Needle and the Damage Done

[maclennan89]

Been loving learning Neil Young lately.
Here’s my cover. Would love some critique!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=okOY2iHTrr8

[jwellsy]

Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed it. Your flatpicking accuracy is impressive.

You sing much better than I do, so I'm not much help there. Maybe some of great singers here will offer some wisdom. It would be interesting to do the exact same song, in the same location using the same setup except this time standing up. I'm wondering if standing up would help free up room for your diaphragm to make it easier to control.

The audio and visual quality is very good too. Good job!

[emtsteve]

You have the right guitar for covering Neil Young songs! For such a simple song, this is very nuanced, as are a lot of his songs. I would suggest trying to relax your picking a bit. Good job though.

[rokdog49]

What sort of critique are you looking for?
Is this your take on the song or are you wanting to cover it as closely it was performed?

[maclennan89]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

What sort of critique are you looking for?
Is this your take on the song or are you wanting to cover it as closely it was performed?

First off! Thanks for all the comments folks, appreciate it.
I would say I’m looking for any critique anyone can offer to improve the overall musicality of the cover.

Appreciate it on the picking and I have been trying to sing standing up and find it to be much better, I find when I’m seated I’m all hunched over and my neck blocks the air, definitely a bad habit I’ve developed.

Once again, thanks folks.

I’ll do some more NY covers, I love this guitar it’s a beauty.

[Fran]

I don't know how to comment this without hurting your feelings. The guitar part yeah, maybe you can get away with it, would need fixing a few of the passages in your arpeggio, but, mate the singing was way off, like in another key. Sorry.

[jwellsy]

Originally Posted by Fran

I don't know how to comment this without hurting your feelings. The guitar part yeah, maybe you can get away with it, would need fixing a few of the passages in your arpeggio, but, mate the singing was way off, like in another key. Sorry.

Any constructive ideas on how to hear and sing on pitch?

[MBee]

Have you thought about voice lessons? If you can find the right teacher, they can really work. I've been working with Pollyanna Bush for a few months now, and the results have been pretty amazing. Raz Kennedy is another teacher who uses the same methodology.

[maclennan89]

Originally Posted by Fran

I don't know how to comment this without hurting your feelings. The guitar part yeah, maybe you can get away with it, would need fixing a few of the passages in your arpeggio, but, mate the singing was way off, like in another key. Sorry.

No hurt feelings at all, in fact that’s what I prefer to hear.

I need to figure it out, any tips? Voice lessons would likely be the best route but I’m still not entirely sold without trying to figure it out myself just yet.

[Coler]

Originally Posted by maclennan89

No hurt feelings at all, in fact that’s what I prefer to hear.

I need to figure it out, any tips? Voice lessons would likely be the best route but I’m still not entirely sold without trying to figure it out myself just yet.

A lot of people find it hard to get into the right key and pitch singing along to accompaniment without a melody line. Sing along with recordings of the songs you like. Sing in the shower. Keep playing and singing. You'll get it.

[started with 1]

Wear headphones and listen to the song. Repeat the song with the headphones on and this time sing along with it. To be sure you are singing the melody correctly with the original, take one side of the headphones or earbuds off and sing along so that you can hear both your singing and the original. Another trick is to find and play your first singing note before you start the song and try to keep it in your head when you are playing the intro. If you lose it play the note again and start the song with out the intro. Just a few tips.

[egordon99]

When you listen back to the recording, can you actually tell that you are not singing in key? If not, you will need to start with some basic ear training. You won't be able to sing in tune unless you can differentiate between being in tune and being out of tune.

And besides the singing, the rhythm/timing is off in a bunch of places.

Good luck!

[emtsteve]

I've been taking vocal lessons for a while now and for the first 6 months all we did was work on singing exercises and ear training. It has helped a BUNCH. Now I can usually sing in key and on pitch, but some songs are a struggle. Neil Young is tough to cover vocals, and his guitar work is deceptive - seems easy but it isn't.

Keep working at it!

[Nimiety]

FWIW...I'm teaching myself to sing when I strum, so the singing part is relatively new for me...but I've been playing some instrument or other since I was little...so I'm good with the basic theory.

For me, what's helped the most, is playing the single notes as I pitch match. Once I have that in my head, I can sing in tune when I strum.

And, if you warm up singing 'do re mi...' in the correct key...that also helps to get the proper intonation for the song in your head.

So, for this song, the music I Googled is in D (F# and C#), but you actually start singing on the B. (The first bar is strummed in D...then it changes...).

- (D) I (B) caught (D) you (D) knock (D)in' (D) at (C natural) my (D) cel (D)lar (D)door (D)...and so on.

If you are not singing those notes, in that key, you have to change. Watch for when the notes are flattened or sharpened outside of the key as well...like the C natural.

[maclennan89]

So many replies! Thanks very much everyone, I’ll continue to work on my craft and take all your advice into account.

Appreciate it immensely!