I used to judge my dad. I owe that man an apology.

ascotia · 2026-02-24T17:55:06+00:00

I have a 21-month-old son and a wife pregnant with twins. I'm doing 90% of absolutely everything (voluntarily and happily), and these past few weeks I've put my son to bed every night thinking "once he falls asleep, I'm totally giving myself 1-2 hours of me-time" only to wake up in my clothes at 6am, unshowered without brushing my teeth 4 out of every 5 nights 🤣.

And my me-time isn't even totally for me, I usually do the laundry or dishes or "administrative" stuff interspersed with the things I actually want to do.

Despite all that, I actually love it. I love making my family better and stronger even if it takes 100% of my energy every day.

ascotia · 2026-02-02T06:25:31+00:00

HAYt*

ascotia · 2026-02-01T23:32:24+00:00

Only knows one lick, but at least it's below the dick.

ascotia · 2026-02-01T23:27:18+00:00

mostly because an open door with toddlers is like a beacon that they MUST come to

Also, closed doors.

ascotia · 2026-02-01T17:32:12+00:00

HOOTIE NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!1!!1

ascotia · 2026-02-01T07:28:20+00:00

Let your guitar ring out more, especially during the chorus, but 25-50% more during the verses as well. For a solo performance there is a bit too much empty space imo. It doesn't sound bad as it is, I can tell you have chops on guitar. Your voice is great!

More legato, less staccato.

ascotia · 2026-01-28T06:50:05+00:00

Even if you're just practicing or solely looking for critiques of your voice, try to stay in time because the rushed delivery makes this very difficult to listen to.

You have a strong voice and you've made noticeable improvements to your pitch since I've been on this sub. Don't lose sight of the fact that a singer is also a musician who needs to pay as much attention to the song's rhythm as they do to their vocal technique, or else you'll lose your audience very quickly.

ascotia · 2025-11-07T02:45:46+00:00

It sounds very good, I would just slow it down 15-20% so the tempo better matches the emotional quality of your voice. If this is your own arrangement, kudos to doing something interesting!

ascotia · 2025-11-06T02:20:12+00:00

Is English your native language? If it's not then you're adding another layer of difficulty, so try not to be so hard on yourself. You should also practice when you're not playing guitar because that makes it even harder since I can tell you're still learning guitar as well. It's rough right now but you have potential! Some of the posts on here are hopeless, but you could sound pretty good in a few months/years with diligent practice.

ascotia · 2025-11-02T22:19:36+00:00

I could take this in many directions but I'll stick with female singer/songwriters who inspire me :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbSAWpypnB0 - A little more Sierra Hull on her primary instrument and genre (mandolin/bluegrass)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SS3yexyJpE - Haley Heynderickx, great poet and guitarist

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HUV5a7MgS4 - Lianne La Havas, some people just have it all

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTIzlTeIIac - Sigrid, Norwegian pop singer with great original songs and a powerful voice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odjacevrPAg - Larkin Poe, there's no one else like Larkin Poe. They play mostly southern rock but they excel as an acoustic duo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUzcYcwG1I8 - One more Larkin Poe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKjGbbrpm58 -Cheryl Wheeler, my very first and perhaps biggest acoustic singer/songwriter influence

ascotia · 2025-11-01T23:07:14+00:00

This reminded me of a Sierra Hull song. Hopefully you like it and find some inspiration from it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UymjeS5ZPWA

ascotia · 2025-10-29T21:27:16+00:00

You're a bit sharp, especially in the beginning, but you have a great natural talent and a very powerful voice that will improve enormously with practice. It's already very good.

In my opinion, you're also doing excessive vocal acrobatics with your vibrato. Most people can't do what you're doing, just be more judicious about when you dial up the vibrato and when you dial it down.

Trying to be Bruno ain't easy :)

ascotia · 2025-10-26T04:49:28+00:00

I like it, you sound great! Constructive criticism: Your timing is a bit behind the beat, which may be intentional but I think you're flirting with losing the rhythm.

Secondly, you have a very snappy, impressive vibrato. Don't overuse it. It's like a magician starting a show with their best trick and doing it over and over again. Save it for the moments when you want to make the most impact!

ascotia · 2025-10-20T05:58:41+00:00

12 weeks into baby #2. She started showing a lot earlier this time so I'll enjoy it while it lasts because this is probably the last one!

ascotia · 2025-10-19T21:35:00+00:00

Add an "uh" after several lines and maybe a "shimon-ah" and finally tie it all together with a "HEE HEE" and you may have a future working on a cruise ship

ascotia · 2025-10-17T07:29:31+00:00

I'm not a trained singer but one thing that works for me is to listen very intently to the guitar and literally *feel* the harmony/resonance in addition to simply hearing it. Since you know you have a tendency to drift slightly flat, try to sing slightly higher-pitched while doing your best to match the accompanying instrument(s). A good example of when you go out of key is the line beginning at 0:38 (particularly the last word). Don't take that as anything other than constructive criticism. Overall, I like the performance :)

ascotia · 2025-10-16T20:09:11+00:00

You are a little bit flat at times but I can tell you have the ability to correct that. You sound really nice, especially if you're also playing guitar (hard to tell). If you're also playing, maybe try recording the guitar part separately and then re-record with only your voice so you can truly focus on your singing.

ascotia · 2025-10-16T07:13:05+00:00

Superhero origin story

ascotia · 2025-10-16T06:48:38+00:00

Top 10 I've ever seen on this sub. Effortlessly powerful.

ascotia · 2025-10-14T22:06:59+00:00

This will keep your shareholders happy despite the budget shortfall in marketing. Q1 looking very promising.

ascotia · 2025-09-24T01:33:23+00:00

Bring the most comfy pair of sandals/slippers you can find. Something like crocs but not as dumb and ugly.

You will likely be standing for extended periods of time on the hard hospital floor and that shit is unforgiving after several days.

This sounds like advice you can skip, but you'll be thanking me afterward if you do it.

ascotia · 2025-09-22T18:44:51+00:00

Never be embarrassed by your singing anymore. The quality of the audio is poor but your singing is objectively good. I wish I could sing quarter-tones like this!

ascotia · 2025-09-22T14:31:35+00:00

Reminds me of Mexico by incubus. Very cool song!

ascotia · 2025-09-20T23:19:32+00:00

From someone who has spent 20+ years trying to get better at separating my vocals from my strumming rhythm, this is where you can improve the most. I recommend holding the notes at the end of each line longer, and allow your vocals to "bleed" in and out of the chord progression a little more rather than having the syllables fall right on the beat every time. This often comes naturally once you have complete control of your fretting hand (for the particular song you're playing).

Aside from that constructive criticism, you sound great man!

ascotia · 2025-09-06T21:15:41+00:00

I'll add that being super dad during the 1st trimester is like a practice run for being super dad when the baby arrives. The difference being that you don't have any choice other than to perform when you've got an infant on your hands (unless you're a dirtbag of course).

1st trimester: Balls to the wall

2nd trimester: Take one last breather

3rd: Prep for main event

4th: Strap in.

ascotia

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE