happy
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Post by happy on Feb 14, 2012 22:19:29 GMT -5
Cassie, thanks for adding the Stockholm link to your analysis. Do you think you will be analyzing the most recent acoustic BTIKM? It's fun to have you put in words what my ears and brain are taking in -- explains why I'm feeling what I'm feeling.
Did you see his recent interview where he demonstrated a vocal exercise which involved blowing through your lips (blowing raspberries) while going up and down the scale. I've been trying that today and it is not easy!
Thanks for the Sound Bath link. My brother and his partner are pianists who work with classically trained singers and sneer at pop music. Well, not so much sneer -- more that they have no awareness of it as it never enters their world. I haven't yet mentioned Adam to them -- I guess I'm kind of afraid of their reaction. I know I would be disappointed if they didn't hear what I hear. Maybe when his new album is out, I will work up the courage.
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Post by cassie on Feb 15, 2012 0:41:27 GMT -5
Cassie, thanks for adding the Stockholm link to your analysis. Do you think you will be analyzing the most recent acoustic BTIKM? It's fun to have you put in words what my ears and brain are taking in -- explains why I'm feeling what I'm feeling. Thanks for the suggestion. I hadn't considered writing about that performance, but I will think about it. It certainly was masterful vocally and emotionally. And, because there is very limited instrumental backing and no backing vocals, you can really concentrate on the voice. Give me a few days to process it and work on it. Another great interview! You are right. That little exercise is surprisingly challenging. You have to have good breath support and control to do it for more than a couple of seconds. And, you have to have both a certain tension in certain muscles of the lips and a certain loose relaxation at the same time. Done correctly, the exercise also naturally focuses the tone in the frontal mask of the face. I understand. I have two sisters who are both trained musicians, and I cannot convert either of them to Adam fans. One has worked with marvelous, trained singers as well as talented amateurs for years. She is not easily impressed. If I could ever get her to sit down and hear a wide sample of Adam's voice I think she would appreciate it. But, I cannot seem to get her interested enough to devote the time to do that. Think she would let me tie her up and force her to sit thru a song selection? The other sister acknowledges that Adam is a "good singer", but she doesn't care for his style. Again, she has limited experience and an established bias against him because his OTT persona rubs her the wrong way. She loves the musical "Wicked", so if she had seen him in the role of Fyero, that would probably have won her over. Or, if I could get her to listen to some of the acoustic stuff with an open mind. Funny, she seems to like classical choral music and musicals, and she likes the white guy with guitar, raspy voice, flannel shirt type of music (yes, she bought Kris Allen's CD -- not Adam's.) But, she doesn't like to mix the two, which Adam, with his classical training, tends to do. If you can ever get your brother to sit down and listen, I would suggest talking about Adam's musical background: ten plus years of vocal lessons including a couple of years of opera; his stints singing light opera, musical theater, jazz and standards, before branching out into rock and roll and pop. If you go here: adamtopia.com/index.cgi?board=preidolperformances&action=display&thread=21&page=1there is my list of top 10 YTs to illustrate Adam's voice, range, and ability to cross genres. There is also an essay I wrote: What is it about Adam Lambert's voice? Maybe that would be helpful? Best of luck with your brother and his partner! |
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happy
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Post by happy on Feb 15, 2012 12:16:46 GMT -5
Thanks Cassie. You're a gem. You're so knowledgeable about music and passionate about Adam -- it is wonderful that you are willing to share.
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Post by cassie on Feb 17, 2012 20:19:11 GMT -5
On request, here is my reaction to the un-miked version of BTIKM.
The purely acoustic BTIKM. Honestly, my mind cannot process it. I see him singing into a mic and I hear him coming from my speakers (thank you, Bose) and my mind refuses to believe this is Adam totally unplugged. His voice and nothing else. I have to keep telling myself "This IS Adam, raw." Anyone else have that reaction?
So, what am I hearing? First and foremost, NOT a performance. This is a friend singing in my living room. For the joy of singing. For the joy of sharing. It's intimate. It's incredibly vulnerable. Totally honest. Totally exposed. (I have to say, the man has balls of steel to do this on the spot.) I feel privileged to share a private moment.
When he is singing the verses, there is an incredible ring and clarity to his voice. It has strength and presence without any heaviness, strain or push. Such pure notes.
When he goes up to the "climax" of the chorus, beyond the range for pure chest voice, he flips into the lightest of head voices. We talk many times about Adam having no break in his voice, but here, the difference in tone is obvious. Why did he choose to sing it this way? It confused me at first. But, on reflection, I believe he sang it that way BECAUSE it was intimate. It would have been jarring and inappropriate to belt it out as if he were on a stage performing. Like he was yelling at someone just a few feet in front of him. This way it was more like a conversation with a friend. "You KNOW me -- (even better than I know myself.)"
