Vocal Discussion of Yuki's Singers

[Mwhlr]

Just to change the topic for a moment, has anyone had a listen to Yuriko Kaida's Crystal Ocean? It might be interesting to some of you! Personally, I didn't really like it as sometimes I'd sit and listen to, but it sends me right off to sleep at night!

 

[murrue02]

I love Yuriko's voice, I don't know but it sounds so clear to me and refreshing. Especially in Kajiurago.

 

[Hime_Wakana]

I love Yuriko's voice, I don't know but it sounds so clear to me and refreshing. Especially in Kajiurago.

I agree with you!! I also love her vibrato!

 

[Mwhlr]

I think her voice is nice but suited primarily for backing vocals. To me, when she takes the lead role in a song there is a danger of her voice sounding too thin. It isn't much of an issue when she sings lead in FJ because she has the rest of the girls backing her up, create a "thicker" vocal sound. Singing solo however, like on her own album, isn't really her forte (in my opinion).

 

[casarina26]

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

Somewhere on the forum someone mentioned that Keiko sang Houseki using her falsetto.

Hmm, I've always thought she sounded breathless in parts of the recorded version...

 

[Yuki88]

^ recorded version can always be edited to make it sound better.

onto the Yuriko topic, I agree with Mwhlr, she sounds a bit too thin as soloist.

 

[murrue02]

Then why is it that she sounds so great on solo Kajiuragos.

 

[Kagaribi no Hanabira]

Re:

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

Somewhere on the forum someone mentioned that Keiko sang Houseki using her falsetto.

Hmm, I've always thought she sounded breathless in parts of the recorded version...

Hmm...I don't think she use falsetto in Houseki. It isn't that high...just her usual chest voice, IMO.

From what Kowz's post, now I have another hypothesis for Wakana's voice. Her crispier high note chorus may not be falsetto, but it's the same technique as what Yuriko and Hanae use. (Coz I feel that it's something in between head voice and falsetto.) She may be learning it but hasn't been skillful enough yet....so it sounds not that good and it gives her vocal chord so much stress... ...(Just a very optimistic hypothesis....maybe..Orz.)

 

[Lorde-Kowz]

Well, if that is the reason she sounds weird, then I hope she learns to control it and make it sounds nice because the way she sang high notes in 2008-2009 was way better (even in ephitalamion live).

 

[joel_jman]

I think I might have heard Keiko's falsetto in oblivious live (the first one) around 5:16

please verify

 

[murrue02]

Keiko falsetto?

 

[garnetjester]

How about the chiisana yakusoku part in hikari furu? I still think at the end of the phrases of the chorus of Houseki she goes a bit higher than her normal range, just for the final note. Like in "konna ni hikaru nohaRA NO" and so on.

 

[Cerise]

Perhaps. But it would just be weird if Wakana couldn't reach those notes and Kajiura just said "Meh, whatever, I don't care about this anyway so sing it however you can".

It is very possible that Wakana just strained herself because she had to and had no other choice. I don't believe she can reach every note perfectly.

If you listen to Kalafina's back-catalogue (and FJs), Wakana has sung far more complicated parts with higher notes in the past. For example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9j8Y8jFQTM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HdGdjLZUN4

For studio recordings, look no further than Ashita no Keshiki/Mizu no Akashi/mezame.

I don't think it's a case of Yuki Kajiura not being a perfectionist or simply not caring enough. When have you ever heard a wrong note in any of Yuki Kajiura's songs? Of the 80 or so I've heard, I've maybe noted 4 off sounding notes. If that's not perfectionist, I don't know what is.

I don't think Wakana can sing like she used to, whether that be due to vocal damage or whatever. For Hikari Furu, if I had a choice between a "Where the lights are" vocal tone and the "honk" tone, I know which I'd be going for!

But Wakana's "honk" at that part of the song just might be a different style of singing. So perhaps some people would find it unpleasant, and some people would love it. I have no clue.

But this isn't something that's suddenly popped out of the blue as a one off vocal experiment. In my opinion, you can ear her tone gradually changing across the last few singles and After Eden.

But it's good that we have different opinions

Indeed! It generates good discussions like this one!

I don't know if anyone else hears it like this, but to me the difference sounds like:

Old voice
- more pinched/tight sounding
- very controlled
- 'throaty' (not raspy, I mean as if she seemed to produce her sound from her throat rather than her chest)

New voice
- sounds more open-ended
- not as controlled
- more 'chesty' to me
(but because her voice still has some of its old throaty 'tension', she sounds a bit harsher and sharper than usual sound that some people are noticing...?)

