Pahchisme Plaid

I don't usually frequent the covers and remixes part of the forum, but I just happened to today. I like this song so I drew me in for a listen. I am so pleased that I did. I can't give a lot of help regarding the mixing, but I did just want to comment on a few things. The first thing I'm going to say is that you have a great quality to your vocal sound. You've got a bit of a dreamy vocal--at least for my tastes. Your guitar playing sounds wonderful to me and I always love to watch someone while they are plucking away at the strings. It's a bit mesmerizing as is watching someone who knows how to play the piano or the violin. Mostly, I'm hoping to hear more from you and I personally would like to hear you do an original. Here's why: Your voice is fantastic, but when you do a cover, there's always that expectation of hearing it the way you've always known it and while you did an awesome job and what I consider quite meeting the expectation in your performance, there's always what came before that in my opinion may not allow your best qualities to shine on account of the tendency to hear the original mentally. There's a bit of detraction unless it's a person's first exposure to the song ever. I am REALLY hoping that you do an original and not just any original. I'm hoping you do an original that will highlight the wonderful qualities in your vocals. A slow song works fabulous and I think mid-tempo would sound great coming from you also. Probably upbeat would, too, but hard to say as I noticed the slow song brought out what I like of your voice. If I knew the terms to use, I'd tell you what it is, but I don't know the terms for it. All that to say, I'm hoping and looking forward to hear what comes of it from you. I hope you do it! If/when you do, be sure to alert me via message or @name so that I don't miss the chance to listen in. I like your vocal sound that much.

I've submitted my votes, but I also wanted to add that if you seek to acquire additional members, when posting an article, it might be helpful to give the public a taste of the article, as in maybe a few paragraphs, but to read the whole of it, you have to be a member. There needs to be some sort of advantage to becoming a member. If everything is public, why would someone become a member?

Wayfaring Stranger is a great song! I was late in discovering Eva Cassidy. I actually discovered her back when Barnes and Nobles had headphones in their music section and you could scan the barcode of a CD to listen. I have enjoyed her sound ever since and was thoroughly bummed to discover she was passed away. Here live concerts must have been amazing. She is fantastic!

I have not yet heard of MuseScore, Mike. I'll have to check it out. Thank you!

I'm a late bloomer. I didn't start writing songs until I was in my mid-40s. I liked writing poetry before that and once I started to learn about songwriting, it morphed. I tend to write lyrics mostly as am not a proficient musician. I never picked up an instrument to learn to play it until I was in my 40s. I think I'm going to have to accept that I'm just not an instrumentalist. I could write rings around anything I could ever compose (not that I play guitar anymore). BUT, I've had times that I have written lyrics and melody to someone else's musical composition and I love the outcome. I get uncommon structure and songwriting ideas by listening carefully to the music. It takes longer for me to do this because I have to repeatedly listen to the music to get it in my head, then find where it is in the composition that the hook should belong, get a feel for an appropriate topic for the music before writing the lyrics and then figure in the syllables and melody using a sort of scatting technique, then come the lyrics. I could probably bang out a number of lyrics first lyrics in the time it takes me to do the music first lyric, but I would much prefer music first (so long as I LIKE the music). I often write lyrics for melodies that come up in my head or melodies for lyrics as I mess around with the lyrics awhile, but I can't put my own music to them--not anymore, nor could I ever do what I REALLY wanted to with the limited guitar skills I had. Had I developed music skills when I was younger, and gained some proficiency, I am certain that I would be a music first gal or both at the same time. Although I am very much a words person.

