The thread about karaoke closed, but I wanted you to know that I listened to your songs on singsnap. You're an EXCEPTIONAL singer! You have a lot of resonance and soul.

Do you know if you can change the keys in the songs there?

Here's (I think) the only song my wife has ever put on-line of us singing together anywhere. This is from a few years ago, and the sound quality isn't the best:

https://soundcloud.com/carrie-j/randy-and-carrie

I hope this link works. I'm posting this to brag on my wife's talent. As for me, I don't particularly like my own voice. But I have a lot of fun singing.

I know lots of people like your voice, they have told me! As for me, I could make a GOOD living singing. People would pay me big money to shut up! I am jealous of all of you :P

...make little teddy bears. :-)

I don't even make them. I just buy stuff and dress them up : /

I like both your voices.

What---do you just show up around here when there's a thread about karaoke? :-)

Your boy is very talented and cute as a bug. If y'all ever come back to Rocky Top, we'll go out somewhere.

You remember my oldest daughter? She's married and living near Cincy now. We've gone out with her and her hubby a few times up there.

Randy, loved the recording of you and Carrie. You guys are great.

I should probably comment on other threads sometimes - I do read a little here on most days. I don't just search 'karaoke' or 'Spalding'. :)

I wish Cincinnati weren't 3.5 hours away, but we did enjoy visiting the mountains last year, so perhaps another trip south is in our future.

Jeremy loves to sing, that's for sure, and that cuteness comes from his mom. Friday night karaoke is my favorite time of the week - though I probably won't sing until the ice cream shop starts serving alcohol.

Jeff

Jeff

I hope you have that boy working with a good teacher. He's adorable and he really can sing! He obviously loves it, too.

I didn't start singing until I was 18 years old and I kind of regret not starting when I was younger. I wish I had stuck with piano lessons, too.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/29/2015 05:34AM by knotheadusc.

not until you were 18? I played the YouTube link you posted and think your singing is beautiful. I would have imagined you were singing since birth.

Jeremy is involved in things called Club Rock and School of Rock, but the training is more geared toward practicing specific songs for upcoming performances rather than very formal voice training. From what we understand, a lot of voice teachers don't take young students and would discourage it with rare exceptions. That's ok with us - he seems to be a natural with it, so for now we just look for opportunities for him to sing and perform to his heart's content.

Jeff

Well, here's the short version of the story of how I started singing... Basically, an adjunct professor at my college changed my life. I had to take an arts class for my degree and I chose music, even though I had never really done any singing. My father was a singer and my mom played organ professionally for many years. They were both really into performing, so I wanted to do my own thing. I showed horses instead of getting involved with what they were doing. I have always loved music, though, and I knew I could carry a tune. Thanks to early piano lessons when I was about Jeremy's age, I also knew I have perfect pitch.

Anyway, the voice teacher at my college actually knew my dad. Her mother was a concert pianist and accompanied one of the groups my dad was in, so that gave us a rapport. I really enjoyed her voice class. One day, she pulled me aside and suggested I study voice privately. I did. The rest is history.

I mainly sing for fun and sanity, though I have been known to sing at weddings and funerals.

You are right about not pressuring your son now. Just let him enjoy his talent. As he gets older, if he wants to study voice, I'm sure he'll tell you. He's really got a good voice, though. I am impressed! I hope he will develop it!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/30/2015 09:55PM by Susan I/S.

Thanks for the link to your blog post. I really enjoyed reading it.

I hope Jeremy keeps on singing like he has, and I am happy that so far he has enjoyed not only singing for fun but performing as well. When it comes to singing, he wants an audience and likes the attention he gets. We do push a little harder with piano, since although he is doing very well, it's not as natural a talent for him as singing. That frustrates him a bit, but I think it's good for him to be challenged by it and to learn to work for something. When he figures pieces out, he enjoys playing them, plus he enjoys playing on his own aside from assigned material and composes his own simple melodies, so we'll keep going with piano for now also.

Jeff

Definitely keep up with the piano. He will value it later in life, even if it’s frustrating now. I had lessons as a kid, but stopped by the time I was ten (I switched to drums and eventually became a pro drummer.) Later in life (end of my twenties), I started to play piano again just for fun, based on that little bit of knowledge I got as a kid. I worked it up over the years and now can go play pro gigs as a synth/keyboard player and lead singer with my pro buddies.

So, teaching your son that knowledge as a child will definitely give him something nice he can appreciate later in life, even if it isn’t taken all that seriously when he is young. My wife used to teach piano, so she's taught both our kids some piano and theory. My son also takes violin, and even though he doesn’t really like the violin, we still encourage him to stay with it. He’s good at it; he would just rather play his video games … nooooooooo! But I think he will appreciate knowing these instruments when he is older, he just doesn’t think so now.

I watched your son sing in his video, he was soooo cute! I love that journey song too, (Open Arms). He’s little, so he can still sing that high with ease … lucky kid! Cheers.

