I think I know why not forwarded

[trentoliphant]

I have a couple of ideas as to why this wasn't forwarded, but I would like to get some additional feedback. This was the listing:Fresh, contemporary, current-sounding COVER VERSIONS (with vocals) of the Traditional/Public Domain spiritual hymn/song "FAIREST LORD JESUS" are needed by the Dir. of Worship Music at an online Music Library/Publisher. He's open to ALL CURRENT MUSICAL STYLES except Heavy Metal/Hard Rock. Great performances are essential, especially vocally (male or female are fine). Your songs must have musical accompaniment - he can't use a cappella versions. This company's offer: It's a buy-out/work-for-hire deal where they pay about $1000 up-front per song, then they retain the publishing rights and you keep your writer's share (for performance royalties). VERY IMPORTANT: You must use ProTools LE software to record your songs, as that's the format they need the songs to be delivered in (per their instructions). If you don't use ProTools LE, please do not submit to this listing. Broadcast quality needed [great sounding home recordings are OK]. Please submit one to three songs online or per CD, include lyrics. All submissions will be screened on a YES/NO BASIS ONLY - NO CRITIQUES FROM TAXI. TAXI # D070926FLI know I'm new and probably over my head and it's probably bad form for my first post to be a feedback request, but any feedback would be welcome.http://www.taximusic.com/song.php?song_ ... tream=true

[hummingbird]

Quote:I have a couple of ideas as to why this wasn't forwarded, but I would like to get some additional feedback. This was the listing:Fresh, contemporary, current-sounding COVER VERSIONS (with vocals) of the Traditional/Public Domain spiritual hymn/song "FAIREST LORD JESUS" are needed by the Dir. of Worship Music at an online Music Library/Publisher. He's open to ALL CURRENT MUSICAL STYLES except Heavy Metal/Hard Rock. Great performances are essential, especially vocally (male or female are fine). Your songs must have musical accompaniment - he can't use a cappella versions. This company's offer: It's a buy-out/work-for-hire deal where they pay about $1000 up-front per song, then they retain the publishing rights and you keep your writer's share (for performance royalties). VERY IMPORTANT: You must use ProTools LE software to record your songs, as that's the format they need the songs to be delivered in (per their instructions). If you don't use ProTools LE, please do not submit to this listing. Broadcast quality needed [great sounding home recordings are OK]. Please submit one to three songs online or per CD, include lyrics. All submissions will be screened on a YES/NO BASIS ONLY - NO CRITIQUES FROM TAXI. TAXI # D070926FLI know I'm new and probably over my head and it's probably bad form for my first post to be a feedback request, but any feedback would be welcome.http://www.taximusic.com/song.php?song_ ... am=trueHey... welcome aboard. There are some good things here. It feels to me as though the piano is sometimes competing with the voice... it's like the piano is too bright & crisp, but towards the end of the song it feels a little better. Unfortunately, the vocals also in the beginning don't feel legato enough & even in a couple of spots - perhaps because of low notes or articulation, feel a little pitchy. In those spots you have to think bright (up). I think the vocal needs more smoothness & the singer needs more relationship to the text. I'd try it a tone up too, that would probably help the voice feel a little bit more alive. Don't get me wrong, there's a very nice voice here, but we all struggle between getting clear tones & good vowels & articulating the text.... and yet at the same time, singing naturally, on the breath & not 'trying to sing' while singing. If that makes any sense at all. In other words.... once we've practiced articulating the song & getting the notes right... we need to move from mechanics to feeling the song & singing it from the heart in order to communicate the composer's intent with the texture & colour of our voice.Hope that helps warmlyHummin'bird

[clonsberry]

Quote:I know I'm new and probably over my head and it's probably bad form for my first post to be a feedback request, but any feedback would be welcome.Welcome! Take heart. If you got a rejection, this is where the education starts. (I'm getting LOTS of education.)It felt like the tempo was hard to find in several spots in the song. (That could be the voice and piano competing as Hummingbird pointed out). Not in any syncopated or 'pause for effect' way. It was just gone for brief periods where I found myself searching for a tempo. That's the biggest thing that stuck out to me. It made it hard to mentally 'flow' with the song.And, yeah, the vocals were a little pitchy. For my tastes, I didn't find the piano to be too bright but I think that's a matter of taste and I can certainly be wrong in mine.For what it's worth.

[trentoliphant]

Thanks for the feedback. I think you were dead on Hummingird - with regards to the pitch issue. That was one of my issues as well (It's me singing - so I wasn't sure if I was being overly critical of myself.) I mostly sing in choirs so I need to work on some consistency in my voice. (Haven't had voice lessons for quite a while). Thanks for the encouragement about the basics of the voice though. Also I will listen carefully to the balance that you mentioned and see if I can hear where the balance works right. I have been nervous to do vocal submissions because I don't feel my engineering skills are very good. (I'm not sure they're any better on the instrumental side - but I'm working on them). I wasn't going to do this one, but then the arrangement just came so I thought I'd give it a shot.clonsberry - you're probably right about the tempo. I decided to do this without a click track, and no quantizing or editing of the midi piano (other than removing a few stray notes). I just recorded each section as if I were recording a live piano. Even though this is my first post I have been lurking and reading your posts on other things and have learned a great deal. Sometimes it's discouraging (Thinking I don't have the skills yet) but also very encouraging (Knowing that there are so many people willing to give feedback to improve my skills).This was a dispatch listing that is now a regular listing - do you think I ought to try to re-record the vocals and maybe add some other tracks and re-submit? Thanks again for your feedback.Trent

[hummingbird]

Quote:This was a dispatch listing that is now a regular listing - do you think I ought to try to re-record the vocals and maybe add some other tracks and re-submit? Thanks again for your feedback.TrentTrent - absolutely. Keep it simple. I would increase the tempo slightly and raise the key at least one tone. I would work to sing legato over some lyrical phrasing on the piano. Where the voice does pause, the piano should at least sustain or perhaps move a little to keep the forward motion. As a choral singer, we are encouraged to blend in, to sing modulated vowels. As a lead singer, you need to think a putting more life/passion into the text, as though you wrote these words and they resonate with youH

[matto]

Hey Trent,the two main things I hear is that the vocal is a bit pitchy/shaky and not very convinving. The vocal is always the most important thing in a master quality listing and even moreso when it's such a sparse piano vocal arrangement.Second, they are asking for contemporary and current sounding...meaning like stuff that's on the charts now, and this really doesn't strike me as that.I also don't think you're doing yourself a favor with the halting piano intro, you'd really want to get into the meat of the song a bit faster I think.

[trentoliphant]

Thanks Mattto, I really appreciate your input. Your opinion carries a lot of weight with me.One of my concerns was the issue of being contemporary. I wasn't entirely sure if that meant current charts or just the last few years for something like this. (I may have missed it on both accounts anyway). I guess part if it is I'm not quite sure what style to go more towards with this particular base.I"ll try cutting the intro to maybe a single bar or two and see how that works.Thanks again all for your input.

[hummingbird]

Quote:Thanks Mattto, I really appreciate your input. Your opinion carries a lot of weight with me.One of my concerns was the issue of being contemporary. I wasn't entirely sure if that meant current charts or just the last few years for something like this. (I may have missed it on both accounts anyway). I guess part if it is I'm not quite sure what style to go more towards with this particular base.I"ll try cutting the intro to maybe a single bar or two and see how that works.Thanks again all for your input.You might try doing a search on Amazon for recent releases to see if you can find some ideas of contemporary settings. Think gospel or pop rather than traditional church music.