Good Directions - Billy Currington (w/backing and mixing)

Awesome. What more can I say.

I still always want to hear more of your fingerpicking :)

good country. you have the voice for it, fer sure. I like your singing in this style.
lordy, you sure had the flat notes this time around. but that didn't matter for me, this time.
I liked your phrasing and feel for the words in your singing. the tone is nice and interesting.
you are getting to the point, however, where you can't get away with off notes singing.
you wouldn't allow your fingers to play off notes on guitar. you understand now your vocals are no different.
you know me, I am not being mean.

Thanks guys!

I don't know what the deal is with this song....the way the vowels are arranged, or the intervals...I don't know...I just am not able to figure out how to stay on pitch with this. It bugs me because I CAN sing stuff from this artist for the most part and will be re-recording what I had put up before I had my youtube stuff taken down (with out the backing etc).

But yeah, I know I'm getting to where I can't get away with off notes, and I struggled with putting this one up because I'm not happy with the vocals (never thought I would be, but hey it happened...wow). I recorded this about 15 times trying different things with the mixing, but the one thing that was persistent was the bad singing....especially the bridge...ouch! But I've been trying this song for a LOOOONG time now, since before really working on vocals...and I do really have no idea where I'm going with this song.

I wish I could explain it better.

why don't you try speaking the lyrics through a bunch of times. get very familiar with the words, how they are pronounced, the spacing, timing, breathing. we all have no troubles speaking. then slowly segue into singing a few words. then the whole thing.
I too find some words and phrases difficult to sing well. it's physical.
you should be able to hit pitch. it isn't opera. it's a country song.
so talk it, speak it, then sing it.

Believe it or not, I've actually tried that. I've been trying this song for over a year...not the guitar, the singing, and it was so bad that I never did a cover.

I've got alot of trouble singing certain things...sounds that come from the words..."From" "come" the long E, and long A.....I don't seem to be able to get the interval between the notes right, nor correct them....and I'm not sure why.

It's something that I've been struggling with since doing these singing lessons, and I've been trying to avoid songs that have alot of those (like this one), but I felt I needed to at least try and fail, and get some advice on it.

I'll keep doing what you suggested and hopefully in a few weeks, months, I'll be able to get it.

Thanks for the tips doggy!

woof. I had no idea this has been such a long endeavor. I am at a loss as to further tips.
on another site someone said to practice singing the vowels. I will look for it and link it.

Yeah, I've tried this on multiple occasions, but just kind of said "screw it" this time.

I'll be using your tips, and actually doing some more focused practice on this one, I think I can get it eventually, I just really have to work alot harder to get the intervals correct.

I glad you aren't going to let that song go by the way side.
I think it is a cool song and it suits you really really well. I hear country in your voice.

I've been messing with this all night, since it's been posted....and I think I found part of what I was doing wrong... I think I was pushing too hard, not really breathing.

While this isn't very good...I think it's better...and I think I may be on the right track....the only thing I can say is I think it sounds a bit too airy....I don't know if that makes sense.

http://www.box.net/shared/41kkp267vh

Either way, thanks for all the feedback, it's been much much appreciated!!

Joe. awesome. this is much better. it doesn't sound airy to me. I am hearing a few moments where it sounds like you run out of wind. your voice falters ever so slightly then. so maybe it's a matter of building up 'callouses' , borrowing a guitar phrase. as I said, you have a good voice for this. it is some o the best singing I heard.
your guitar playing on this is really good. :wink:

Yeah breath control is an issue, I try to get too many words in sometimes in one breath or I take a breath in the wrong place. And you heard right, I did run out of air. LOL.

I did record a video with this but didn't get a chance to edit it down, so the one on YouTube now will come down and the one that includes the mp3 will go up.

Thanks again!

There is no video!

Updated the first post with new link....forgot to add that.
Here it is again though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78ljdm9UAE4