Vocal Discussion of Yuki's Singers

[garnetjester]

But personally (and according to what the girls themselves said in the Nico nico special interview) I think that sometimes putting japanese words to a BGM that is a character theme is something that happens often in animes and it's done because people associate the melody with the character. Hikaru was saying in the interview that Mirai is Mami's theme because it conveys what she was feeling before she was killed, the feelings with which she started fighting, and that's why it's not a sad song even though the outcome wasn't good

On the other hand, Sagitta luminis is the song of ultimate Madoka, and the lyrics also correlate with that imo.

I don't know, I'm not that bothered with the recycling because it happens with animes relatively often and I like the resulting songs this time, I don't really understand the re arrangement of Magia though, especially considering that ClariS did a brand new song, but who knows, maybe it was requested of her or something...

 

[Cerise]

^ Perhaps Yuki was told by the movie directors to 'reuse' those two tracks into vocal tracks? Or perhaps rather than lacking inspiration she could have just been busy, since lately she's been doing a lot of OST work, too, with SAO and Fate Zero...I think if it was an inspiration problem Yuki would probably know that she needs a break (and would take one, probably, as well)

On secondary listens to Mirai/Hikarifuru more carefully with earphones, I did pick up a few more things with Wakana. I still really love the way her voice sounds (that might be the stubborn hardcore fangirl in me ). Even though she definitely still doesn't sound like she used to, I can hear a good bit of her old voice back in there. She still isn't as smooth as before, since in the beginning of Hikari furu, she doesn't seem to have her old style of joining her notes together (like in legato, I think the term is?) the way I would've expected her to if she'd been singing the way she used to. Also, even though I think the tone/texture of her voice has returned a bit to her old self, she still sounds huskier than before.

So, I'm pretty okay with her normal voice and hoping it'll continue to get better but the biggest issue for me is the way her falsetto's sounding. If you listen to paradise regained, the land of water, where the lights are...I think the difference is quite obvious. Her falsetto sounds a lot sharper than it used to (I don't know if it's a vocal problem or a change in technique that brought this about) and the way she transitions from a normal singing voice to her falsetto is also a lot more jarring than it used to (remember back in the day, when she sang Himeboshi/Ensei - it was so fluid and smooth...)

In the end, though, I think Wakana's voice is sounding better than recently, so I'm happy with that. Hopefully it'll get better from here. Is anyone else hearing an improvement, or am I being delusional?

 

[george1234]

^ I think the reason behind the rearrangement of Magia is that unlike "Connect" its also used as BGM into the show (thus the added strings) and its so fitting where its used, so it would be a pity to replace it with an other song.

 

[ritardando]

Actually I'm one of those who doesn't really mind in Kajiura using her BGM as a base for Kalafina songs. It's kind of giving the song a counterpart for me, lol. Although I do agree that she and the girls need a break.

About those recycled songs, maybe because she got such a good response for recycling "let the stars fall down" to Manten that Sony or herself decides to recycle the BGM. After all, it's kinda funny looking at how some people get so hyper when hearing Manten for the first time when we all do know that it's a recycled version of let the stars fall down, and get such a different response when she decides to do the same with credens and sagitta. Kajiura's been recycling her BGM since Yami no Uta in Kala's red moon album, so maybe lack of creativity or rest/break time is not the main case.

 

[george1234]

^ she does since storia (cover of "Historia opening theme"). If we go to old times, she did the same with ," Hoshi ga Kanaderu Monogatari" (same melody as "Otome no Komoriuta" and alot of other bgm from that soundtrack), "Hikari no Yukue (Wakana's)" [cover of "lightseekers"] "everytime you kissed me" (cover of "Melody")

And if we take it the other way around (from song to BGM) since sprinter/ARIA (the theme bgm for each movie was based on each of the 2 songs)

So for me its nothing new

 

[Kagaribi no Hanabira]

Re:

she doesn't seem to have her old style of joining her notes together (like in legato, I think the term is?)

I think you meant the moment when she changed from usual voice to the higher register in the beginning of Hikari Furu :). I don't know the technical term, but it isn't legato. Legato is just holding the same note smoothly for a long time. (Ex. like Wakana's "chorus utai" in Manten or Hikaru's "Negai" in Magia.)

