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Post by csharpminor on Jun 9, 2011 14:25:37 GMT -5
I just wanted to come here and flail about Adam's voice and tell my story why it has made such an impression for me. A little background info. I listen to a lot of music from opera, jazz, rock, bollywood, ethnic, pop... to electronic dance music. I'm a bit more easy with the dance music because I love dancing, but generally I'm a difficult customer because I'm so easily bored and loose my focus when my mind wanders into something else. With Adam singing my focus stays on the music. I listen to the words every single time and I have heard every song many many times already and that is something that has never happened to me before. And even more odd is that many times I have thought that if someone else would sing this same song I'd skip it before even listening to the end. Also this leaves me with a question. Why is Adam the only one that has ever had that effect, because I listen to a lot of good singers and classically trained singers with good voices, but still my focus doesn't stay ??? In an attempt to simplify the interpretation of a music piece we can say that the musician needs, basically, two things. Technical skill and sense of music (I don't know the propper word in English (musicality or musicianship?)). The technique is developed with practicing. That doesn't mean anybody can achieve this. Your body and your mind has to help you and requires many years of very hard work. The musicality on the other hand:you are born with it or you are not.It's not easy to explain. It is the sence of music, the rythm, the colouring, the breaths, the understanding of the tempo changes etc The technique impresses the audience but the musicality makes them feel. For example the composer asks for a note to be sustained and then to go to the next phrase. But for how long? Short? audience feels: "hey, I am not ready yet. What's the hurry? You're making me nervous." Long? audience feels:"what's happening? are we waiting for something? come on." The musician with good sence of music knows by instict exactly for how long to hold the note. Of course you can develop the musicality by listening to a lot of music (and so learn from the others), but to a certain point. But the other very important thing is that when you interpretate a music piece you reveal your soul. You can only give what you have inside. It shows if you are nervous, unfocused,arrogant, humble, cold, full of warm feelings, miserable, full of joy, boring, with a strong personality, whatever. For example, a shy and nervous person will keep the sustained note for a short time (let's go quickly to the next phrase and to the end of this piece to finnish this torture).But if this person has inside what it takes, will learn to do the right thing. Now, Adam has all of the above and as Paula Abdul correctly said his performances have the element of surprise. So, when you hear a song by Adam you are amazed by the sound,the technique. Before you realise what happened he does the unexpected. Before you realise that too, he does something else and so on. So the whole time you are interested (waiting for the next thing), full of emotions and in awe.He makes you stay focused to listen. The unexpected (for example taking the melody to a different note than the one the ear expects to listen or taking a breath where you were not supposed to or pronouncing a word a certain way etc)makes music interesting and not boring.But you have to have,again, musicality to do it (how,where and how much), otherwise it sounds awkward, annoying,wrong and without purpose. But Adam knows how to keep the balance and built the song correctly. So, even if a song is not a great one he will make it. If you heard it by someone else it would possibly be predictable and with less musical quality. Many other singers are like they have one dimension. A certain way of singing, same tone, same colour, same surprises(if you do the same thing over and over it isn't a surprise anymore). I am not saying they are not talented. They are. But Adam is rare. If someone asks you:who is this X singer, you can choose any song of this X singer to present him/her. If someone asks you:who is Adam, can you choose only one song?No because this one song is just a part of him. Every song is different but all the songs have the same identity and personality. |
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Post by gelly14 on Jun 9, 2011 16:10:40 GMT -5
csharpminor I absolutely loved your post!That's a keeper! Thank you! 
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Post by crazyoldgal on Jun 9, 2011 20:45:52 GMT -5
It is so funny because I've seen this trio selling like crazy on Amazon and I thought they were just another "Jonas Brothers" act. I actually enjoyed them in particular the heaviest set tenor. (Don't know their names yet) has a beautiful voice. I can't believe they are only 16 and 17! So now I will have to purchase their CD. I too want to hear Cassie pro opinion regarding the quality of their voices. |
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Post by cassie on Jun 9, 2011 23:08:32 GMT -5
In reply to crazyoldgal and gelly: I really don't know about childrens' voices and technical production. Angelina was on Xena and Juneau's show a month or two back, and it was supposed to be about child singers, but, Angelina did not get to talk very much. I think the others may have hijacked the program. I can't remember. But, I know she commented on both of these kids.
I later chatted with her to ask her more. She was very disturbed with the way that Jackie was singing. She thought that her vocal coach was teaching her to manufacture those sounds and that they were not natural. They were actually bad technique that she would not be able to sustain as her voice matures. Once she has developed that way of singing, it will be doubly difficult to unlearn, and learn correct technique. She also said that the song itself was inappropriate for a girl her age. I don't speak the language, so I don't remember what she said the song was about. Sorry. But when she told me I had to agree.
Angelina also mentioned Charlotte Church and said that she was like Jackie, singing artificially, and using improper technique which, in the long run damaged her voice. A shame.
She thought that Ronan was a much more natural singer who was having a great time doing it. The song, Feeling Good, was also appropriate for him to sing.
In general, she sees nothing wrong with young kids singing and getting proper training, if it is what THEY want to do. But, she doesn't believe in forcing an adult sound from a child, pushing the voice before it has a chance to mature, or having the kids doing adult repertoire that is not fitting their natural age. She, herself, teaches kids whom she thinks have promise and a true dedication and passion for singing.