I can understand the muscle memory thing. It seems there are familiar songs that are songs I can easily sing, whereas some of the same notes or transitions outside of that song might seem difficult on a particular day. I chalk it up to not only having played with the familiar song vocally or practiced it again and again, but also being familiar with when to take a breath, how deep the breath, how long the hold, etc. Yet the same note in another song might feel a bit awkward. Same goes with my very limited guitar skills. Muscle memory is the main reason I haven't completely lost what I've learned after pretty much years without practice. Having the need for muscle memory highlighted gives compelling reason for regular vocal warm-ups and practices. One of my concerns about finding warm-ups or drills online (being unfamiliar with vocal training), is knowing which ones are safe and from knowledgeable vocal coaches vs. someone who is passing themselves off as a vocal coach. Ones I warm up with have a scales + triads warm-up, one that forces a puff of air out with the beginning consonant sound (1 of 3 consonants), one that I can't explain so much, but is meant for developing resonance and continuity in breaks, and one that is a humming drill followed by a goog sound drill. I think they are safe, but I don't dare do too many other ones I find on Youtube. I usually only do them prior to occasions I know that I will be singing shortly after the warm-up. Is what vocalists do daily to give muscle memory to their voice of a different sort than any of those and how long does it usually take?

I wonder if I'm missing something. I've been periodically checking in here since December because this is a topic that I am really interested in and could really use direction in. I know the site has changed a lot from what I was used to, when I frequented previously so perhaps I'm missing something--not properly accessing?

Eva Cassidy - She's so adaptable, has a clear, strong voice, has a beautiful sound, bluesy when needed, and just has a beautiful sound in her tones. She can go from intense to soft so easily. Norah Jones is also very inspiring. She so chill and has a such a soothing sound. Tricia Yearwood was one of my beginning inspirations. She has a powerful voice and yet I "hear" she was backup singer for years before she was a lead vocalist. Other female vocalists that have been inspiring are harmonizers like, Naomi and Wynona Judd (The Judds), Linda Rondstat, Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris (The Trio) and of course Alison Krause -- All those ladies are stand-alone excellent vocalists. I also find Patsy Cline, Sarah MacLaughlin, Kelly Clarkson, Pat Benetar, and Pink to be incredible vocalists.

Yes. Those are concerns for me as I find the older I get, my vocals are changing. Not sure if it's due to age, health issues or just improper use of my vocals. I struggle with dry throat and find sound doesn't come out at the volume I'm accustomed to. I also used to do a lot of descant in years past, which I am not feeling capable of now. I feel as though my range has dropped to the basement. My chest voice is much easier for me to access than my head voice. Occasionally, my head voice is easier (probably according to what I've been singing along with) and it makes it hard to access my chest voice. Then there is the in between/transitional range, which when I am able to use both head and chest, seems to be my sticking place.

Technique? ahhhh...What technique? Teach me some....So far it's all been wingin' it.

I've just within the past two years found some vocal warm-ups on Youtube that I like to use. Before that, I really hadn't been introduced to the idea. Presently, I don't use them daily, but tend to warm up prior to singing on the team at my church----sometimes. There are times I choose not to. Sometimes it's a time issue. Sometimes, it's a matter of not wanting to overstrain my voice (1/2 hr. warm up, 1/2 hour practice, and then the actual reason for the warm up and practice--to actually lead in song) and sometimes it's to conserve energy. There is one that I particularly like for when sound just doesn't want to flow through my vocals. It's sort of a He, he, he or Khee, khee, khee, exercise that clears up whatever it is that blocks the flow. Others are scales. Occasionally, I follow this guy that does stretches of the neck shoulders and facial muscles because that tends to be where I carry tension. I would love to have a quick version (5-10 minutes of warm-ups) for those flying around days or even something so easy to remember that I wouldn't have to sit and watch a video to do them. I'd love to have some detailed "how to breathe" tips to prepare and would also go for a longer warm up for those rare days I have more than 5-10 minutes. (Every thing seems to require just 15-20 minutes a day--exercise, day planning, guitar practice, warm-ups, etc.) It adds up! I would love to daily condition my voice (if it's doable), particularly now because I participate in a ministry where I sing every week and once a month in a public venue doing a family worship night with another vocalist. Sometimes I have to hit a higher range than I am comfortable with because it's what sounds best with the other vocalist for a particular song or five.

interested.