Thanks, I appreciate the insight from you and others who have been involved in music. I think you're right about keeping him going. Actually, his frustration is only periodic, and he usually handles things quite well. Lately he has been on a big kick drawing maps (which is another hobby of his), so piano and anything else other than that kind of annoys him if it takes time away from his current obsession.

Jeff

Excellent job! You two sound great together. (I hope you DO bring her flowers still, sometimes … LOL)

The site worked for me. I had to find the little player down in the right bottom corner and pause it, then play it, and it finally started. Nice job!

I got all inspired from that thread last night too, and pulled out the piano music for Desperado and played and sang it over and over today until my wife said “Ok, play another song already!” Ha ha.

Tell your wife that I liked it, too. Imagine if we had an RfM variety ensemble that could go out and kick the tabernacle’s butt, wouldn’t that be funny? Alas, we all live in different parts of the world so, oh well. Keep on singin’ you two, cheers!

...to play the piano. When I was in my early 20's, I played around a little and tried to teach myself. I picked out "Let It Be." I bought the sheet music to "Tommy" by The Who and taught myself the first minute or so of the Overture, but I got lost and gave up when it got to the fast part.

I do play guitar, but just basic chords. I can get through some easy play stuff like Neil Diamond, Dylan, John Denver, the Eagles, etc. I picked out the chords to "American Pie" when I was in high school, and I used to like to do that one.

My youngest son took seven years of piano, and then got interested in guitar, so he had about five years of classical guitar lessons. He's lost interest in it now, but he still volunteer teaches piano to kiddies.

We had a lady friend in our last ward who was the pianist and organist. She was very good and could play just about anything. When we'd have a talent show, she'd accompany me on a Neil Diamond or McCartney or whoever number. I once told her "I wish I could play like you." She replied "I wish I could SING like YOU!" I laughed and told her "Well, the singing part's just a little bit easier than the playing!"

Poor gal died of a blood clot in her late 40s, leaving four kids.

It really pains me to say this, but you sound great Randy.

If you have a gold membership on SingSnap, you can change the key. I do that a lot when I want to try something written for a guy!

Thanks for the compliments about my voice. I didn't sing until I was in college. I come from a musical family and didn't want to be pressured.

I am just waking up now. Will have to check out your link!

"If you have a gold membership on SingSnap, you can change the key. I do that a lot when I want to try something written for a guy!"

Thanks, I might try that sometime. My son has this high-quality mike he uses on his computer, so I might borrow it sometime and try to record some stuff. My problem is having the time to dedicate hours at a time recording and fooling with the technical stuff. I'm not a computer geek anyhow, and I don't have a lot of patience trying to make stuff work.

"Thanks for the compliments about my voice. I didn't sing until I was in college. I come from a musical family and didn't want to be pressured.'

Well, you're very, very good. We have a local friend who sounds a lot like you. When she sings Carly Simon's "That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be," you get chills, it's so good. It always fascinates me that there are amateur singers all over the world who are just as good as those who make a living from it.

I have another little friend who you might enjoy listening to. She shares your soulful style. We've known this girl since she was nine. Her parents used to bring her to sing karaoke at some of the joints we went to. She performed at one of the theaters in Pigeon Forge when she was about 12. She's now about 19, and she's put out 3 or 4 CDs and writes some of her own songs:

https://www.youtube.com/user/loganmurrell



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/30/2015 10:19PM by randyj.

You and your wife sound great together! Your wife has a very pretty voice. I can see why you brag on her. You have a great voice too!

My husband cannot sing at all. The most he's willing to do is "Detachable Penis". For those who don't know the song, there is no actual singing involved.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYwiwbgMusY

"My husband cannot sing at all. The most he's willing to do is "Detachable Penis".

What's that? Lorena Bobbitt's theme song? :-)

Never heard of it, but it reminds me of being in a karaoke bar a few years ago and a woman sang this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1w8OQEcplY

That song couldn't end fast enough for me.

I have never heard that song... Funny!

That song Detachable Penis was weirdly enjoyable. It was like a long thought experiment, set to music.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/30/2015 10:56PM by matt.

I was think both of you pulled it off very well. I have Barbara and Neal's duet and listen to it in the car and sometimes in the shower (aren't smart phones great?). I may put you two on one of my Soundcloud playlists.

Wow, all this Exmo talent! Jeff, your little guy is adorable! I'll bet he goes far no matter what he decides to do.

Sorry I'm so late to the show (I can't go on Youtube at work ;-), but I just wanted to say:

WOW, knotheadusc, you have a WONDERFUL voice.

I'm very impressed (and I've been a semi-pro singer in my time).

Hope you're still enjoying Europe (although maybe you have snow?).

Have a lovely weekend

Tom in Paris

Hi Tom!

We do have snow. It almost melted the other day, but then we got another storm. I don't mind. I've been pretty snow free for the past few years and I look forward to not being broiled alive by the heat this summer!