mike_mccue
I set up a small PA yesterday for singing along while I practice playing.
Why is it so much more fun to work a mic than a empty room?
bapu must know....
In the early days, I had a hard time liking the sound of my voice in cassette recorders or anywhere else.
Most of it, I kinda learned and found in the end, had to do with my comfort zone. If I'm reading a poem I wrote (for example), I sound fine, because I'm acting out what I felt during those moments and the words make sense to me ... I might even change a few letters here and there while doing it ... and listening to it back, is alright. I might find that I want to say this or that part a bit differently next time, but other than that, I rarely have a lot more to add to that moment.
With music, I can see where one can get so self critical and all of a sudden think things like ... I'm out of tune, I sing like a frog, I croak like a dog, and I stink like a flea! ... all of which, are not going to help you learn how to do it better.
One of the best things about rehearsing and doing film in theater, is that one of the things you have to learn to let go is the negative feeling ... because if you don't you fail to find the positive moments that can help guide you better. And sometimes, despite the wrong notes and out of tune, the emotion is so good that ... it over rides some of the negatives ... and that is important!
The other hard one, is voice exercises, which is something that is really difficult for most singers who think they can just get in front of a mike and let it all hangout. The best ones usually "prepare" themselves, and some vocal exercises could/would/should be necessary depending on the nature of what you are doing. Relaxing and having fun is good. Smoking a storm might not if you are pulling a Peter Hammill and you are going to be out of breath!
Lastly ... one thing about "phrasing" ... when you sing something record it and make a point to ONLY look at one thing the first time ... the phrasing ... you take a long sentence and speak it out. Notice where you are taking breaths and where you are running out of breath ... make marks/notes in the script/staff, to remind yourself to breathe here and there so you have more energy for this other spot over there ... in general, the worst part of most rock music is that the majority of singers do not know how to enunciate and where to breathe. It has the side effect of making the music feel more urgent and emotional, but in the end it's just not very good singing and it changes from performance to performance ... in search of a way to make it better.
Some get better, most don't! In my experience, how you look at it is the difference between improving or not.
I sound ok reading poetry and I am not sure that any of you guys could make it better ... I might state that I would like to do this and equalize my voice a little to sound deeper instead of being so tenor minded, but that's what it is. Just don't catch me singing ... but I can tell you that if I found "The Soft Parade" (the title song) on the karaoke, I would probably make Jim proud! And that is the difference between poetry and music and singing sometimes. But who's to say that it can't work with Mike?
post edited by Moshkiae - 2010/08/17 21:21:09