Kinda meta voice thoughts

[oloriel]

Okay, by now we've all seen the Hobbit trailer and squeed at the Dwarf song, right?

Recently, fileg linked to a video where a lady sings the whole 27-stanza thing to the tune from the trailer.

This should, in principle, be a wonderful thing, but somehow I can't enjoy it.

One issue is probably the recording software or otherwise the sound system of my computer - either way, it sounds kind of overdone and overdriven, particularly the pseudo-ethereal background vocal.

Which brings us to issue #2: The vocals. I don't know enough about singing to be able to judge the quality of her singing as such, so I'll leave that judgement to more able minds and ears. Suffice it to say that they just don't fit the song. I'm unsure about the lead vocals, but I'm damn sure I don't like the background wail. (In this context, mind you. There surely are contexts where it would fit, but it is not Far over the Misty Mountains cold.)

I mean, everything about this lovely lady - from the dress to the voice - screams Elf/Faery. (1990s Elf/Faery, what's more, but that's a different kettle of fish.) This is a dwarf song. It should not sound pseudo-Elvish/Elfin.

At which point I must realise that I'm being kind of sexist, here, because of course Dwarves come in two sexes, too (although, at least if you take the Pterry view of them, they traditionally only come in one gender...). As Gimli so kindly reminds us in the movie adaptation, they don't crawl out of the earth. Neither should the Uruk-haî, technically, but that's yet another topic...
However, even granting that Dwarf-women might sing this song, as likely they would, I can't hear it sounding like that.
Which brings us to the question of: What do Dwarf-women sound like, really? Considering that they have beards, I've kind of been assuming that they'd also show other signs of heightened testosterone levels - such as deep voices. Even if we assume that this is fantasy and doesn't do the whole RL hormone thing, I'd just instinctively assume that Dwarf-women are Altoes at the very least.
And that's where, for me, the linked video goes wrong. Because even if I'm ok with the lead vocals (about which, as I said, I am uncertain), that high-pitched background vocal ruins it. Maybe a Dwarf-child might have such a high voice, but this is not a childish voice singing (don't ask me to explain, as I said, I have no idea about the technique, but you DO hear it).
Which brings us to yet another question, namely, the question of sharing things. I mean, I like to sing, for instance. I like to sing songs that were never written for my (pathetic) vocal range. Many of the songs I sing to Felix aren't meant to be sung by an unschooled mezzo-soprano. Shanties, for instance. That's ok, because Felix is not (yet) particularly picky and doesn't know the originals, anyway.

I would NOT, however, record myself and share it on a large scale, even if I thought I could sing well enough to pull that off, if my voice just doesn't fit the song. Because even if a gap exists - as in the case of this song - that just doesn't fill the gap. To my mind.

Does this post have a point? I dunno. I guess so. What do you think? Am I just being weird here? Or would you, too, prefer to have a recording of this song sung by a couple of Altos or guys? What do Dwarf-women sound like in your head? Talk to me!

(brought to you by Work Replacement Activity #24601)

ETA: Just to make that clear, I don't mean to bash the good lady. I'm just analysing and discussing my reaction to her video and her musical choices. Completely subjective. Mind you, my subjective reaction to people's music is very often weird. For instance, I still don't get what's supposed to be great about Adele: I listen to her and think "Ok, yeah, I guess she's got a powerful voice, but... what else?". Clearly I'm clueless!

Comments

[jokergirl.livejournal.com]

No, I agree that her voice doesn't fit. What I mainly don't like is the obvious attempt at manipulation - "just her and her guitar" is just not true if you consider all the afterwork done, and certainly not her "I can't sing, this is just an innocent attempt" spiel.
In general it's nicely done though, I just smell something foul in it. And lots of self-inscenation.

But that's the green monster I suppose. :P

[samtyr.livejournal.com]

It's ok, I guess. I have the same issues you do, I think. But I am really hoping that at some point (maybe the super-duper director's cut EE dvd/blu-ray) will feature RA -- or at least *some* of the others joining in -- singing the whole song. :)

[chili-das-schaf.livejournal.com]

This lady can sing, granted. But a lot of people can sing and they still sing a) the wrong kind of song in b) the wrong kind of range. Her voice, while controlled nicely, sounds very squeaky and flat up that high and she could have done well with just going a few ranges downwards.

Then, as you pointed out correctly, this is not a dwarf lady. A dwarf lady like I picture her doesn't squeak and doesn't wear kitschy velvet dresses and doesn't play guitar with her dainty lady fingers. A dward lady sings Alto, maybe even Baritone, wears a leather apron and probably stops mid-song to scream that the children should stay away from the fire or to chase the dog away from the larder. And if she sings, she sings with her whole body and not airy like the lady in the video. My singing teacher would say, "singing with your pants down".

