Thursday, September 8, 2011

I Sing "That's All Right Mama," a High Key Elvis Tune

I've been practicing singing exercises for about two weeks now and I can feel my voice getting stronger.  My latest challenge was to sing Elvis's great hit "That's All Right Mama."  This song is in a high key, but I wanted to be able to sing it and hit all the right notes without my voice cracking or changing radically from one register to another.  I think I succeeded.

At first I was hitting the highest notes all wrong -- going up a whole octave when such a jump was clumsy and unnecessary and produced a harsh, strained sound.  Finally, I listened to the actual Elvis recording and studied how he sang these most difficult parts, and then I copied him.  It worked.  Of course, I can't sing like Elvis, but listening to his singing certainly helped me in hitting the high notes properly.

This recording was made through the built-in computer microphone and the quality is only so-so.  I have ordered a soundblaster sound card for my laptop  that should allow me to both play and record simultaneously from the sound card, thus eliminating the noise you get by recording from the built-in computer microphone.  It should result in significant improvement in the quality of the recordings:  better balance, clarity and consistency.

Have a listen:



Self-evaluation:  Roger Love in his book "Set Your Voice Free" talks about commanding your middle voice, and indicates it's tricky to get just the right sound.  I think my voice in this recording needs to be brought down just a bit more towards chest voice.  Right now it is a tad too much in the direction of head voice.  I am not talking about changing the key, I am talking about changing the timbre:  a slightly lower voice (but in the same key) would add warmth and resonance.  I will work on it.

6 comments:

bro said...

post the lower tember version. you still have a nasal twang, I do too and constantly have to avoid it. It's our heritage I think

Stogie said...

Nah, I think it's just my voice. Most everyone has some trouble with singing through your nose, but you can overcome it with the singing exercises. If you are singing through your nose, try holding your nose midway through the song. If the tone changes significantly, you are singing through your nose. I tried this and the sound didn't change, so that's not my problem. I think it is just that the song is in a very high key and I am not used to singing that high yet. So my voice sounds a bit squeaky. But I will get there, I'm determined.

BRO said...

there are no high keys, as such. Each key can be sung in the lower octave and also in a higher octave. There are keys for CERTAIN songs that neither is appropriate for your voice.

Stogie said...

Elvis sings this song in the higher octave, in most of the videos on YouTube. If you are going to increase your range, you must try singing in all keys, as an exercise, not necessarily as a public performance.

kate said...

Hello Stogie , vous avez raison , un ton de voix plus grave et ce sera parfait ! bravo !et je ne dit pas cela pour vous faire plaisir , c'est ce que je pense !

Stogie said...

Hello Stogie , vous avez raison , un ton de voix plus grave et ce sera parfait ! bravo !et je ne dit pas cela pour vous faire plaisir , c'est ce que je pense !

Kate says: You're right, a lower tone of voice and it will be perfect. Bravo! And I am not saying that to flatter you, it's what I really think!