Sunday, September 7, 2014

Ariana Grande - Star Spangled Banned Live Performance Review

Ariana kicks off the NFL season performing the national anthem. Her tonal range spans from G#3-E5. Ariana sounds clear and more resonant here, and she's clearly worked on her enunciation. She kept it simple, unlike other divas we know and love (erm, Xtina) but she pulled off a great performance with her smooth vocals. She notably uses more vibrato on her high E5 notes, "glare" & "free"  but it sounds nice and controlled. It was her first time performing this live since she was 8, so if she gets another opportunity, we should only expect improvement!!!


Tuesday, September 2, 2014

VMAs- Break Free/Bang Bang Live Performance Review

This year, Ariana Grande opened up the VMAs with Break Free, which turned into a mashup of Nicki Minaj's Anaconda and the three's hit song Bang Bang.

Ariana kicked it off with her EDM smash collaboration with Zedd, Break Free. She started off quite shaky. She sounded a bit more nasal than usual and struggled with volume as she could barely be heard in some parts of the verse. She begins to get more comfortable during the pre-chorus and executes her D5s well. She's noticeably a lot less stiff in this performance, she seems to be getting more comfortable with moving and around and dancing. Unfortunately this seemed to take away from her vocals as during the chorus, she was struggling with finding areas of the song for breathing resulting in just sounding breathy. Ariana then went into the bridge and nailed it, but her G5 sounded flat. Her performance would be good for someone else, but held up to Grande's standards, it was pretty average & mediocre. She used her head voice to go up to C#6 as well, while spinning showing her ease with it.

Nicki then came in with Anaconda. Since she wasn't singing, this isn't going to be very long. It was entertaining, to say the least..

Lastly, Jessie J pops up and begins belting the first verse of Bang Bang, the first time I've heard her sing it live without lowering the verses by an octave. She sounds great, although it sounds like she's using a lot of effort to sustain the whole verse in the fifth octave, Some parts sounded a bit pushed, but she delivered well, and had already made me forget about Ariana's previous shaky performance. After a bit of the first chorus Ariana comes out with a hella quick outfit change and does her verse. She sounds SO much better here, Break Free just isn't in her element and the whole song doesn't feel like her. In this verse alone Ariana has made up for the mess of Break Free, going above and beyond the studio version. She tackles the verse with ease and even throws in a dope G5. Then they join together for the chorus. They were singing in unison and the chemistry was kind of awkward, with Ariana throwing in some F5 belts. Nicki comes out, very professionally handling her wardrobe malfunction, which let me note, I didn't even realize till I read twitter comments later and did great on her rap verse. Jessie J comes in and shuts it down with her explosive G5s on her line after Nicki's verse and the three all dance around (Nicki not so much, lol) in a burst of adrenaline, to the last chorus, Jessie getting in another Eb5 belt and Ariana displayed yet more head voice, up to C6, which sounds okay, but uncomfortable. The performance ends and the three pose.

That's how you open the VMAs.



Break Free: 6.5/10
Bang Bang: 8.5/10
If you wanna hear the vocals more clearly here they are totally isolated

A message from "XDanic33"

Hey guys! The content of this blog has been stablished already, but I didn't present myself yet. I'd like to thank Mrskinnyjeanz3 for letting me write in this blog together, since I wanted to have a blog like this but never decided to create it!

You might know me from youtube or twitter, so since I guess most of you only follow one you can check them out!

PS: Thank you to all my 232 youtube suscribers and 137K views!

