#1645233 - 03/27/05 09:40 PM
A few vocal oriented questions
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dohhhhh6
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Registered: 12/05/02
Posts: 1292
Loc: St Louis
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Hey, I'm wondering if you guys could help me.
Does your originals band only play an 1 or 2 different keys? It's nice to have a change of key to make things sound even more different from eachother, but having all the songs in a single key makes sense because that means the singer can get super focused to that key. Anyone do this?
When doing background harmony "oo's and ahh's," do you sing low in the your normal voice, high in your normal voice, or do you just sing falsetto? I think most bands sing high in their normal voice, but I'm wondering what the main demographic does.
Thanks.
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#1645234 - 03/28/05 08:02 AM
Re: A few vocal oriented questions
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cherri
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Registered: 09/10/03
Posts: 731
Loc: N. MI USA
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When we're writing a tune, we usually end up changing the key to better suit either the guitar player or my vocals. Some of the stuff we write is in open tunings - again, depending on the guitar lines. I guess my answer to your question is that we use many different keys. Don't be afraid to try a lot of different ones out, because when you find the 'sweet key' for a certain song, you'll hear the difference in everyone's performance.
For backups vocals, I use my normal voice and step back a foot or so from the mic. That way the harmony comes through but I 'm not overpowering.
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#1645235 - 03/28/05 09:13 AM
Re: A few vocal oriented questions
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way2fat
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Registered: 02/09/04
Posts: 4121
Loc: Egypt
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Bill Monroe made the band play in the key that was best for the singer.
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#1645236 - 03/28/05 09:20 AM
Re: A few vocal oriented questions
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Tedster
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Registered: 09/21/00
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Cherri and Way are right on...
And one singer might have several keys they sing well in, depending on the range required in the melody of the song.
For guy bands, it's okay to do the highest harmonies in falsetto. All the great "guy harmony" bands have done that, from the Beatles and Beach Boys through the hair bands of the 80s. Hit falsetto parts firmly, but not harshly. For other tips, see my response to Shniggens' thread on singing backup vocals.
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#1645238 - 04/05/05 07:50 PM
Re: A few vocal oriented questions
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gitfidler
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Registered: 11/13/04
Posts: 152
Loc: mobile AL
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I know, we all hate it, but it's always about the singer; always has been, always will be. That's what people listen to, buy stuff to hear, and remember. Don't believe me? Ask the average Joe on the street to start naming people in pop (or whatever) music and there'll be a long list before they get to many guitar or keyboard players, and the heck with the poor drummers and bassists.
To my way of thinking, as a guitar player but marginal vocalist, Any success I have will be riding on the back of the singer. Scary, huh! If I need to make her sound good, we need to find the key that makes her (and therefore, us) sound good. If that means Eb or B minor, then so be it. I suppose it's OK to pull out the capo, but none of this substitutes for working on your playing skills. You can't play Tracy Chapman's 'Give me one Reason' in any other key but F#, so learn it, and some more tough stuff, too. You're so right, Shnig., but too much running together in perfect modulations sounds a bit too churchy for my take. I like the odd, quirky jumps between songs, to really define some separation.
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