“Dear Vocal-coach lady, I have a fairly good ear and can sing in tune, but I don’t really know how to get the most out of my voice, and would also like some advice on the types of songs I’d be best to sing. Also, a big thing I need to work on is confidence.â€
Boy, do I have some advice for you!
Firstly, we all know a lot more about what we want to sound like and how we want to use our voices than we know. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to discern the difference between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ singing (and God only knows what our CD collections would look like!).
Sing what you love. There is no right or wrong genre for your voice. You will be singing it ‘your’ way anyway. It is limiting to think in terms of genre categorization, other people’s perception of you, what you think you ‘should’ be or what the market proscribes you to be. I’ve had to sound like, Maria Callas, Shania Twain, Blossom Dearie, Patti Labelle and Kermit the Frog. Each have their own voice qualities and, as the Silver Scroll Awards dinner demonstrates, a good song can be realized in a completely different genre from the one it was written in and still translate well. No-one can tell you what to love, so you’ll have to do some research.
Start by making a list of all the qualities you like in a voice (e.g. power, projection, warmth, intimacy, unlimited range). Reference your favourite singers to do this. What have they got that you want? On the other half of the page, make a list of all the things that you define as weaknesses. List the things that grate on your ears if you hear them in other people’s voices (e.g. too much push, lack of dynamic range, hypernasality). When your voice is not doing what you want it to, what is it doing? Write down what you want it to feel like and what you don’t want it to feel like? Invert the list of ‘don’t wants’ to the desired qualities list. For example, if running out of breath is on your ‘don’t wants’ then breath control could be on the ‘wants’ list.
Each ‘want’ becomes an active and ongoing goal that your singing practice pragmatically and systematically works towards realizing. There are many ways for example that we can bring forth ‘power’ in the voice – twang, open-ness, singing from the guts, using a focus on the back of the room to project to. Amplifying the qualities you want in your voice is more constructive than ‘avoiding’, being ashamed or self-conscious about what you don’t want. Record yourself and listen back.
You can make lists like this to define: the places you want to play (and don’t), the things you stand for, your image and stage presence and presentation, who you want to play for, production qualities for the CD and why you want to sing? Soon you’ll realize just how unique you are. By defining these specifics to your musical identity, you are unveiling your authenticity.
Write an ‘ideal’ review of your CD? What would the ‘worst’ review be? Use criticisms and praise you’ve received in the past the colour each one.
In order to find out what you want in terms of repertoire, write down your ultimate song-list. That is, which would be the perfect song (in your definition) for: a wedding, a tangi or funeral, an audition for the band of your dreams, to tell a story with, to comfort, for social comment or protest and even, your declaration of love. A singer is a spell-caster and an educator so don’t just choose the most obvious or popular songs. If you can’t think of a good enough song for each, then you might have to write one!
It isn’t just confidence that gives us the ability to whack off a scorching solo – it is skill. The voice is an instrument under the same laws as other instruments: you learn the rudiments and practice them. No exceptions! If you are self taught, gifted, talented, or ‘a natural’, you still gotsta practice.
There are however, very specific fears surrounding singing, especially singing in public (in Pakeha culture at least!) Rather than allowing people to sing without fear of harsh critique, being labelled an egomaniac or humiliated, singing is seen as an elite activity which should only be undertaken by a handful of ‘professionals’.
What crap! Singing is a human function, like walking, that should be done as often as possible. It feels good (if done correctly) and is good for you.
Nerves abate when we give a purpose to our singing. If it’s all about our ability to sing ‘perfectly’ or particularly well, then the pressure is on to ‘perform’. If the focus is on ‘the song’ and the telling of a story, then we can get out of the way and confidence grows.
List your fears underlying tasks you avoid like: practicing, completely a song or getting a band together. Do this with a friend and you’ll hear how irrational some fears really are. What would the ‘solutions’ to these fears be? For example, if you are frightened of being ‘heard’ while practicing, practice while walking, practice quietly, or talk to your flat mates about whether it actually bothers them. They probably can’t hear you over the TV anyway!