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#97747 by Melissa Proctor
Thu Jan 21, 2010 7:54 pm
Thanks for listenin' I truly appreciate it from the bottom of my heart :D
Last edited by Melissa Proctor on Thu Jan 21, 2010 11:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.

#97750 by philbymon
Thu Jan 21, 2010 8:10 pm
This is some very plain ol' simple country stuff, here.

The only comments I can make are concerning your phrasing & pitchy issues. Like I said before, you almost sound like you're afraid of making a mistake, & you don't really let the sound out.

"Die For You" is definitely your best effort, but I think that you're trying too hard to keep things mellow & "pretty." PUSH that voice out there, & ppl will take notice, much more than they will for the breathy quality.

#97752 by jsantos
Thu Jan 21, 2010 8:43 pm
Good music Melissa, I enjoyed them all. Welcome to the forum!

#97794 by KLUGMO
Thu Jan 21, 2010 11:49 pm
As a Country crooner myself I think you have a bit of a Lorrie Morgan resemblence in your voice. I think philymon is right about letting loose and don't just sing nice, sing emotional. Lets hear those three octives you mention. The music itself sounds nice. It sounds nice on every song. Nice is nice but not every song. Find some players that can knock it out of the barn you know what I mean?

#97796 by gbheil
Thu Jan 21, 2010 11:55 pm
Nice voice.
Not my thing but glad to have you on board just the same.
Best wishes and God speed.
#97801 by Melissa Proctor
Fri Jan 22, 2010 12:04 am
LOL!! Thanks. I get that a lot that I have a sweet soft voice. That's just me. Give me a song like Evanescence sings and I con rock the vocals on it. But "Country's Where My Heart Is". and I'll always stay sweet like honey and sting like a bee when the time comes to do so..
#97802 by Melissa Proctor
Fri Jan 22, 2010 12:04 am
I love you guys!

#97806 by KLUGMO
Fri Jan 22, 2010 12:31 am
You need to come out the gate stinger first girl. Just Nice wont cut the
mustard in the music Industry. Nice songs are 3rd or 4th track ,not 1st.

#98034 by Melissa Proctor
Fri Jan 22, 2010 10:37 pm
I guess we'll just have to see about that

#98036 by Melissa Proctor
Fri Jan 22, 2010 10:44 pm
Hey mr Almost Chris Ladoux. I broke the rules and stopped by and took a listen. You have a very soft voice too. LOL! How long have you been singing.

#98059 by KLUGMO
Sat Jan 23, 2010 1:46 am
Long enough to give you advise.

#98258 by Melissa Proctor
Sun Jan 24, 2010 2:22 am
Thanks for the advice although i've heard it all before and like I've said. If you are talking about the ONE song,. I'm not holding back. It was the equipment I used (crappy). I miss Chris Ledoux though. My husband and I met at a concert in AZ at a rodeo in AZ in 1996 and have been married since. Anyway I hear him in you.

#98273 by philbymon
Sun Jan 24, 2010 10:23 am
Melissa Proctor wrote:LOL!! Thanks. I get that a lot that I have a sweet soft voice. That's just me. Give me a song like Evanescence sings and I con rock the vocals on it. But "Country's Where My Heart Is". and I'll always stay sweet like honey and sting like a bee when the time comes to do so..

So bacially what you're saying is that lots of ppl ask you to open up & give some power in your singing, but you think it's a better style to sing softly & wimpilly (the new word of the day - "wimpilly").

It's a matter of taste, in your opinion. Oh, & the crappy equipment you're working with, right? I'm sorry, but we can hear you just fine, in spite of the mic or the room or the recording device. Don't give yourself excuses to do less than your best. You didn't put it out there, & you're trying to defend it. Wrong! There's nothing to defend. You dropped the ball, but you think it's quite good. That's what you're telling us, here.

Perhaps it's time to reevaluate your personal take on it all, Melissa. Your soft voice wavers on the notes in ways that are making you sound unsure of yourself, & make the songs have far less impact than they should have. I don't mean to harp on you, here, but the message has been coming to you from many angles & many ppl, evidently, from what you're telling us. You aren't doing the songs any justice if you make them sound weak & insignificant. Yes, there ARE times when that sound is called for, & while that may be your preferred sound, it truly is needed very rarely in most modern music, esp in country, where you're supposed to be "loud & proud," but you'd know that if you know what country music is when you say "Country's Where My Heart Is."

When a singer sounds unsure, when the notes waver, when the volume is downright whispery, it makes the song sound like it's being done on karaoke night by a shy little girl, rather than a woman who knows herself. You may have "heard it all before," but that doesn't mean that the advice has any less merit.

Ppl want to hear from performers who have some personal power. Once that power is established, THEN a whisper can say more than a holler in the right context. I'm hearing neither power from you, nor the taste to use the quiet in the right context. Nor do I hear the necessary control at the lower volume levels.

I'm probably the harshest sounding critic in here cuzza the way I word things, but I'd say nothing at all if I weren't trying to help, & you need to quit bucking the world on this issue if you want to be a lead singer. If you want to be a backup singer, you'll need that power even more to emphasize others.

As a music teacher & occasional vocal instructor, I'd tell you to practice singing very loud, anyway, to better your vocal control at those lower volume levels, which at the moment is lacking. You also need to learn your microphone. Keep recording yourself while you sing. Listen to what happens when you sing loud, & hafta back off the mic. Try to keep your volumes steady as you lean in for those soft notes, or the lower notes. Using the mic's dynamics is also something you need to develop. The sound in the room through the PA, or the sound through your headphones will say a lot to you in this area, if you listen. The recording will back it all up for you, & tell you where you need to work.

But, you don't have to take anyone's advice. That's true. You can keep on as you are, defending yourself, with the same problems you've had, if you wish. But you won't develop, & you won't impress a lot of ppl with your work. Your singing is quite fine for working around the house, but I wouldn't take it out on the road without some work.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do.
Last edited by philbymon on Sun Jan 24, 2010 6:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

#98278 by CraigMaxim
Sun Jan 24, 2010 12:54 pm
philbymon wrote:
It's a matter of taste, in your opinion. Oh, & the crappy equipment you're working with, right? I'm sorry, but we can hear you just fine, in spite of the mic or the room or the recording device. Don't give yourself excuses to do less than your best.



Melissa,

Don't take Phil's comments in the wrong way.

There are ALOT of music VETERANS here, and when we sense that someone is seeking music as a PROFESSION and not merely a hobby, then you will get 10 Simon Cowels here, right off the bat! It's a tough business, and we don't pull punches for those looking to make a career out of it. That's EXACTLY why Simon does what he does... YOU MUST have thick skin in this business, and expect brutally honest opinions, cause that is what A&R people, producers and even engineers, are going to be giving you.

We do this for one another, cause it makes us better at our chosen craft.

Consider yourself baptised! ;-)

Welcome to the business!

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