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Post by cassie on Jan 28, 2015 11:28:55 GMT -5
I kinda doubt if Sinatra could take in air while singing. In order to take air into the lungs, it must pass thru an open larynx where the vocal cords live. In order to produce vocal notes, one must expel air from lungs thru vocal cords that are closed. Seems impossible to do both at the same time. Horn players are able to do the trick because they puff their cheeks and hold air in their mouth, then expel the air into the wind instrument by constricting their cheeks. It is possible to do that while taking a breath in thru your nose. Or so they say. Yup. It's called circular breathing and it is fascinating to watch. I can do it on a very elementary level. You breathe in through your nose while playing the instrument with the little bit of air left in your mouth. The video below shows it and the actual demo is at :25. I can see how it would be possible to do anything like that while singing. It's unclear what that comment about Sinatra is about. Did you mean to say you CAN'T see how to do that while singing? |
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Holst
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Post by Holst on Jan 28, 2015 11:48:13 GMT -5
Copied from the daily thread: Dec 2, 2014 14:39:40 GMT -5 cassie said: Shhhh. Don't tell Q3 that I am posting something off topic. But, everything relates to Adam for me. I've posted recently about Adam's voice, commenting on that marvelous tone and his masterful control of his voice. It reminded me of one of my favorite operatic tenors, Alfie Boe. I went to YT to listen to him and stumbled upon a recent documentary he made on..... Freddie Mercury of all people. One of opera's best voices talking about one of rock's best frontmen. Fascinating perspective and information. (YT deleted by Holst) Then, you know how YT suggests other videos you might be interested in, I see a video of Alfie singing at last year's NYE celebration in London with Gary Barlow (where Queen and Adam will be performing this NYE). He is singing "Don't Stop Me Now". Not crazy about the operatic sound, but.... small world. www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWe3J7Hr2LoHi Cassie. I read this when you posted it, but it was fun to reread it today with QAL's NYE performance now a part of history. Agree about the operatic sound. But I'm sure that is what a lot of people feel when they hear Adam sing rock songs. So I have to remember that when I hear criticism of Adam. To some, it's just not right, like Alfie is just not right. However, to Alfie's credit, he did a number of things to sound less operatic. In particular, his operatic diction is really toned down so that it sound "right" to me. Plus he had intense energy and pretty decent showmanship. Now we have Adam's version from this year. I've listened to and watched them back-to-back a couple times. It's pretty interesting. Of course, Adam's tone is much lighter--not operatic. But also, his performance has a lighter, playful feel. It's kind of intense, but not like Alfie's. Alfie sounds like he is working hard, Adam sounds like he's having fun ("a good time"), even though he is singing some higher notes than Alfie. |
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Holst
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Post by Holst on Jan 28, 2015 11:50:59 GMT -5
Yup. It's called circular breathing and it is fascinating to watch. I can do it on a very elementary level. You breathe in through your nose while playing the instrument with the little bit of air left in your mouth. The video below shows it and the actual demo is at :25. I CAN"T can see how it would be possible to do anything like that while singing. It's unclear what that comment about Sinatra is about. Did you mean to say you CAN'T see how to do that while singing? Ha! CAN'T is what I meant. Silly me. Now I'm done spamming this thread. It's a snow day here. |
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Post by seoulmate on Jan 31, 2015 6:27:27 GMT -5
Huh. Well, here you go.... a trained Japanese opera singer (tenor) singing Bohemian Rhapsody. What say you?
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Post by cassie on Jan 31, 2015 9:42:49 GMT -5
Huh. Well, here you go.... a trained Japanese opera singer (tenor) singing Bohemian Rhapsody. What say you? Surprisingly good, actually. IMO. His voice is light, even on the highest notes, where I was expecting a darker, more dramatic operatic tenor. He was able to roughen it up a little in spots, and ease off the vibrato. He got closer to the pop/rock style than most opera singers. His limited ability to pronounce English was a distraction, but overall, I can't complain. No, not as good as Adam, of course. But better than many. What did you think? |
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Post by cassie on Jan 31, 2015 22:32:16 GMT -5
Copying this from the daily thread for archive purposes.
Question: The Cologne run was amazing, but this one is mind-numbing.
Is he just stretching the boundaries of what he is doing or is he learning how to do some things different, some different technique?
In any case, I am having a hard time thinking of anyone who can sign like that male or female.
My best guess is, he is maturing as a singer, an interpreter, an impromptu performer and an entertainer. The basic technical foundation remains the same. He still has incredible breath control which supports not only those long notes and phrases, but more subtly, supports the rich, full, ringing tone we love. His working out with a trainer can only enhance that as he gets stronger physically. He still uses his body's resonance masterfully to get that wonderful tone. He is still able to do those quick runs and rapid pitch changes accurately. He is still able to vary the intensity and volume of his sound.
