Up and running!

Just thought of a better wave analogy. Big waves (low frequencies) take two things to form: Force/energy and space. If you have a high wind, but a shallow, small pond you get chop and froth, but no big waves. No room to form. If you have an ocean but no wind, you get a flat sea, no waves. No energy to form them.

So, to create low frequency subharmonics in your voice you need to open up the resonators in your body to the max, and focus the sound there. Then you have to have the breath/muscle control to sustain a note with power and support. Jessie sounds to me as if she has the power, but is not accessing the space to create those big, slow, deep resonances.

Did that make it even a little clearer???

I think I may have thoroughly confused some of you with my talks about harmonics in voices. What the hell are these harmonics she is going on about???

Any musical note is produced by vibrations or oscillations. The number of oscillations per second determines the pitch of the note. For example, middle C (C4) on the piano vibrates at approximately 262 cycles per second. (Okay, it is precisely 262.626, but my math ain't good enough to deal with decimals. So go with me at 262, okay?)

If you play a C4 on a flute, the air column inside of the flute oscillates at 262 cycles per second. Pluck a C4 on a guitar string? The string vibrates at 262 cycles. Hit a C4 on a xylophone, the wood vibrates at 262 cycles. Sing a C4, your vocal cords vibrate at 262 cycles. That is the FUNDAMENTAL frequency.

However, all these things that vibrate also produce other vibrations at other frequencies. They just are not as strong as the fundamental frequency. These are called harmonics (or overtones). They are mathematical multiples of the fundamental frequency. So, 524, 1048, and 2096, for example. Our brain does not hear these as separate, distinct notes, but as the fundamental frequency with different tones or timbres. Each instrument produces these harmonic frequencies at different intensities or loudness. If the lower harmonics are most prominent, the tone sounds warm. If the higher harmonics are predominant, the tone sounds shrill, piercing, sharp.

All instruments and voices naturally produce harmonics --- some sounding more pleasing to our individual ears and brains than others. If you want to hear JUST the fundamental frequency you have to use electronics. Ever had a hearing test? The tones they use are called pure tones. Here are samples to listen to:
www.fearofphysics.com/Sound/400hz.mp3

You can clearly hear the note, but it sounds dull, lifeless. No warmth, no ring. That's because it is missing the harmonics.

There are other factors that influence how we hear tone or timbre in a voice or an instrument, but let's just stick to the basics for this post. Since we cannot hear the individual harmonic frequencies in a note that Adam sings, we cannot state exactly what makes it sound/feel so good. But, one theory is that his voice (and how he has trained himself to use it) contains the right balance of harmonics that sound clear, rich, smooth, and round to our brain. They may also be just the right combination that produces sympathetic harmonics in our own bodies. Perhaps that is why we say we FEEL Adam's voice as well as hear it. We EXPERIENCE it. Perhaps that is also why some poor, unfortunate folks don't respond as we do to the voice. It doesn't produce the same harmonic resonance in their bodies as it does in ours. Just a theory.

Here's a slightly hilarious bit of info about the effect of music. There was a study done in France with Dairy cows and the effect of music being played to the cows on milk production. The results showed that not only did music affect milk production but that certain music was more effective in stimulating milk production. U2 was determined to cause the greatest increase in production of all the music studied. I wish I had saved the link to the articles about it because it was really fascinating and the U2 fans found it incredibly funny.

I wasn't really surprised though because throughout their career their music has been described as healing, uplifting and even cathartic. Adam's voice to me has that same healing quality to it. His voice more than just pleasing to listen to but it actually affects you. Bono often says that of course music can change the world because it changes the atmosphere in a room and affects the mood of the people who are listening. When they are writing music they pay more attention to how the music makes them feel than how it sounds. This is why U2 and their fans say that a U2 song isn't finished until it is played for an audience because the reaction of the crowd can and does change the song. If you ask just about any U2 fan for the definitive recording of a U2 song they will only very rarely choose an original studio version. I think FYE is the same way. Of the songs Adam performed live the fans will almost always choose those versions over the album because the energy of the audience affects the song and the way Adam performs it.

ETA: As for 16 year old talent check this kid out www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0WIu6M3MpE&feature=youtu.be

Nica for you






What is the appropriate word in English? Interpretation, musicianship, musicality? (My English is poor.)
Like with Adam. You feel, the audience feels. (Unless it is an unfortunate audience like Cassie correctly said.)
You are born with it or you are not.