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Ariana Grande

              Singing came naturally to Ariana Grande. It was something she did from a very young age, to finally making it big around the time she was 19-20. Ariana starred in many onstage productions in a program she used to attend in her home town Boca Raton. She then advanced to Broadway, performing in the show 13, with her future Victorious co-star Liz Gillies. Ariana then landed a role on the comedy based show about a performing arts high school, Victorious, on the network Nickelodeon, which was an instant hit and spanned many singles and three soundtracks, some in which Grande had solos in. After Victorious, she and Jennette Mccurdy starred in Sam & Cat for one 40-episode season. But already alongside this, Ariana had started her music career. Insisting to put the past "Put Your Hearts Up" behind her, calling the song & video itself "a nightmare", she debuted with "The Way" featuring rapper Mac Miller. She became the first female artist since 2008 to have their debut single debut in the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. "The Way" went on to being the third best opening sales week of 2013, behind Justin Timberlake's "Suit and Tie" and One Direction's "Best Song Ever" and ahead of Demi Lovato's "Heart Attack". The Way eventually climbed to #9. Her second single Baby I debuted at #21 and she had several promotional singles chart. Her debut album shot to #1 in its opening week, sales exceeding 138,000 copies. Her newest album features the smash hit "Problem" which sold 438,000 making it her best debut week among with many other outstanding recognition, and was only 1.3% away from claiming the #1 spot on the Hot 100. Ariana did manage to reach #2. Break Free hit #4 and were both two of the songs of the summer. Ariana has blossomed from a rising artist, performing at the VMAs pre show to a respected artist (opening the VMAs) and has garnered comparison to Christina Aguilera, Whitney Houston and most notably, Ms. Mariah Carey herself. She is often called one of the best technical singers of the generation and has received praise from Katy Perry to receiving a standing ovation from Gaga to performing at the White House Women of Soul concert in front of Prez & Mrs. Obama. Her vocal profile is broken into two sections, 2010-2012 & 2013-2014.

Vocal Range: (possible C#3) Eb3-E7 (4 octaves and a semitone)

Voice Classification: Light Lyric Soprano 


Ariana Grande: 2010-2012

Many have noted Ariana sounded more powerful here and her voice was a bit easier to understand- some prefer her old voice, some prefer her current voice.

LOW NOTES (Eb3-G3)
Let's admit, Ariana will never be particularly excelling in low notes, being how damn high her tessitura is. But in this period, she hit her lowest live note, which is to date, an Eb3. Her lows didn't sound any different than they do now, and they were still barely audible and sometimes weak. However, I know many sopranos who have only managed F3s, so Ariana's range is still quite impressive. She hit decent E3s on Take Care, but they were quite breathy and they may not be replicated as well in a live setting. Low notes are not the highlight of Grande's range and will probably never be. She sounds uncomfortable and out of her element. Her F3s in this period were pretty good though and her upper range was good enough (and still is) to overlook her difficulties and obstacles with the lower register.
MID BELTS (C5-E5)
Ariana's mid belts in this period sounded a bit more like actual belts, but with how high her tessitura is, she's prone to her C5s and even D5s sounding like she's talking. She noticeably mixed her voice less in this period giving her mid belts a more fuller and richer sound, and made them sound more impressive. However, her E5s in Only Girl In The World sounded shouty at times, and like she was struggling. Of course, half of the chorus are E5s and she has to sustain an E5 but maybe this contributed to why she began to mix her voice more (if that was her choice at all, even). Her sustained note was also an -i vowel sound which is significantly hard, along with -e. Except for that (which really didn't propose much of an issue) she probably had her best mid belts here because of the fact that they really did sound like belts, and nowadays, maybe its her mix, maybe her tessitura somehow got higher from years of playing Cat (lol) but her mid belts aren't really showstoppers, but she still slayed and slays them with ease.

HIGH BELTS (F5-B5)
Her upper register will always be the best part of her range given she's a soprano and her tessitura placement. She had a bit more resonance here than now, but that took a toll, as she had less ease with the notes. Still sounds like a small price to pay. Her F5s were amazing and her repetitive F#5s in her live performances of L.A Boyz showed how comfortable she was with them, as well as G#5 shown in her Only Girl In The World performance. Even after belting continuous E5s, she killed the G#5. Her G5s were great, however, her G5 from Die In Your Arms was always a bit uneasy, as it was an -e vowel and climbed to an A5. She was still brave for taking it on and executed it well. She hit more A5s in this period and they sounded great as always. Pink Champagne demanded numerous A5s and she always delivered, the same with Put Your Hearts Up. As much as she hated PYHU, she still took those A5s down like a pro. Her highest studio belt to date is a B5, however it is not something we've heard live as in Born This Way/Express Yourself she always falls flat, which made her highest live belt (still to date) a Bb5. Less ease, but a bit more power and resonance was what you could expect and got from her upper belts. Easily remains the highlight of her voice, maybe along with her extensive head voice.