So, I'm pretty okay with her normal voice and hoping it'll continue to get better but the biggest issue for me is the way her falsetto's sounding. If you listen to paradise regained, the land of water, where the lights are...I think the difference is quite obvious. Her falsetto sounds a lot sharper than it used to (I don't know if it's a vocal problem or a change in technique that brought this about) and the way she transitions from a normal singing voice to her falsetto is also a lot more jarring than it used to (remember back in the day, when she sang Himeboshi/Ensei - it was so fluid and smooth...)

I really agree with you about the difference between her old falsetto and what we believe that it's Wakana's falsetto nowadays. It's so sharp that I don't feel that it's falsetto. IMO, it sounds like something near the upper limit of her headvoice, which so sharp that it doesn't blend well with other girls' voices when she sang the chorus, and even off-note sometimes. So, I quite believe that it may be about the change of singing technique.

However, Up until now, I think Wakana is more familiar with this technique. Less off-note (even there were still some...), but the sharpness of her voice is still unfixable. And I do believe that this style of singing gives her vocal chord more stress than her old falsetto singing.

About those recycled songs, maybe because she got such a good response for recycling "let the stars fall down" to Manten that Sony or herself decides to recycle the BGM. After all, it's kinda funny looking at how some people get so hyper when hearing Manten for the first time when we all do know that it's a recycled version of let the stars fall down, and get such a different response when she decides to do the same with credens and sagitta. Kajiura's been recycling her BGM since Yami no Uta in Kala's red moon album, so maybe lack of creativity or rest/break time is not the main case.

If you meant me, it's about my preference towards the original OST tracks..., not because of recycling . I love "let the stars fall down" but not credens or sagitta. (and I even said that I'd like to have Kalafina version of Sis Puella Magica or Decretum before all songs coming out.) Recycling the OST tracks isn't a big deal for me. I do love almost all songs that George mentioned, but putting two recycled track and one remixed together in one single is a bit...too much... .

 

[Lorde-Kowz]

and the way she transitions from a normal singing voice to her falsetto is also a lot more jarring than it used to (remember back in the day, when she sang Himeboshi/Ensei - it was so fluid and smooth...)

She sang Himeboshi in AX and it was really weak. Liminality too.

 

[murrue02]

Re:

Actually I'm one of those who doesn't really mind in Kajiura using her BGM as a base for Kalafina songs. It's kind of giving the song a counterpart for me, lol. Although I do agree that she and the girls need a break.

I'm one of you guys.

Yuki has been too busy so she might have rushed into making songs, I don't know if that's the case but I still like the stuffs she did. Recycling is not a problem to me since as Ritartando-san said it's just a counterpart. :3 I love Wakana so much but I don't want to be biased. She wasn't that bad for me Cerise, don't worry. I also think she was better with Mirai and Furu Furu. But I hope she gets better and better and wishing to hear the old Wakana soon after the vacation.

 

[ritardando]

@Kagaribi : No, it wasn't you. It's some other people who made such a big fuss over Kajiura recycling her BGM for Madoka, but doesn't mind with Manten. And looking at george's post (thanks for clarifying, george) she recycled her songs a lot. Hoshikuzu is a self cover of velvet no inori too...

I personally prefer she recycle her songs in this way, making a BGM turns to a full song, rather than hearing some new-songs but with a same feeling or have some parts same with her old songs. Like what I've said, it's kinda giving the song a counterpart or give a new feeling from that BGM.

Well, that's just me.

 

[alarictay]

Re:

I know this is a stupid question. but..

How many times does Wakana use falsetto in one song?

Because from what I've heard, excessive use of falsetto or fake voice deteriorates the real voice. I'm not an expert in music so I'm not really sure. Though from what I've read in the comments, she uses a lot of it.

Yes using falsetto can deteriorate the real voice...
i'm a living example sadly...
but i went for some treatment and i'm ok now
I avoid using falsetto when i sing and if i really do, i try to use it for a short phrase or a few notes...problem is wakana sings long long long phrases XD

 

[Lorde-Kowz]

I think we should resend the email (maybe send it through Twitter too), and add something about their recent mini live.