A good example for a female dwarven voice is Branka from Dragon Age, I think

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sI2_hrH3NM

And if I picture a dwarf lady singing it would be like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nL1tA9NP7f8

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Wolfslied! <3

Yeah, that about fits my imagination. (A propos of imagination, the "with your pants down" line will now stay with me forever. As will the dwarf lady hollering at the kids to stay the hell away from the fire. XD)

[barbardin.livejournal.com]

Hm. Ich war gerade hin und her gerissen zwischen "Och ja, ganz netter Sopran" und "Argh, meine Zehennägel rollen sich ein".

Unterm Strich ist der Gesang meiner Meinung nach mehr gewollt als gekonnt.
Amüsant finde ich, dass sie mit Kapodaster spielt - also dieses Klemmdingens, das sie auf dem Gitarrenhals stecken hat. Kapodaster im 6. Bund... hätte sie mal lieber darauf verzichtet und das Ganze bequem 6 Halbtöne tiefer eingesungen. ;)

Davon abgesehen finde ich es nicht grundsätzlich schlimm, dass die Sängerin nicht zwergisch rüber kommt. Ich singe ja auch Elfenlieder, zum Beispiel, auch wenn ich ganz sicher keine Elfenstimme habe. Eine menschliche Bardin kann ja auch mal ein Elfen- oder Zwergenlied vortragen, wenn sie das Glück hat, welche zu kennen. Wenn es einfach nur GUT bzw BESSER gesungen wäre, hätte ich mit der Präsentation so überhaupt kein Problem.

Hrm. Vielleicht sollte ich es mal in nem schönen Zwergen-Alt selber trällern. ;)

[chili-das-schaf.livejournal.com]

Amüsant finde ich, dass sie mit Kapodaster spielt - also dieses Klemmdingens, das sie auf dem Gitarrenhals stecken hat. Kapodaster im 6. Bund... hätte sie mal lieber darauf verzichtet und das Ganze bequem 6 Halbtöne tiefer eingesungen. ;)

!!! This. Ich kannte lange Zeit Kapodaster gar nicht und dann vor maegwin_of_hern's Hochzeit zeigte mir meine Mitgitarrenspielerin dass ich "Willst du" damit so tief singen kann, wie ich will. Ich hab fast geheult vor Freude. Warum sollte man sich damit das Leben bitte noch schwerer machen? Oo

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

auch wenn ich ganz sicher keine Elfenstimme habe.

Die einzigen Stimmlagen, die für mich nicht zu Elfen (der edlen Sorte) passen, sind Bass und Schief. Da du weder Bass noch schief singst, ist das also kein Hinderungsgrund. Wir reden ja hier nur von der Stimme.
Davon abgesehen finde ich etwas tiefere Elbenstimmen sehr reizvoll. Hör dir mal Howard Shores "Passing of the Elves" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZG1aDo20zQ) an, da ist auch nicht der Sopran dominant...

Vielleicht sollte ich es mal in nem schönen Zwergen-Alt selber trällern. ;)
Ja, mach das doch mal :)

[joyful-molly.livejournal.com]

Dammit. My mirror just broke. I'm sorry, but her voice makes the hair on a bald man's head curl.

I remember that there once was a dwarf lady at the costume contest at RingCon (I think?) who sang a finnish folk song. Did you see that one? Perfect!

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

YES! (Wasn't it Icelandic though? I think the dwarf lady was Ranwen and she tends to do Icelandic.) That's how it should be done.

[allamistako.livejournal.com]

Still not seen the trailer, still don't want to. But when it comes to "Far over the Misty Mountains"...

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

That is actually not bad. Thanks!

[gaharr.livejournal.com]

I don't know... for some reason I found her voice disturbing.
Made me want to howl.

[fusselbiene.livejournal.com]

I had to switch it off after about twenty seconds because Hobbes gave me a mortally offended look after she started singing. I guess the lady will never have problems with cats on her lawn as long as she keeps on singing...

[fusselbiene.livejournal.com]

I find her singing horrible, to be blunt. And unfit to cover a dwarf's song. It would be like Annett Louisan covering a song from Aretha Franklin. *shudders*

Female dwarfs singing in higher pitches are okay for me, if they carry their tune like Janis Joplin did. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB1YX0kwrYk&feature=related
Otherwise I see them more in the area this lady covers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXjI2kuNkhE

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Ok, I'll agree. High dwarf voices may work if they've got soul, baby!

[elenbarathi.livejournal.com]

LOL, I think she's one of the Maglorielleth, far-flung descendant of a certain singer who used to visit among the fishing-huts, and in her youthful enthusiasm she's singing a traditional Dwarven song in the Elven style. Such is the decadence of the Ninth Age, or whatever Age we're up to now. Modern music, I suppose one would call it.