Today, I’m privileged to interview a lady who has lulled herself into the hearts of our members with her truly sweet disposition and her smooth, soothing, dreamlike voice. If you haven’t yet had an encounter with the lovely singer/songwriter from Kolkata, India, Sreyashi Mukherjee, whom we call Sumi, you’re in for a real treat! Let’s get started…. Sumi, What got you interested in songwriting? To be honest I never saw myself as songwriter material. So maybe... about a couple of years ago when I was well into my thirties. I come from a music-oriented family and was interested in singing from a very young age. But all throughout my active involvement in music, until my early twenties, my focus remained on covering songs that I loved and admired. Then, like so many others, I got sucked into life doing the “important things”. At some point in everyone's life, the things that we defined as important don't remain that important anymore. Priorities change, circumstances change, we change or... maybe we suddenly realize we already changed too much from what we really are? That is what happened with me, a decade after I stopped singing. Something felt sorely missing and my quest for this missing piece led me back to music. Unexpectedly, I stumbled upon songwriting at this stage. While exploring opportunities online, I came across different artists and musicians who encouraged me to try out my own composition. It's been an amazing two years since then and I'm constantly learning and evolving all along! Songstuff has especially played a very big role in re-starting this journey for me because it was one of the first places that I turned to! "Priorities change circumstances change, we change or... maybe we suddenly realize we already changed too much from what we really are? That is what happened with me a decade after I stopped singing." How would you describe your particular songwriting style? I wouldn’t say that I have a signature songwriting style yet. I'm experimenting with different music genres to test myself. In general though, my preference is towards working on something that doesn't follow a fixed formula structure-wise and melody-wise. I also prefer to write in abstract formats if it fits the music. I find greater satisfaction from such challenges that I keep for myself. You have two albums out; HOPES AND DREAMS -- a collaboration with Russel Lucas, and ELLIPSIS, a collaboration with Mateusz Kowara. CONGRATULATIONS! Let’s start by talking about your album, ELLIPSIS. How did you connect with Mateusz? Well how I got in touch with Mateusz is indeed an interesting one. First thing, we met via Songstuff. I received a one-line message from him, asking me to look over his instrumental track and see if I wanted to be a part of it. Definitely something that a random spammer does! I almost dismissed the message but decided to listen to the track once - and it caught my attention immediately! I had to engage him in a few conversations after that, though, just to ensure that he wouldn’t "ghost on me" once I started work on the track (nervous smile). It turned out that Mateusz had been actively looking for a co-writer for his song ideas for a long time locally or even within Poland, but had not come across the "right candidates". In a last-ditch attempt, he tried the online route. Songstuff was one of the options that popped up. He randomly came across my profile and dropped me a message without even checking out my work! As shaky a beginning as it sounds, he has turned out to be one of my steadiest collaborators and a close friend. This first song draft that we worked together on became "Autumn Leaves", which is also featured in our album "ELLIPSIS". At that time, we had no thoughts about releasing an album but as we continued to work closely and saw another two songs coming to life, we began to think seriously along those lines. "I almost dismissed the message but decided to listen to the track once - and it caught my attention immediately!" Were you going for a particular feel or a particular sound at the onset of this album? We realized that while our songs were not exactly falling into any particular genre, they had an ambient feel to them, so, we structured the rest of the songs in the album to loosely come under the "ambient pop" category. In your ELLIPSIS album, you have a song called, *Kings*. Tell our readers, what IS that song about? This was the last song that we wrote while working on the album... it went through a number of revisions before getting its current half-dance, half-Viking vibe. Lyrically, I used “The King”, as a metaphor for all of us. Every king would have experienced power and defeat during his reign. That is the story of our lives, too... a cycle that we ride over and over again. "*Autumn Leaves* is so aptly named. As I hear the words of the song, I get an image of a once live, green leaf changing, turning gold and brown as it lilts to the ground much like the relationship you sing about in the song. Is this the image you intended to evoke?" Precisely! You have captured the essence very well. And I really feel that