 

[ritardando]

Eh? Using falsetto really deteriorates real voice? And then how about Yuriko then? She's using falsetto (if I was right) in almost every higher harmony she sung, but her voice is fine until now. Or she's not using falsetto? So what is her singing technique then? Imo, Hanae-san uses falsetto a lot too...

 

[murrue02]

Yes I'm curious about that..Does Yuriko use a different technique than Wakana? Obviously they have different voices and she sings a lot too, but her voice doesn't deteriorate.

 

[tabete.mio]

^Someone with knowledge in vocals, please answer those questions.

On secondary listens to Mirai/Hikarifuru more carefully with earphones, I did pick up a few more things with Wakana. I still really love the way her voice sounds (that might be the stubborn hardcore fangirl in me ).

Does that make me a hardcore fan too since recently I've learned to like Wakana's new voice. There is something in that voice that gets my interest. I cant say what it is because I dont know myself. And I'm not saying that I like her entire voice, just some parts of it. And I've noticed that that interesting part of her voice is growing with every song that they release. Now, I'm always looking forward to new songs and to the time that she perfects that voice.

Yes using falsetto can deteriorate the real voice...
i'm a living example sadly...
but i went for some treatment and i'm ok now
I avoid using falsetto when i sing and if i really do, i try to use it for a short phrase or a few notes...problem is wakana sings long long long phrases XD

Glad you're fine now. What type of treatment did you have? drinking medicine or a change in your way of singing or something else?

 

[Yuki88]

My choir coach said falsetto is only for the male voice since female is actually capable of using all of the upper range if trained properly.

 

[Lorde-Kowz]

Re:

Eh? Using falsetto really deteriorates real voice? And then how about Yuriko then? She's using falsetto (if I was right) in almost every higher harmony she sung, but her voice is fine until now. Or she's not using falsetto? So what is her singing technique then? Imo, Hanae-san uses falsetto a lot too...

Singers use falsetto to reach notes beyond their vocal range. Yuriko and Hanae are both trained sopranos, so i guess they don't use it much, if ever.

Also, falsetto is supposed to sound breathy.

 

[Cerise]

So...does that mean singers like Yuriko and Hanae are actually using a head voice or chest voice rather than falsetto?

And perhaps it means Wakana is really more of a mezzo soprano with a high voice rather than a full-fledged soprano, if she's struggling with notes that a soprano 'should' be able to reach? (Or, does it mean her range has been reduced by her new singing technique or whatever is going on with her? )

(Granted, I still think she does a pretty darn good job with the high notes in Mirai and Hikari furu...especially Hikari furu - her 'shizukanaaaa' at around 3:05 of the song made me fly to the moon )

 

[ritardando]

I have the same question with Cerise about Hanae and Yuriko. So, what is the singing technique they're using?

Keiko's and Wakana's singing techniques are so hard to be determined... They're not like Hikaru, Yuuka, and Kaori who use normal/most common singing technique that singers used.

 

[Cerise]

^ Yeah, I think I know what you mean...but I don't think it's that Keiko and Wakana don't use common or normal techniques, but maybe rather because the natural sound of their voices makes it hard to distinguish their head voice from chest voice etc. because they all sound similar...(but then again, I don't know how you're technically meant to tell them apart, so...)

So then, is Wakana using falsetto for songs like 'paradise regained', 'where the lights are' and 'the land of water'? (Because those sound sort of breathy, I guess...)

(And what does Keiko's falsetto sound like? I don't think I've consciously heard her falsetto before... )

 

[Lorde-Kowz]

I found random posts that might help.

try learning to sing in head voice. its almost like a supported falsetto in a sense. you can go higher, not strain your voice and it sounds fuller. you can find a lot of videos on YouTube for it.

^This kinda answers your question about Yuriko and Hanae.

falsetto
adj : artificially high; above the normal voice range; "a falsetto
voice"
n : a male singing voice with artificially high tones in an
upper register
Notice the word "artificially". And notice that the root of "falsetto" is "false". The falsetto technique is used to sing notes that are above the normal voice range. Falsetto is used to reach notes that a singer can't reach using is normal voice. To turn that definition around the other way, I could say that a singer's "normal" range is marked by the highest note he can hit without resorting to falsetto.

And a video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Thy-qh5vP8I