HEAD VOICE
Her head voice wasn't used below the fifth octave much thanks to her belting range, but she seemed pretty comfortable in the sixth octave. She didn't use it as much, but did show her ease with it in her Christmas concert series with All I Want For Christmas is You & O Holy Night. Her cover of Emotions by Mariah Carey shocked many and she proved her whistle register could in fact go up to E7. However she noted how much they hurt her voice and in the future she reduced them.

Ariana Grande Vocal Range up to 2012

Ariana Grande: 2013-present


Ariana's voice has gotten notably lighter in this period, She sounds like she uses a more prominent mix and here she explored more of her upper range, without going as high as she could go in her belting.

LOW NOTES: (C#3-G3)
Ariana's lower register hasn't really changed. On My Everything she possibly hit a harmonized C#3 and its questionable whether its her but her lowest live remains a n Eb3. It is shown she struggles with low notes while moving, as in Break Free, the verses never dip below G3 yet she has difficulty although she's gone lower.

MID BELTS (C5-E5)
Ariana's mid belts in this period hardly sound like mid belts. Her tessitura and her mix often clash with each other and comes off as a very light and sometimes powerless sound. It's hard for her to resonate when she's hitting C5s, and C#5s although they sounded pretty decent in her new song Best Mistake. Ariana's C5s are never going to sound like belts and its something she and fans alike will have to deal with, but she sustains many C#5s in Better Left Unsaid, and while they aren't crazy powerful, they are resonant and sound nice. In 2013, her mid belts could've improved and currently she is improving them, she hits a great E5 in Just A Little Bit Of Your Heart. Hopefully she continues to improve.

HIGH BELTS (F5-Bb5)
Although she contained herself from going the absolute highest she could go, her ease in her belting has immensely improved and sustaining doesn't seem to be much of an issue anymore. She also demonstrates that she can maintain belting in the upper range for prolonged periods of time (Baby I). She was knocking out F#5 and G5 one after another while dancing, proving her comfort in the range. Ariana never sounds pushed or strained when she belts and the sound is full. Her highest studio belt in 2013/14 is a Bb5, from Be My Baby. We haven't heard it live yet but I assume we will because she can go up to Bb5 live anyways. Her live belting range goes up to A5, which is a bit of a disappointment because she's limited her range for some reason, but hopefully she begins to go higher again. However, her A5s sounded great and she did them for almost every performance during The Listening Sessions. This is the girl who can belt a perfect G5 while sick. She'll never disappoint with her upper register.

HEAD VOICE
While not going up to E7 again, Ariana uses her whistle register in moderation again, usually in the upper sixth register. It most likely will not be something she uses often again citing that they are hard on her vocal chords. She's hit a C7 and D7 exclamation in this period and showed her comfort whistle toning from G6-B6. She hits a great sustained A6 and you can find her B6 in a video of her harmonizing with Problem. Ariana also uses her whistle register for The Way, and has alternated hitting the F#6 live with head voice and her whistle register. Being able to go to F#6 without switching to WR.. whaaa. Lately she's gone up to D6 in the studio for Break Free, and has hit numerous C#6s and C6s live.

Ariana Grande Vocal Range 2013
Ariana's Live Range in 2013
My Everything Vocal Range

_________________________________________________________________________________

There is no doubt that Ariana is talented. She just needs to explore her range more and silence all critics by showing exactly what she can do.

POSITIVES
-Ease in mid and upper belts
-Extensive range
-Whistle register
-Strong head voice
-Being Ariana freaking Grande

NEGATIVES
-Struggles with diction and enunciation
-Low notes can be inaudible
-Can gain nasality at times, but usually not an issue.