The bridge takes my breath away, especially the second half without Kevin's harmonies. It is pensive; almost like he forgets for a time that anyone is listening. The pure voice reflects the pure emotion. "I need you." Plain and simple. The absolute truth.
The final chorus he floats that light head voice with such a tender strength. And finishes with no words, just a pure voice like a sigh.
I loved his comment afterwards about it feeling so good just to sing without all that other stuff. That, my friends, is another confession from the heart. He is letting us trespass into what makes him tick. The high he gets from making music with his body and expressing his emotions in the purest way he knows how. It also gives me encouragement that in the future, when he is not focused on being "the recording artist" he might do more of this naked music making. Risk it all, put it all out there, and let us trespass again.
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Post by lambo on Feb 18, 2012 20:07:22 GMT -5
Did you see his recent interview where he demonstrated a vocal exercise which involved blowing through your lips (blowing raspberries) while going up and down the scale. I've been trying that today and it is not easy! I use this very same excercise to warm up, and a good tip is to place your index fingers just under your mouth, move the left hand index finger directly left until it's about half way across your cheek but still lined up with just under your mouth, then move your right hand index finger into the same position on your right cheek. Then push both index fingers upwards gently so they "lift" your cheeks slightly, and try the liprolls again. Should be much easier, as lifting up the cheeks eases a lot of weight and tension when you try to do it! |
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lyris
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Post by lyris on Feb 18, 2012 21:11:57 GMT -5
Did you see his recent interview where he demonstrated a vocal exercise which involved blowing through your lips (blowing raspberries) while going up and down the scale. I've been trying that today and it is not easy! I use this very same excercise to warm up, and a good tip is to place your index fingers just under your mouth, move the left hand index finger directly left until it's about half way across your cheek but still lined up with just under your mouth, then move your right hand index finger into the same position on your right cheek. Then push both index fingers upwards gently so they "lift" your cheeks slightly, and try the liprolls again. Should be much easier, as lifting up the cheeks eases a lot of weight and tension when you try to do it! I mean to ask earlier, but forgot. What interview was it that he demonstrated this? |
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aralid
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Post by aralid on Feb 20, 2012 5:31:28 GMT -5
I use this very same excercise to warm up, and a good tip is to place your index fingers just under your mouth, move the left hand index finger directly left until it's about half way across your cheek but still lined up with just under your mouth, then move your right hand index finger into the same position on your right cheek. Then push both index fingers upwards gently so they "lift" your cheeks slightly, and try the liprolls again. Should be much easier, as lifting up the cheeks eases a lot of weight and tension when you try to do it! I mean to ask earlier, but forgot. What interview was it that he demonstrated this? It was in the amazon uk interview. www.amazon.co.uk/Adam-Lambert/e/B002HFPKPG/ref=ntt_art_dp_pel_1You can find the video on the right side |
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lyris
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Post by lyris on Feb 20, 2012 20:37:31 GMT -5
Thanks. I figured I must have missed an interview (and maybe more) as there had been just soo many recently. He makes it look really easy, but from a few seconds of trying I see what you guys mean about how hard it is. |
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gabby
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Post by gabby on Feb 20, 2012 22:10:51 GMT -5
Cassie... first thank you so much for taking time to expand our appreciation of Adam's craft by "really" understanding how different his voice is compared to whoever we bring in here for comparison.  After too much flailing today of the Queen+Adam hook-up at Sonisphere I had some thoughts that I want to share and I would appreciate it if you agree or have other thoughts as well. Live performance Freddie vs Adam... 1. FM - I saw one interview he had before and he said that he wrote songs so people can sing along. Just watching his YT performances, he can really generate that kind of vibe where people just starts singing as soon as the Queen band starts the song intro. There are times when he would be out of breath and his voice will crack but it didn't matter. The audience just loved to sing with him. He expected/invited the sing along and adjust his delivery based on the audience response. Of course, he had been with the band for so long that they expect the unexpected. 