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Working with amateur singers (ARR)

MondeyanoMondeyano Reykjavik 863 Posts
edited November 2005 in Strut Central
..almost record related.So my dilly is this. Been wanting to do a little project thing with my homegirl that has an amazing voice. Finally getting up and doing beats and asking her to start practicing so things are kicking off.The dilly is that she isn't confident in her singing although having an amazing voice. The result of that is that she won't hit the right notes and start singing well until after about an hour of sitting in front of the mic and being embarrassed and shit.My approach to this has been to complement her as much as I can and tell her to not be afraid etc. Have given a lot of my friends a listen who have almost without exception praised her shit. I even have some heavily talented people wanting to work with her. Telling her that just makes her laugh, get embarrassed and she brushes it off. A lot of you producer cats out there must have been through the same shit so I'm asking how to move on with this and help her become confident with her shit to make this record work.Here's the first thing I ever recorded with her. Made this beat in 20 minutes and gave her a poem I found after a google search. This shit is the first take she did. I added a chorus in between the two tries she did. Didn't chop anything, just layered the soundfile over the beat and recorded some harmonies for the chorus.first take biznessHelp plaese.

  Comments

  • leisurebanditleisurebandit 1,006 Posts
    liquor or other intoxicants?
  • CousinLarryCousinLarry 4,618 Posts
    Have her sing in the dark. Some people are more confident when no one can see them. It might just take her an hour to warm up. It can take a while for the vocal cords to warm up. Make sure the temperature in the studio is warm but not hot. Fix her a cup of tea.










    Or just have sex with her. Nothing relaxes and builds confidence like sex. If its not like that just try the other stuff.
  • El_MezcalitoEl_Mezcalito 312 Posts
    The track sounds dope. you left those drums open at the end!!

    yeah I've been in a similar situation, the suggestions above definitely can help. also I find some artists can sing/rap better in the room instead of the booth (makes it more casual, but sound quality suffers a little).... some artists just have the talent but not the attitude or the drive. part of being an artist means not being self-conscious and just being hungry. some people can develop the right attitude over time, some dont ... she sounds good though.
  • hcrinkhcrink 8,729 Posts
    Or just have sex with her. Nothing relaxes and builds confidence like sex.



    Serge would co-sign.
  • lefunkmoblefunkmob 28 Posts
    Just put her in front of the microphone with headphones, loop that track and tell her that you just doing this so that she could get a feel how she sounds over headphones(or some similar excuse). Press record(dont' tell her) and leave for a walk. Come back about whatever time you think is right and be surprised about the results. Has worked for me in the past....
  • MondeyanoMondeyano Reykjavik 863 Posts

    Serge would co-sign.
    That's true. But me and her have been friends for such a long time that having sex with her would just make things weird. ...or real real sexy!!!!!! I will think about it.
  • hcrinkhcrink 8,729 Posts

    Serge would co-sign.
    That's true. But me and her have been friends for such a long time that having sex with her would just make things weird. ...or real real sexy!!!!!! I will think about it.

    Consider settling for weird AND real, real sexy!
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