I think he is learning through experimentation and experience, how to make his instrument sound less "legitimate", less "musical theater" and more pop and rock. He varies how he attacks a note or phrase, how he enunciates his words, how he bends notes and phrases, where and how he puts emphasis on certain things, and how he reinforces that with body movements and facial expressions.
He is also growing in confidence. He has always known he can sing. He ain't dumb. He sees how people react. How they have since he was ten years old. But there is nothing like doing hundreds of concerts as lead singer for a pop/rock/funk band to an audience of screaming fans to learn how to do that and have confidence in being able to deliver. There is nothing like rock icons saying you are one in a billion to give you confidence in pushing limits.
With that confidence, I think Adam is doing less vocal "tricks" and doing more solid, excellent, consistent vocal performances. Okay, tonight he went a bit crazy on WATC. But, in most of the QAL performances he is not relying on only high, belted glory notes. As we have all commented, his lower register is improving, partly from physical maturity and partly from practice. I suspect it is something he has worked with with a vocal coach. His power and tone throughout his range is more solid than ever.
I believe he works on his voice and technique. He does drill and practice routinely. He consults with a coach. Then, with singing three hours a day on performance days (with sound check, warm up and performance), the repetition is bound to make him a stronger singer. With the caveat that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. If he didn't have the strong classical technical base, and if he didn't maintain his voice and technique religiously, the schedule could do just the opposite. It could tear his voice apart. He could get "lazy" and develop bad vocal habits in his efforts to sound more "rock."
Short answer: I don't believe Adam is doing anything radically "new" in terms of technique. I think he is continuing to grow and mature as a singer and an artist. And we get the benefit!
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Holst
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Post by Holst on Feb 5, 2015 8:45:33 GMT -5
Huh. Well, here you go.... a trained Japanese opera singer (tenor) singing Bohemian Rhapsody. What say you? Well, kudos for the vocal backups. I think he did a very good job of adapting his voice and style. At times he had and edge to the tone and kept the vibrato under control the whole way (I think). Still might be a bit bombastic for my taste on this song, and I'm sure a lot of people would hate it because they hate everything that isn't Freddie. :  I'm not going to worry about his accent. There are some very troublesome sounds to iron out between English and Japanese. I wonder how much English he has ever sung in the opera world. Here is an article with a bit about him and this performance. en.rocketnews24.com/2015/01/31/japanese-opera-singer-records-an-incredible-cover-of-queens-bohemian-rhapsody/ |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2015 15:13:18 GMT -5
Hey Cassie I remember a bunch of people saying they didn't like Adam's high notes in this from 3:04. Maybe you should chime in on why that is cause I rarely hear people say that. Lack of reverb and general vocal space right?? (And also whatever the heck happened at 4:04) I generally don't listen to the Idol live performances ever for the dry vocals but for some reason I don't mind them here...
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Post by cassie on Feb 6, 2015 16:33:34 GMT -5
Glampoon!!!!!! So good to see you pop your head in here.
Where the heck did you find this? Very interesting. (Embarrassing if this was posted here before. But there ARE 90 pages here.) And that is a very clear B5 in there, isn't it?
As to my theory about why people don't like the high notes. I think you are correct. There is no space engineered into it. No warmth which is so beloved by Adam fans. The voice was not meant to be up front as a lead, but to pierce thru as part of the background singing. And it is certainly piercing and brittle. It actually sounds much more like metal rock to me than his usual tone. (Don't like metal rock, sorry)
As to 4:04... do you mean the one note where he floated it in falsetto? Yeah, maybe he was tired of belting? hahaha
I happen to love dry vocals because the voice is so exposed for what it is. Maybe not a steady diet of them, but as a vocal study, most definitely. The lower register here is wonderful to hear. He gets such resonance without any enhancements.
Speaking of dry feeds, did you see/hear the videos from kinkykiedis from Leeds? We think the sound is from his monitor feed. It sounds very dry as well, and is amazing to listen to.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2015 16:45:10 GMT -5
Yeah some B5's in there. I think these are more like discarded ad libs than intended harmonies though. I guess the producer just hit record and told him to keep going and improvising and they chose the best ad libs, cause a few of those I recognise from the final version but shuffled around a little. 4:04 though is the only time I've heard Adam strain like that.  Also interestingly they boosted the low parts a little on the final version. That low "don't be afraid of what's inside" pops out a lot more on the CD than it does here. I think they did the same to Runnin' actually. Which is weird cause it's already strong and he gets such a rad sound down there!! (Never really heard him do a dark low register live tho) Thanks for the tip about the Leeds vids!! |
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I'm not going to worry about his accent. There are some very troublesome sounds to iron out between English and Japanese. I wonder how much English he has ever sung in the opera world.