nature can depict all the emotions that even the most complex human being experiences - in such beautiful ways... In *Ruminations* you have a line that resonates with me. “But if we do run out of words we can always watch the sunset”. Those are the best kind of friends. The ones that you can just enjoy time with. Those are the kind you can pick up where you left off even though you haven’t seen each other in a really long time. Is this song more about friendship or is it more about enjoying the moment? This song is all about inclusivity - feeling one with everyone, every being, everything. This can only happen if we drop all our preconceived notions and be open to every experience that the moment presents. At some point in our lives (no matter how short-lived), we all must have experienced this and the feeling of liberation and bliss that came along with it. My favourite line? "Let's dive and be free" (calm, glowing cheeks smile). Your song, *Night Rain* has some interesting musical turns and what seems to be strategic pauses and change ups. Did you have a particular target you were aiming for in the creation of this piece? Even in its draft stages, this song was a very ambitious concept. The changing mood of the song brings to one's mind the idea of a musical - almost as if there are many songs in one. We did try to paint a picture with the arrangement and lyrics that describes a particular scene in the rain and some old memories ignited along the way. We probably struggled the most with this song because of the large vision we had for it. We are also the proudest of this creation! "I used 'The King', as a metaphor for all of us. Every king would have experienced power and defeat during his reign. That is the story of our lives, too... a cycle that we ride over and over again." I think your song, *Man-Made World* is one of the songs I find most sonically pleasing in the album, ELLIPSIS. The resonating echo, “wake up” lends a most appropriate feel to this lyric. I know that the lyric is often only the visible (in this case audible) surface of a mental web of processing when writing. What were the stirrings behind these lyrics? Yes, compared to the offbeat nature of our songs, this one is more radio-friendly (Delighted smile). We also made it the first release from our album. For me, I always let the music inspire me to come up with a lyrical theme. In this song's case, the haunting guitar chords and bass-arrangement brought the idea of something ominous to my mind, but like slow-poison. I based it on us...after all, isn't humanity almost at the brink of destroying itself? I must admit, it does sometimes seem that humanity contributes to its own destruction (bobblehead nod slowing to a stop). Next item: Tell our readers, Is there a significance in selecting the album title, ELLIPSIS? Our personal favourite from the album would be Ellipsis, which is what the album is named after. We know that it will never find its way to commercial acceptability but, it is what reminded us both why we want to make music. We put our hearts and souls into this song. "It is what reminded us both why we want to make music. We put our hearts and souls into this song." Ellipsis is one of the latter three songs you shared with me later as our interview progressed. It has such a gorgeous, haunting, almost ominous musical introduction and your vocals are just...ugh...absolutely stunning. I can see why this might be a favorite to both you and Mateusz. It has an almost dreamy, surreal feel to it and the ending just resonates with the listener. Readers, if you haven’t listened to it yet, you’ve got to check it out! Are there others who have contributed to the completion of this album that you would like to recognize? We are very thankful to have Hugiz Records, which mixed and mastered all our songs. We are already casually working on new song material and, when the time comes, will definitely look forward to working with Hugiz Records again! Let’s talk about your other album, HOPES AND DREAMS. Your collaborator was Russell Lucas. How did you meet Russell? (I’ve got the inside scoop on this one, haha.) Did I mention that Songstuff played a big role in helping me find a direction while restarting my musical quest? (Quirky, pondering smile). Well, I got introduced to Russell Lucas through a friend at SS (wink wink!) about 2 years ago. He comes from the world of classic jazz, blues and country. I've always had a deep interest in jazz music and collaborating with him helped me to tap deeper into this side. Russ goes into minute details right from music creation to the finishing touches of the song. I have learned a great deal from him and am continuing to do so. The themes of this album seem to run the gamut of emotions in an intense relationship. It seems to go from warm, fond, love-lit acceptance to the sting of lost love, the question of love’s sincerity and relational memories re-visited. What impact are you hoping these songs will have on our listeners? Most of the songs done with Russell have been done with the goal getting placed in film music as the themes