2. Adam - I wonder if because Adam was first exposed to theater (audience don't sing along) that Adam gets into a zone when he sings (unless he expects the audience, i.e. "IIHY" to sing with him). Adam has such a beautiful voice that you tend to listen instead of sing along. :D Do you know what I mean? I know that sometimes people would sing along with slow songs like Soaked but Adam stays on the zone. So if Adam sings the Bohemian Rhapsody I can just imagine him really feeling the song and go into that zone and the audience singing along might be too distracting ;D You saw that look he gave to that technician (in one of the radio promo) when the tech adjusted the microphone while Adam was already singing  I understand that the MTV-EMA venue was not for sing along and I noticed that Adam was not pausing in WWRY "Sing It" and "Everybody" . Not a criticism, just an observation... that's why I mentioned about "zoning" and Adam concentrating on his delivery, not sing the verses as an invite to let the crowd "sing" with him. So Adam will have to adjust to deliver the Queen music to his very best (which we all know he will) but also to zone in and out based on the song and the crowd's response. What a lot of expectations from his fans, from Queen/Freddie's fans, and the general public...and of course, we can't compare 15-20 years of performing vs 2-3, just saying.... I hope you understand what I'm saying here and like I said, not a criticism just an observation and purely my own opinion.  What do you think? ETA: However, in faster songs like Under Pressure, Another One Bites The Dust, Don't Stop Me Now, Radio Ga Ga, etc..... Adam will just kill these with or without the sing along.... ;D
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Post by cassie on Feb 21, 2012 0:28:57 GMT -5
Cassie... first thank you so much for taking time to expand our appreciation of Adam's craft by "really" understanding how different his voice is compared to whoever we bring in here for comparison. After too much flailing today of the Queen+Adam hook-up at Sonisphere I had some thoughts that I want to share and I would appreciate it if you agree or have other thoughts as well. Live performance Freddie vs Adam... 1. FM - I saw one interview he had before and he said that he wrote songs so people can sing along. Just watching his YT performances, he can really generate that kind of vibe where people just starts singing as soon as the Queen band starts the song intro. There are times when he would be out of breath and his voice will crack but it didn't matter. The audience just loved to sing with him. He expected/invited the sing along and adjust his delivery based on the audience response. Of course, he had been with the band for so long that they expect the unexpected. 2. Adam - I wonder if because Adam was first exposed to theater (audience don't sing along) that Adam gets into a zone when he sings (unless he expects the audience, i.e. "IIHY" to sing with him). Adam has such a beautiful voice that you tend to listen instead of sing along. :D Do you know what I mean? I know that sometimes people would sing along with slow songs like Soaked but Adam stays on the zone. So if Adam sings the Bohemian Rhapsody I can just imagine him really feeling the song and go into that zone and the audience singing along might be too distracting ;D You saw that look he gave to that technician (in one of the radio promo) when the tech adjusted the microphone while Adam was already singing I understand that the MTV-EMA venue was not for sing along and I noticed that Adam was not pausing in WWRY "Sing It" and "Everybody" . Not a criticism, just an observation... that's why I mentioned about "zoning" and Adam concentrating on his delivery, not sing the verses as an invite to let the crowd "sing" with him. So Adam will have to adjust to deliver the Queen music to his very best (which we all know he will) but also to zone in and out based on the song and the crowd's response. What a lot of expectations from his fans, from Queen/Freddie's fans, and the general public...and of course, we can't compare 15-20 years of performing vs 2-3, just saying.... I hope you understand what I'm saying here and like I said, not a criticism just an observation and purely my own opinion. What do you think? ETA: However, in faster songs like Under Pressure, Another One Bites The Dust, Don't Stop Me Now, Radio Ga Ga, etc..... Adam will just kill these with or without the sing along.... ;D Very interesting question. Yes, Adam can get completely caught up in the song. But, he has repeatedly mentioned in interviews how touched he was during GNT that the audience in whatever country, knew the words and sang along. And, he DOES feed off of the audience reaction to the degree that he has a tattoo to represent that. He has never complained about the audience screaming or dancing instead of respectfully and quietly listening to him. He WANTS them to party and get into the music as much as he does. He WANTS them to be fired up. I think the most challenging part of getting audience involvement in a live performance may be the backing tracks. They don't allow Adam to pause, to repeat a phrase with the audience, to do a call and respond exchange with them. They don't allow him any flexibility with the tempo or progress in the song. I would imagine that the Queen performance will have an extensive backing track because they have such complex vocal harmonies and added orchestral sounds. To do it fully live, they would need a chorus and an orchestra or at least a bunch of keyboardists to recreate the orchestral sound. Plus, to have the confidence and freedom to change things up mid-song in response to the audience, the band members and front man have to have close communication and familiarity with one another. The band has to anticipate what the singer is likely to do, where he is likely to go, and the singer has to have developed a non-verbal language of signals to cue them. While Adam and Queen have massive respect for one another, that kind of rapport takes time to develop. And lots of performances together. But, Brian is a very sharp guy. He knows what Freddie did with an audience. If there is any way to create a similar interaction for this performance, I think he will work with Adam to do it. And, frankly, I don't think there is any way they are going to be able to STOP people from singing along to WWRY or WATC. It was not evident in the MTV professional filming of the EMAs, but on the fan videos, you could definitely hear folks singing along. I'm not at all worried. The performance is gonna be AWESOME! |
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