A new direction?

[Barry Blackwood]

The next new thing in country singers?
http://twentytwowords.com/2013/08/16/do ... y-awesome/

[Richard Sinkler]

I actually kind of like it. Didn't really care for the song in the first place, though.

[Dave Hopping]

After listening,I can only conclude that RuPaul has gone country.

[John Ed Kelly]

This is interesting - to a point.

This particular ''slow'' version though, amounts to changing the voice from soprano to tenor and changing the key from the original. A ''slow downer'' version would be more meaningful, in my view.

I am unable to do this sort of manipulation due to a severe lack of ability with computers. Perhaps one of you more technologically savvy folks would care to do this for me/us?

[Joachim Kettner]

I've checked the keychange that resulted in slowing it down from the single- to album speed. The original is in C#-minor, and here it's gone down to G#-minor.
John Ed, I don't think you need computer technology to do that. All you need is the single and a plain old record player.
The voice reminds me of a singer, but I can't remember who.

[Niels Andrews]

I like this version more than the original. It does illustrate the quality of Dolly's voice and the instrumental arrangement behind it. Nice.

[Jeff Garden]

Back in my guitar playing days 30+ years ago I played in a cover band. The keyboardist who was the creative/music school type came up with a number of arrangements to break up the monotony of note-for-note covers. He added jazzy parts to rock standards, wrote sections in minor keys, and changed tempos and styles i.e. a reggae version of a country rock tune. He was miles ahead of us musically but once we came close to what he wanted it was actually kind of fun to play.

[Jay Fagerlie]

I like it.

but

It makes me think of Mr Herbert- Peter Griffins neighbor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tG-AwQAvbRo

[Steve English]

Sounds like she might have a slight chest cold coming on...

[Niels Andrews]

Jay, you are giving California a even worse rap!

[John Ed Kelly]

''John Ed, I don't think you need computer technology to do that. All you need is the single and a plain old record player.
The voice reminds me of a singer, but I can't remember who.''

Hi Joachim - thanks for the info.

I guess I didn't make my point clearly enough - that's my fault - but I was hoping to hear DP's voice in the normal range and the number in the same key but at a slower tempo.

You can of course do this with the good old EP or LP as was my wont in the old days - just to hear the ''funny'' voices. The thing is though - the pitch changes too.

I used to have ''Slow Downer'' or something like it some years ago and on a different computer - I was not all that good at manipulating it but it was good for hearing the original recording as if it were ''kicked in'' at a slower tempo.

I was sort of hoping to hear this effect with the number in question.

[Dave Hopping]

John,a Tascam Guitar Trainer will do just that;keep it in key but slow things down.High fidelity it ain't and if you REALLY slow it down it starts sounding just plain weird,but if you want to learn licks or words it'll do fine.

[Jay Fagerlie]

Here you go:

DPs voice at pitch at ~80.5 BPM

http://youtu.be/sOy9TX2m4WQ

[John Ed Kelly]

Thanks Jay - I'll have a good listen to both tempos (or tempi, if you prefer Latin).

I rather like the slow version at first blush.

Thanks again.....JK

ps...given my relatively poor computer skills, is this something I can do, with a little practice?

[b0b]

And here's The Boss, sped up from 33 1/3 to 45 RPM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AtNecByo1o

[John Ed Kelly]

''And here's The Boss, sped up from 33 1/3 to 45 RPM''

Actually it does sound like a bloke despite the speed up - I was thinking of Joe Pesci. If he could sing (maybe he does?) he'd sound like this.

[Jay Fagerlie]

Mr Kelly-
It's embarrassingly simple.

Use this:
http://www.riffstation.com/index.html

Grab the 'tempo' knob, turn counter clockwise.




*edited to add
Riffstation is an excellent program, I encourage anyone who wants to speed up/slow down, remove or isolate parts of a song to get it.

[Douglas Schuch]

Here is another bit of software that lets you change tempo OR pitch independently. You can then save it to use as a practice track (or backing track, if you changed the pitch to a different key). Best of all, it's free!

http://download.cnet.com/BestPractice/3 ... 94555.html

[Donny Hinson]

For those interested in searching, there's actually a live version of Jolene on youtube where Dolly sings it a lot slower, and she discusses the change in tempo!

[Barry Blackwood]

Here is another bit of software that lets you change tempo OR pitch independently. You can then save it to use as a practice track (or backing track, if you changed the pitch to a different key). Best of all, it's free!
http://download.cnet.com/BestPractice/3 ... 94555.html

This seems to be dated. It states it works with Windows 95 thru Vista. Also, anything similar (and free) for Mac users?

[b0b]

You can do that sort of thing with Audacity (PC or Mac), but these recordings were made by simply changing the speed on a turntable. Dolly's 45 RPM single was played at 33 1/3 RPM, and Springsteen's LP was sped up to 45 RPM. No fancy audio software was required.

[Joachim Kettner]

In the eighties I got so hung up on trying to play "Arkansas Traveller" from one of Albert Lee's two instrumental albums. Of course it was to fast for a "slowbrain" like me.
So I changed the speed from 33 1/3 to 45 rpm. I then recorded this to a reel to reel tape recorder at fast speed, and listened to it in half speed. so the original key changed only rom D to C and it wasn't blurry at all, if I remember correctly. It was no problem to tune down the guitar a whole step to play it in the D position.

[Jay Fagerlie]

no b0b-
you need that fancy hardware to do it

a turntable!!!!

[Barry Blackwood]

You can do that sort of thing with Audacity (PC or Mac), but these recordings were made by simply changing the speed on a turntable. Dolly's 45 RPM single was played at 33 1/3 RPM, and Springsteen's LP was sped up to 45 RPM. No fancy audio software was required.

That's right, b0b. In the interest of keeping it simple, I just thought her voice sounded kind of unique at that pitch. I wasn't my intent to advocate or promote any kind of software..

[Leslie Ehrlich]

When I was a kid I used to play around with the speed control on my portable record player. It had four speeds: 16, 33, 45, and 78. I didn't care for the way voices sounded sped up or slowed down but some of the musical instruments sounded kind of neat at different speeds and pitches.

My parents a record with Dolly Parton singing Kitty Wells songs - I can't remember if I ever tried slowing that one down.

On my old computer I had software that could could do time scaling, so I took Merle Haggard's 'The Emptiest Arms In The World' and slowed it down to change the key to D, then I time scaled it to play at the proper tempo. The pedal steel guitar sounds so much nicer in the lower key.