broadly cover the main situations that many movies depict. We have a long way to go in reaching that milestone but we’ve started to gain some traction in this direction. *In My Dreams* I think is my personal favorite on this album. It seems to evoke a “happy memories” feel to it. It’s a chill-out listen. Did the music come first or did the lyrics? Thank you.. it is my favourite, too, from this EP! Yes, it's a really sweet piece of music. Russ provided me with the track first to check if it inspired me in some way. Was there a personal inspiration for this one? As I explained earlier, I usually try to let the pulse of the instrumental track guide me to come up with a lyrical theme. In this case, the music seemed to create a picture of a Utopian setting in my mind and so I came up with the idea of a Utopian kind of romanticism. It sounds too ideal in real life but I believe that we humans do have a great capacity for love, much beyond our own imagination. Absolutely! I think we continue to discover a deeper capacity for love than what we never imagined we were capable of. "I usually try to let the pulse of the instrumental track guide me to come up with a lyrical theme." You have two songs on the album, HOPES AND DREAMS that you were the vocalist on, but not the writer. *Just Like You Wanted* lyrics were written by Susan Cantey with music and arrangement by Russell Lucas. The other song, *Shadows in the Past* was written by Russell Lucas and Tania Knight. Were the songs ready-made with the vocal melody too, or did you take part in the vision and manifestation of that vision with your vocal melody... and how is it you came by these lyrics? Both these songs were fully structured, along with the lyrics, when they were sent to me as demos. Russ had been looking for someone who could bring an emotional range to the songs and he felt that I fit the bill (Happy smile). My main task was to bring in my own interpretation of the vocal melodies. I had, in fact, recorded these two songs first before starting my own compositions with Russ's music. How did you know you wanted them as part of this album? We later decided to make them a part of this 4-song EP, which would be more of a launch of our maiden collaboration under my artist name "Sumi". My fourth song, *Tomorrow* - is an original composition with which we closed off the EP. *Tomorrow* is truly reflective of your particular smooth, jazzy, honey-ooze vocal sound and Russell Lucass’s Jazzy, old-timey musical creations. This is what paired you two together in my mind. Are you planning any upcoming collaborations with Russell in the future? Currently, we are working on material to create a full-length album. The genres will be similar but I'm looking forward to experimenting more within these formats. Romano Erafficci has done the mixing on both JUST LIKE YOU WANTED and SHADOWS OF THE PAST. We can’t neglect to recognize the impact a good mix can have on the outcome of a song. How did that connection come to pass? Romano mixed and mastered all our songs and is also a regular with our new, upcoming material. He really understood the mood and feel that these songs had wanted to create and brought them to life beautifully. Russ, having worked with other artists, was already in touch with him from before. For me, it's probably just another coincidence that Romano is also from Poland (apart from Mateusz and the owner of Hugiz Records)! Where can listener’s access or purchase your music from? The links to my releases are: THE WINGBEATS (Band with Mateusz Kowara) - https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ellipsis/1458043478?ign-mpt=uo%3D4 https://open.spotify.com/album/4omVv7EJL4hcKTmPvjBZNM?si=8hV2w8qhQiqDVvlI2SJIHg SOLO ALBUM (Collaboration with Russell Lucas) - https://music.apple.com/au/album/hopes-and-dreams-ep/1454740195 https://open.spotify.com/album/6A3W5GDDXnUBsF769wJprH Website: Music and Sumi https://www.sumi-music.com/ https://www.facebook.com/thewingbeats/ Finally, of all the songs from both your albums, which one most resonates with you and why? I think comparing my work with Mateusz and Russell is like comparing chalk and cheese --- they come from completely different worlds. I'm only extremely grateful that I am getting the opportunity to try out different styles of music with such gifted artists and composers, who are also very warm people. "I'm only extremely grateful that I am getting the opportunity to try out different styles of music with such gifted artists and composers, who are also very warm people." Chalk and cheese! There you go, readers! How exciting it is to collaborate with others in diverse genres and styles! Sumi has inspired great incentive to explore a variety of collaborators in the songwriting experience! She’s found two wonderful, warm and skilled artists that she has enjoyed, learned from and produced wonderful albums with. They’re out there, people, and you may just find your next collaborator on Songstuff! Well, thank you for agreeing to this interview, Sumi, and I hope to catch your next album when it comes out! Keep us posted! View full interview