Demi Lovato

          Demi Lovato is no stranger to fame. From newbie to teen queen to pop star, Demi is now a successful well known Disney graduate. Demi's career began early after she began acting on Barney with fellow ex-Disney star Selena Gomez. From there she moved to minor and guest roles until landing her spot on Camp Rock, auditioning with Ain't No Way. Demi has since starred in her own sitcom Sonny With A Chance and released 4 albums under Hollywood Records. Demi has amassed 3 Billboard Top 10 hits, with Skyscraper, Heart Attack & This Is Me, and all of her albums reached the Top 4 on the Billboard 200, one reaching #1 and her latest, Demi sold over 110,000 copies within the first week of sales, her personal best. Demi's vocal weapon, aside from her powerful pipes is her emotion. She can make you feel every word she sings. Skyscraper is one of the best examples. Demi is also public and very open about her struggles with cocaine and substance addiction as well as her issues with bulimia nervosa. Here is her profile, separated by time period. Enjoy!
P.S. I found it necessary to split her section into parts because of the longevity of career & how much her voice has changed.

Vocal Range: C#3-Eb6 (3 octaves, 2 notes)

Voice Classification: Lyric Mezzo 


Demi Lovato: 2007-2010 


Demi was around 15-18 in this time period and was purging regularly which could be why this wasn't her best period vocally.

LOW NOTES (D3-G3)
Demi's lows were almost non existent in this time period. Demi managed to go down to an D3 in the studio and an E3 live, but they were pushed and she sounded like she was struggling to get them out. I'll include a link to all the range vids I'm referencing. F3 is the lowest she sounded comfortable on. She was a soprano in this period, maybe a soubrette or a lyric, so the lack of low notes weren't unexpected.
MID BELTS (C5-E5)
I think this may have best area in this time period. Demi always slayed the C#5 in La La Land and they sounded pretty effortless. Her D5s were good as well. She was great at refraining them from being shouty, but still making them powerful. However, 2010 was a bit more rocky. I think her voice had started showing more signs of suffering from purging as she found it more difficult to sustain notes above C5, her Here We Go Again D5s sounded strained and the Got Dynamite E5 was either sustained briefly and strained or hit for a second. I kind of miss the scratchy, raw rasp her voice had, even though it was caused by damage to her chords (and I don't want her to ever ever purge again, believe me) it was a nice sound, to whereas in 2011 her voice became a bit more shrill (more about that later), but her mid belts suffered in a way as a result.

HIGH BELTS (F5-G#5)
This was undoubtedly not the highlight of her voice in this time period. Her F5s were pretty decent for the most part even though her HWGA note is pretty strained. But it wasn't as bad as her GMA performance of Can't Back Down. The F5 in there might be the most dreadful one Demi's ever hit. F#5 and beyond, you could easily hear the strain on her voice and I suspect she used high larynx here, her belts sounded very Xtina/Christina Grimmie-like which basically means high larynx chaos. Of course her upper register wasn't fully developed and her purging situation highlighted it but her upper belts were shouty and strained but didn't sound awful.

HEAD VOICE (E5-G#5)
Her head voice in Don't Forget is really nice and pleasant to listen to. Unfortunately, head voice was pretty much neglected at this time and she never really used it.

Demi's Live Vocal Range 2008-2010
Demi's Studio Vocal Range 2010

Demi Lovato: 2011-2012


Demi was 19-20 in this time period and this has been generally referred to as her best vocal period.

LOW NOTES (D3-G3)
Demi's lows had gradually started getting better at this point, not necessarily meaning going lower but she gained more resonance in her E3s, which were questionable in her earlier years. Her lowest studio note was again D3, but it was harmonized and could've easily just been computerized. Her lowest note was an E3, I noticed them in her VEVO live performance of GYHAB. Usually the key of the verses was altered to avoid the studio Eb3s she hit which were drowning in autotune. Most of the time I only heard A3s, G#3s and G3s but the key in that performance allowed her to hit some decent E3s. Of course VEVO edits their live presentations but I like to think she hit them pretty well.

