04 September,2011 05:15 AM IST | | Yolande D'mello
We flexed our vocal chords to the tunes of www.sonicjam.com, an online karaoke platform that lets you share a song with your favourite singer
I'm a bathroom singer. The applause are soggy although they sound epic in my head. I decided to put my crooning to the test, and SonicJam, an online karaoke machine was the perfect judge. All you have to do is log on to the website and download the 'lite' or 'full' version of the game.
Always wanted to sing a duet with Michael Bubl ufffd? Here is your chance.
Log on to www.sonicjam.comu00a0u00a0 illustration/ satish acharya
You can plug in your headphones or use your speakers with a mike. Find a long list of artists listed alphabetically. It's an American company so don't expect Kishore Kumar or Hard Kaur. They do however have a decent range of singers, from the Bellamy Brothers to The Black Eyed Peas. I chose Bon Jovi's Bed of Roses.
A tad ambitious perhaps, but then I recalled my neighbourhood piano teacher attempting to teach me rhythm as I taught her patience. I hit 'Play'.
A live video performance of Bon Jovi was cued and theu00a0 corresponding chords began to flow across the screen. Unlike the conventional karaoke machine however, the words did not light up when it came time to sing. Singing with someone else, it's always easier to keep tune so you won't know how off-tune you really sound till you play the song back. The system rates you on pitch, rhythm and quality.u00a0 With a 37, I rejoiced.
It suffices to say that the lyrics of a sorrowful love song started to make a deeper impact as I bade adieu to a make-believe career in the music industry.