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Post by cassie on Jun 9, 2011 23:28:01 GMT -5
I just wanted to come here and flail about Adam's voice and tell my story why it has made such an impression for me. A little background info. I listen to a lot of music from opera, jazz, rock, bollywood, ethnic, pop... to electronic dance music. I'm a bit more easy with the dance music because I love dancing, but generally I'm a difficult customer because I'm so easily bored and loose my focus when my mind wanders into something else. With Adam singing my focus stays on the music. I listen to the words every single time and I have heard every song many many times already and that is something that has never happened to me before. And even more odd is that many times I have thought that if someone else would sing this same song I'd skip it before even listening to the end. Also this leaves me with a question. Why is Adam the only one that has ever had that effect, because I listen to a lot of good singers and classically trained singers with good voices, but still my focus doesn't stay ??? did a very good job of replying. I agree with all she said. Angelina also addresses the singer as an interpretative artist in one of her shows/blogs. She says much the same thing that csharpminor articulated. You can read the transcript, view the supporting videos of samples (including Adam, of course) and link to the audio of the program here: soundbath.wordpress.com/2011/05/08/the-singer-as-interpretative-artist/She also touches on this special something that Adam has in two of her other blogs. In the Agony and Ecstacy blog she talks about the inner pain associated with not being able to sing when you feel compelled to. Of Adam she says, ... Others go through the pain barrier and the experience shows up in their voice’s timbre and tone as beauty, sensitivity, depth, strength, openness and passion. Does this sound like someone we all know? .... I feel some of the reason that Adam’s voice is so exceptional in its elegance and exquisiteness, is that he too, had to have gone through the pain barrier, related, at some level, with the feeling of coming to a dead-end in singing. Of course, Adam has experienced other kinds of pain in his life: that too, is obvious in the sound and texture of his voice, because as unfortunate and distressing as these experiences are, they enhance the voice of a singer. I may be wrong, but it feels as though the anguish he most likely would have experienced at some point, may perhaps have been associated with a frustration at not being able to ‘fly’ with his voice, at not being able to sing to his fullest capability, and perhaps at not being given the opportunity to push against the limits of his instrument, something which all singers want to do, and which, usually, together with the search for the right repertoire, becomes the cause of a vocal crisis. Adam has mentioned several times his incomprehension at not being promoted to the male lead role in Wicked, for example, and this, no doubt, would have added to his frustration and would have brought about that kind of crisis for the voice. But although clearly agonizing for him at the time, I for one, am very happy that it all worked out this way; not just for us, but for him, too. This is just the beginning: he has only just found his feet – I’m out-of-my-skin excited to witness the ‘flying’ when he’s ready!" In her "the basics of breathing and breath support", Angelina talks about the outer and the inner performances..... I think this also influences that special something we hear/see in Adam's performances. So, check out all the blogs when you have a chance. (From the link above, you can click on the menu on the right of the screen for the other blogs.) |
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Post by cassie on Jun 10, 2011 0:00:28 GMT -5
It is so funny because I've seen this trio selling like crazy on Amazon and I thought they were just another "Jonas Brothers" act. I actually enjoyed them in particular the heaviest set tenor. (Don't know their names yet) has a beautiful voice. I can't believe they are only 16 and 17! So now I will have to purchase their CD. I too want to hear Cassie pro opinion regarding the quality of their voices. We chatted about them back on page 17. adamtopia.com/index.cgi?board=vocal&action=display&thread=28&page=17I think they are exceptional voices that blend well together. I checked out a couple of their live performances on YT, and they do add a bit of a pop sound to some of their songs. Since they are singing in Italian, I can't really comment on their lyrical phrasing, but based on what I hear, they have not yet mastered the long, lyrical sustain. Some of the phrases sounded chopped up a bit. And, there are times when they each seem to slip a bit in their placement and lose some of the soaring tone, sounding just slightly strained. That is also probably due to incomplete breath control. But, for kids their age, they are remarkable. I will be interested in what happens as their voices and techniques mature. Already their voices surpass most of the "stuff" that is out now in pop music. www.youtube.com/user/IlVoloVEVO?blend=7&ob=5#p/a/u/2/sAAmBh_3yI0 |
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Post by gelly14 on Jun 10, 2011 4:04:40 GMT -5
cassie
Thank you once again for replying. You're always here for us. Every time I learn a little more from you, about the voice 
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2011 11:04:13 GMT -5
Thanks all of you for listening to the "boys". I really enjoyed them but with no musical training or knowledge could never tell you why! :(
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Post by chasingeden on Jun 11, 2011 17:05:58 GMT -5
csharpminor Love your post! You are spot on regarding the surprises in Adam's interpretation and direction in which he chooses to take us and himself. I believe sometimes it's deliberate while other times it's "in the moment" for him as well. It's fresh and present when he sings "in the moment"; thus, it feels real. It's as he said - "Surprise... surprise...". Nice one.
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Jojo
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Post by Jojo on Jun 12, 2011 11:34:12 GMT -5
csharpminor and cassie thank you for your answers. It was very enlightening. I've never before thought how many things has to actually go right to make an exceptional singer. So now I understand little better why I have never had the same reaction to any other singer as Adam. It must be very rare to get that combination of everything.
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