MID BELTS (C5-E5)
Demi's mids were great in this period. Her belting had gotten significantly louder but it proved not to be an issue in this error. Her Unbroken D5 is one of my favorites, it's so resonant and sometimes she hit it using the sliding note technique and pretty much made it the coolest thing. In this generation she finally nailed the E5 from Got Dynamite, I'm not saying every performance was pitch perfect but she showed immense improvement.

HIGH BELTS
The first high belts we could hear were from Skyscraper, the big G5 note was raspy and had some strain most of the time. On first tour dates upper belts were a bit more heady, F5s from MLILAS already had vibrato and she threw lots on F5s on You're My Only Shorty and All Night Long which tend to be growled later proving her ability to stay in that part of her range for long time or phrase them on Lightweight. Demi proved she could sustain the G5 from Unbroken on some performances, although not strained not too resonant either. G#5s from You're My Only Shorty were first more heady and built from a melisma after they later became more resonant. A5s from All night long were many times flat and the ones from How to Love were either flat or sharp but most of the times easily hit.

Unbroken Tour Vocal Range
Unbroken Album Vocal Range

Demi Lovato: 2013-Present

LOW NOTES (C#3-G3)
Around this time her lower register improved a lot, being able to reach a very solid C#3 in the studio on Neon Lighs. This note took some performances until it came as good as in the studio on Ellen, but it's not secure in her throat. She could also phrase the Eb3s on MITUSA a few times and get down a very resonant E3

MID BELTS (B4-E5)
This part of her range, except for certain notes on certain songs, also improved and these belts sounded more rounder and resonant. Demi sustained longer notes, many of them when avoiding climax notes of Got Dynamite and Fire Starter and it fit really good to the songs. The B4s on Neon Lights were killers and effortlestly sustained for long periods of time. However, proving how much rest she needed, E5s on How to Love, accompained by fast phrased C5s and D5 became more forced, like the first performances of the Unbroken era.

HIGH BELTS (F5-A5)
On the first months of 2013, Demi was still improving on her upper belts and hit toons of resonant A5s, sometimes even three times in a row effortlesly.  After her tonsils removal, it seemed like her voice would come back 100% after a while, and after singin lessons, it did on the first dates on the Neon Lights Tour to later worsen one more time.
When she sang How To Love again, she avoided the A5 (I think it was due to changing the lyrics a bit on that part and forgoting how the run was though). All the upper belts on Fire Starter, were extremely forced and tense, posibly because they already were forced on the studio version and if the setlist wasn't long enough, the key of Nightingale was risen right before the F#5s to hit G5s instead and the result was almost as dreadful as Xtina sounds on easiest notes. Demi recently hit a flat A5 (G#5) and an A5 performing MLILAS on her first world tour performance. They were struggled, but showed signs of improvement.

The conclusion we get is that Demi has shown good potential throught all her range, but her voice right now isn't in good condition, she needs resting her voice in a sauna and visit a vocal coach to re-learn how to mix her belts.
Mariah Carey, for example, was in a bad condition in Butterfly era (1997/8) but later in Glitter/Charmbracelet era (2001/2003) sounded much better because of taking care of her voice.
Demi has for sure lost some notes, and if she visits a vocal coach and they came back it will be very slowly since her vocals have been almost a complete year like this.

Neon Lights Tour Vocal Range
Demi Album Vocal Range

A message from "Mrskinnyjeanz3"

Hey you guys! Some of you have been asking me to make a blog for what I do, and since I had no idea how to figure out the tumblr crap, then came the blogspot, Here you will find links to must see songs and live performances, written interpretations of the videos I post to my youtube, vocal profiles, etc. I want to hear your opinions on how to improve this page and my channel, as well! Hope you enjoy the channel and my new blog with xDanielC33! During the school year I may primarily use this, because of homework and studying so stay up to speed.
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Your Youtube friend Mrskinnyjeanz3

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