<p>If you don’t go in there with a money note, not at the end but midway, then you don’t have much of a chance. All the “oohing” and “ahhing” each time someone hits - or often times screams out - a money note - is annoying. Quite often, they don’t add anything to the song, but are just completely gratuitous. If you don’t scream something, you’re not likely to get Christina’s attention.</p>
<p>I would agree that a few selected singers weren’t much better than Tattoo Lady. Generally, when the judges don’t turn around, I agree with them, though.</p>
<p>Re the money note thing: some of the singers perform creditable versions of the songs, but don’t do anything vocally to catch one’s interest. They are competent, but pedestrian. I listen for the ones who inject something special into it all, whether it is a vocal choice, dynamics that create some dramatic tension…something. I’m getting tired of all of the whispery growlers, myself. It’s become almost a cliche.</p>
<p>BTW, does anyone else remember Jordis from Rockstar?</p>
<p>I remember Jordis from Rockstar! (Loved that show.) I think she was better on Rockstar than she was last night, but maybe she was moderating herself for a different audience. What I didn’t get at all was the love for Pip (all four judges) and James Massone. Both really mediocre voices. I wonder if the judges hear something different than we do at home, or if they’re were just responding to the audience’s reaction to cute young guys.</p>
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<p>I thought her voice was “interesting”–and the judges are looking for something different/they will know it when they hear it. (Think Xenia from last year.)</p>
<p>Whether she’ll make it much farther in the competition is doubtful. She needs more ‘development.’</p>
<p>No question that they are looking for the audience reaction (you can watch them as they do it visually and aurally)- it is a big part of the equation going into who will win!</p>
<p>I love the blindness in this show (wish the judges were truly uniformed about the competers, though)- try it! It is so much better to just listen to the singing. It also gives a better idea of how the artist will sound on the radio or on CD’s…</p>
<p>Of course, a number of The Voice competitors are already seasoned performers who may even have had recording contracts, but never quite caught on. Certainly Javier and Dia from last year fit that bill.</p>
<p>Interesting how Dia is on tour with Blake Shelton. Also nice how The Voice did a plug for albums by Javier, Dia and Bald Bev on the show.</p>
<p>I am learning things about singing from reading this thread. </p>
<p>I wasn’t excited about the performers last night and enjoyed last week so much more. No one really stood out to me and I love it when someone sounds distinctive and really grabs me. To my untrained ears, most sounded very competent but I wouldn’t recognize their voice from a million others. Its funny how I can be ever so picky and judgmental now, yet I can’t sing a single note!</p>
<p>We certainly can delight in music, even if we cannot sing or play a note- enjoy!
(it is kind of like food… smile)</p>
<p>Starbright, I’m with you. People pay me NOT to sing, but I have a D studying voice and music in college. Fortunately for her, she received her musical abilities from my husband’s side of the family. I also like the vibe of the judges with each other and the fact that they very nicely reject people.</p>
<p>Cartera, I think you hit it dead on with the money note point. The singers that seem to get picked start out with nice calm singing voices to show they are in key and can sing, then before the middle of the song they hit a few nice money notes, and then continue on with nice notes again until they sprint to the finish with one more set of money notes. Yep, that’s the formula, I’m sure of it (says the musically uneducated, out-of-tune, couch judge).</p>
<p>I’m a terrible couch coach because I know just about vocal technique to be dangerous. My D is a singer and I hear about technique all the time. Every time I hear a gravelly voice now, it drives me crazy now and I see the nodes forming on the cords. Another thing that drives my crazy now is jaw tension. I am realizing that Whitney Houston had terrible jaw tension. Her jaw quivers while she sings. That is not a good thing and can be a sign of other issues. I heard a good story today on NPR about what makes a sad song. Adele’s song was analyzed. It is a good read and gives you some insight as to why we might like some songs and not others. </p>
<p>[The</a> Ballad Of The Tearful: Why Some Songs Make You Cry : NPR](<a href=“The Ballad Of The Tearful: Why Some Songs Make You Cry : NPR”>The Ballad Of The Tearful: Why Some Songs Make You Cry : NPR)</p>
<p>Did anyone watch American Idol this week?</p>
<p>I can’t believe I sat through 4 hours of it! I am finding myself having less and less patience for the drama and side stories. I just want to see them sing and see who gets to move forward.</p>
<p>I haven’t replayed Wednesday night’s show yet, but I really enjoyed Thursday night’s performances. I thought most of the groups did a nice job with their routines from the 50’s and 60’s. </p>
<p>I am up visiting my son at UC Berkeley. He said he recently saw Kyle Crews, one of the guys who was sent through to Hollywood week, at the Kappa Alpha frat house where my son is pledging. My son said that he didn’t think he was in a very strong group but wouldn’t or couldn’t (?) elaborate on his fate at the time they spoke. Has he been cut from the show? I didn’t see him in any of the group performances on Thursday night so I’m assuming he was eliminated on Wednesday night’s show.</p>
<p>He was cut. He was in the group with Rielle Don’t-Know-What-Her-Name-Is, I think. Her mother was making snide comments to the camera to the effect that it was a mistake for the group to start with his solo, since he was the weakest singer, and it was important to grab the judges attention early. Well, she was right about his being the weakest voice in the group. He was cut. He said that the song was in a key that he wasn’t comfortable with, or some such thing. Basically, he didn’t come out as strong as he did in the auditions in SD.</p>
<p>Please fill me in: I have missed the last three episodes of AI (the last one I saw was when the girl fell off the stage at the end) so I went to the website to try to watch some clips. What’s the deal with the costumed, choreographed group numbers? Please tell me AI is not going the way of the XFactor with the smoke, lights and backup dancers. And what point are we at now? Have they picked the top however many that make it to the live shows?</p>
<p>musicmom1215, They haven’t gotten down to the “last cut” yet before the live shows begin. I believe they are down to the top 40 plus. I thought the costumes and backup (instruments) were kind of cool, much (!) more subtle than XFactor.</p>
<p>I liked the clips that I saw, but I was surprised that they were so “produced” since AI has not done that in the past, have they? I was expecting the Hollywood group round where half of them forget their words and they have 24 hours to “get their act together.” The clips I watched were obviously well rehearsed and very slick. Not nearly as overdone as XFactor, but I was not expecting it.</p>
<p>About 100 made it to the group numbers in Hollywood. 70 made it to the next round in Las Vegas. I’ve never watched the Las Vegas rounds before. Looks like there is a more produced group number (although some of the groups didn’t do much else than stand there and sing–think Obnoxious Cowboy Guy). Cuts made to get the group down to 40. I guess the next step will be solo numbers in Las Vegas to get the group down to 24? Or final 12?</p>
<p>Have they always had a Vegas round? All these shows are running together for me. It has nothing to do with getting older. :D</p>
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<p>They still did that, it happened before they got to Vegas. I think the Vegas round is new this season. They were assigned songs from the 50s and 60s, which I don’t recall happening before either.</p>
<p>They went to Vegas last year, didn’t they?</p>