. He can do it all with head voice. But maybe interpretation calls for the fancy falsetto of TOH. I'm all over it!
I feel Adam is always looking for emotion that is fueled by his voice. The rush of the original high is fragile and light and ready to break. he aims for the high to be winging and flying and heading upwards to the memory of ecstasy.
That's why I don't feel it when he sings the first refrain in a lower register. I just feel that TOH NEEDS to be sung high. Falsetto or the crystal head voice. I hope he'll find the perfect way to convey the emotion of this amazing song. It's the one, the one, that embodies all this man has yearned for and become in the six years I've followed him. I have faith in the power and the sensitivity of his gift.
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Post by red panda on Nov 9, 2015 0:33:05 GMT -5
cassie wrote:
So I think I may be confusing falsetto and head voice in terms of how high a note can be sung, and if falsetto is used by some singers to reach higher notes than they could in their head voice.
Are these things right?
1. Adam can hit just as high a note in his head voice as he can using falsetto.
If that is true, then he would choose to use falsetto for a more breathy fragile sound?
2. Sometimes males use falsetto voice to hit high notes they cannot reach in their head voice.
3. Adam is hot.
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ayleim
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Post by ayleim on Nov 9, 2015 1:26:43 GMT -5
I'm not a fan of the extended falsetto use either, and though I really like TOH, I was one of those wincing listening to it for the LIVI performance. But.... remember there was a morning live show once, where he dropped the pitch of the song by a step? (I remember he was dressed in a red shirt and tight black pants...  ) Every time the chorus cam around, the first half was an octave down, the second half was in falsetto? For me personally, THAT one worked, cos the falsetto was pretty much only used for the repeated lines "chasing the original high..." - which to me, fit the meaning to the sound effect. And (maybe oddly,) it didn't bother me that the pitch of the song was lower. Edit : found it - this one youtu.be/n46pzVaSlms?t=1m23s |
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Post by red panda on Nov 9, 2015 1:34:09 GMT -5
Bonus to the above video: Adam in a red shirt. Couldn't let that pass without comment.  Topicality/pertinence to the Vocal Masterclass thread (not sure either of those is a real word, but you get my drift) Adam in a red shirt makes my heart sing. I'll be here all week.  ![]() ![]() |
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nonotme
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Post by nonotme on Nov 9, 2015 2:55:33 GMT -5
Hi Guys, Not sure what happened, but I tried to post this here a little bit ago as per Q3's suggestion. I thought I had successfully posted it, but now I do not see it. So, I'm posting it again. Apologies if this is a duplicate and I just can't see it... Anyway, I posted this on the main thread and Q3 suggested I post it here. I would welcome your thoughts. Here's the original post: On the falsetto front, this is what Sam Smith said when asked about his falsetto: "It's not falsetto, it's just chest voice. I just power through. Sometimes I do head voice. It's hard to explain. I just sing. . .I am technical, but I don't know what it is because I've never heard it before with other guy singers. I belt in my high register. It's hard. It's quite operatic, the way I sing, sometimes."
I do not want to talk about Sam per se, but I am wondering what he means re not falsetto, it's chest voice, powering through... etc Sounds to me as if directing chest voice to high registers could be a type of straining, but I don't know anything about singing technique. (Sam's statement came from this interview: http ://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/22-things-we-learned-hanging-out-with-sam-smith-20150204?page=4 Note: I added an extra space after http. You'll need to close that space if you paste it in as the URL on a browser.) peace&love Read more: adamtopia.com/thread/3374/adam-off-china-concert-more?page=20#ixzz3qyjV7Hfd |
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ghost
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Post by ghost on Nov 9, 2015 6:28:53 GMT -5
Hi Guys, Not sure what happened, but I tried to post this here a little bit ago as per Q3's suggestion. I thought I had successfully posted it, but now I do not see it. So, I'm posting it again. Apologies if this is a duplicate and I just can't see it... Anyway, I posted this on the main thread and Q3 suggested I post it here. I would welcome your thoughts. Here's the original post: On the falsetto front, this is what Sam Smith said when asked about his falsetto: "It's not falsetto, it's just chest voice. I just power through. Sometimes I do head voice. It's hard to explain. I just sing. . .I am technical, but I don't know what it is because I've never heard it before with other guy singers. I belt in my high register. It's hard. It's quite operatic, the way I sing, sometimes."
I do not want to talk about Sam per se, but I am wondering what he means re not falsetto, it's chest voice, powering through... etc Sounds to me as if directing chest voice to high registers could be a type of straining, but I don't know anything about singing technique. (Sam's statement came from this interview: http ://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/22-things-we-learned-hanging-out-with-sam-smith-20150204?page=4 Note: I added an extra space after http. You'll need to close that space if you paste it in as the URL on a browser.) peace&love Read more: adamtopia.com/thread/3374/adam-off-china-concert-more?page=20#ixzz3qyjV7HfdI'm interested to know about this too! Sam Smith's vocal technique has always puzzled me. |
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) Every time the chorus cam around, the first half was an octave down, the second half was in falsetto? For me personally, THAT one worked, cos the falsetto was pretty much only used for the repeated lines "chasing the original high..." - which to me, fit the meaning to the sound effect. And (maybe oddly,) it didn't bother me that the pitch of the song was lower.