She might not be the best that ever sang in the Hall of Fire, but they wouldn't flick blackberries at her there either. Very pretty soprano; nice guitar arrangement, which I intend to borrow. I too could do without the waily little bridge between verses, but a surprising number of Elven songs have that feature.

I think what's messing up her sound is that she's trying to sing backup with herself, but instead of singing harmony, she's singing the same song an octave lower. This means she has to capo her guitar way up, so she can sing both the high and the low, but... how to express it? The low vocals aren't supported by the instrumentation; if she's going to capo that high, she needs something under it. The sound-mixing is quite good for an amateur production; of course she'd sound better with better equipment, but mostly she'd sound better with another singer.

Someone short but mighty, say, with a big curly beard, a barrel chest, and a fine baritone that can handle an octave below her comfortable range.
A harp wouldn't hurt either, or a viola. They might not play so well in Lothlorien or Minas Tirith, but I think they could be very popular in the North.

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

I think there are only supposed to be seven Ages before the Dagor Dagorath. I think there's a statement from Tolkien that "we're in the Fifth or Sixth Age" during WWII, so anything between 5 and 7 is fair game. 7, if you're going with the general 2012 trend, I guess ;)

As I said, I don't know enough about music and singing to judge that; I do think the Dwarven song in the Elven Celtic style doesn't work. For me.

A harp would NEVER hurt!

[http://users.livejournal.com/macalla_/]

Short & sweet:

Rein sängerisch gesehen: sie hat definitiv Potential. Sie ist ein lyrischer Sopran. Das ist schön für sie.
Aber für dieses Lied passt es ganz einfach nicht.

[http://users.livejournal.com/macalla_/]

Oh und: Ich kann mit Adele auch nix anfangen.
Sie hat keine schlechte Stimme aber sie berührt mich in keinster Weise.
Sie langweilt mich auf die Dauer, weil ihre Stimme irgendwie ... ständig gleich klingt. Ich habe das Gefühl, dass sie alles einfach runtersingt. Ohne echte Leidenschaft.

[cowboy-r.livejournal.com]

I've never bought the whole "Dwarven women have beards" thing. I felt Aragorn's reference to it in LotR was in the nature of teasing Gimli, rather than an actual serious mention.

In general, women are rather thin on the ground in Tolkein's writing. We see no Ranger women either; are we to believe that they have beards, too?

But, given that the Dwarves were crafted from stone by Aulë in his impatience, I'd certainly buy that the women should have alto / contralto voices.

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

No, the beard thing is actually mentioned somewhere in the History of Middle-earth. You should know me better than to assume that I base anything I say about Tolkien's works on, of all things, those movies...

No, female Dúnedain have no beards (unless they have fucked-up hormones). We see none in the ranger profession because that wasn't exactly a woman's job back in the 1940s, either, and Tolkien wasn't that much of a visionary.

[shadowbrides.livejournal.com]

I'm no vocal expert either, but did do choir and singing lessons for a couple of years. Her voice isn't bad as such, but sounds a little..shrill because she frequently seems to be reaching for notes higher than she is entirely comfortable with. Could lessen the annoying vibrato a lothohohohotttt. But then, I kind of have an allergy to high pitched vibrato in relatively untrained-ish sounding voices. Sounds particularly out of place in "the trees like torches" - blaahahazed with life? Seriously? Where is your sense of drama? There are people dying and it's like she's singing a melodramatic lover's ditty instead of a tragedy. It's very repetitive melody and drama-lacking in general, which is my main critique. Not really all that bad though, and I her claiming not to play or sing at all is likely a lie to avoid harsh criticism. I know I've done that before. :P

I've always either imagined Dwarves like the seahorses of Middle earth. What that says about their gender-specific looks and reproductive process? Well...:P

I'm ashamed to say that really though, the first thing coming to my mind is still this ( right side)



I blame Dutch folklore...

[nelyo-russandol.livejournal.com]

LOL. LOL. LOL and more...

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

WHAT IS THAT BOOK. I HAD IT AS A CHILD.
... or one with the exact same illustrations, anyway!
Until I saw the new trailer, yup, that was my mental image of Thorin. Which is possibly why I never got excited about the Hobbit: It always had that "Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work we go" feel to me. I respect PJ for the undisneyfied Dwarves alone! XD

I've always either imagined Dwarves like the seahorses of Middle earth.
LOLOLOL

[nelyo-russandol.livejournal.com]

You are right, it's all wrong. I ain't no musical expert, but it wouldn't ring dwarvish in a million years.