Perhaps rather than vocal damage she is just in the process of adopting a new style of singing but is yet to fully adapt/mature into it...

Her falsetto sounded awkward to me only at the very beginning of Hikarifuru, other times it sounded alright. So I think maybe it was because thsoe notes were at an awkward or uncomfortable place for her to use that voice (maybe she could have reached those notes in her normal voice but was told to switch to falsetto? )

...Just my thoughts, be interested to hear anyone else's opinion

 

[tabete.mio]

^Based from what I've read, that throaty voice is actually a mixture of head voice and chest voice. That may explain the smooth transition her old voice is known for.

Perhaps rather than vocal damage she is just in the process of adopting a new style of singing but is yet to fully adapt/mature into it...

I think so too, that she is just developing a new voice. I've noticed that her new voice is more prominent, or the changes are more noticeable in songs like Yane no mukou ni, Mirai and Moonfesta, which are "Happy songs". While in some parts of Hikari furu which are intended to be dramatic, she sounds normal or like her old self. Its possible that her new voice is intended to expand her "happy voice" which we know is not really happy but "less tragic/dramatic". Maybe wakana got tired of all those people teasing her that her voice is miserable pitiful wretched disastrous tragic sounding.

During the recording session of "Yane Mukou ni"
Yuki: Wakana. Your voice is not happy enough. Its making the song sound sad.

Wakana: But...

Keiko: Yeah! your voice is kinda 悲惨(miserable)

Yuki and Hikaru:

Wakana: 悲惨...?

Keiko: hmmm OH! I mean 悲劇(tragic). My mistake

Wakana: OK THATS IT!! YOU WANT A HAPPY VOICE, I'LL GIVE YOU A HAPPY VOICE!

Keiko, Hikaru, and Yuki:

And thus, Wakana's new voice is created

I'm looking forward to the time Wakana perfects her new voice.

 

[Cerise]

Re:

^ PFF HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I'm looking forward to the time Wakana perfects her new voice.

Let's continue having faith in her

How about the chiisana yakusoku part in hikari furu? I still think at the end of the phrases of the chorus of Houseki she goes a bit higher than her normal range, just for the final note. Like in "konna ni hikaru nohaRA NO" and so on.

Do you mean that very last '-sana' bit of Hikari furu? I think that might be indeed be her using falsetto... I'm not sure but I think I can also hear it in oblivious in some part, although not that clearly since its only harmony?

 

[joel_jman]

^in oblivious live performance

i think its in 5:16

 

[Cerise]

Just curious, does Yuki write all the harmonies for Kalafina or do the girls have some of their own input too? Because I think I remember hearing/reading/seeing something about where they were discussing how they organise the harmonies and 'decide between themselves where to put them in' or something...

 

[Varete]

^ it was said here https://vimeo.com/52294500 @ minute 3

The whole recording process was a happy one.
For example, some of us would discuss how to sing one part of a song,
how to arrange the harmony,
and add the harmony after listening to the main melody.
Then another would say,
"Ah, maybe that's how I should sing it too."
It was filled with a lot of fun, and the entire process was very joyful.

This was translated from Japanese to Chinese and then from Chinese to English, so don't take it literally.
From what I saw in other videos (Lisani and some other) I think YK writes everything down, and then discusses with the girls and considers their opinions.
I think there was said something about this in the Kalafina Record too.

 

[Kawohni]

I've never seen the progressive DVD so I was a bit taken aback by this performance of 音楽

Why does it sound so strange? ;n; Keiko's singing technique is odd here, and I see that the band is different, but everything about it is weird to me.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSEz4QD8vrg[/youtube]

 

[Mwhlr]

Why does it 音ound so 奇trange? ;n; Keiko's singing 芸echnique is odd here, and I see that the band is different, but everything about it is weird to me.

It's a different band and Keiko is a little wobblier than she is on the other DVDs, but personally, I don't really have a problem with it. It's a very raw performance, which is quite cool in way.

While in some parts of Hikari furu which are intended to be dramatic, she sounds normal or like her old self.

There have been a lot of comparisons made of Wakana's tone now and her tone in the past, with plenty of examples given to evidence the change. These have been given to support the argument that Wakana has sustained some sort of vocal damage (I gave a lot of examples and comparisons myself!).

So to those who don't believe this to be the case, it's your turn! :P I'd like you guys to take Hikari Furu, pick the specific points where you believe her to sound as good as she did on the SH and RM records (with timings) and give me some comparisons. :P