I'm going to introduce my basic philosophy on Life in this little entry here... and apply it to singing of course
Okay...ready? Here it is:
There is NO problem. There never was and never will be.
Don't like that last note? Didn't get a breath in time? Messed up the lyrics?
It is just not a problem!
I always noticed that for really talented (please review my first blog entry in this series on my pov on "talent" if you're interested) ...Okay, for really open, flowing and skilled musicians,
improvisation was the art of discovery and recovery!
Climbing out on a limb, becoming obviously a little lost and
recovering beautifully! Finding any path back to key equilibrium and moving on!
Doing this quickly and efficiently! Improv!
Improvisation can also be applied to Life, singing, making love, cooking, finding a good dentist etc.
SO, lets review (already?)
I've just hit a clunker note/ there's a cute person in the front row/ I don't even FLINCH/ there's a famous movie director in the 2nd row/ I sing another note close to the last one that creates the impression that I MUST'VE clearly hit that last note on purpose/ then, find my way back to familiar territory/ WALLAH!....saved my musical ass once again!
No problem, no pain or thoughts about hitting a "wrong" note that really did go against the key and feel of the song... just for a second! Just a weaving dance of notes that fly and float around the key, the melody flying about in and out of what I'm singing...all is well!
AND it sounded fine AND the sax player compliments me on some very interesting improvisational choices and he especially loved the dissonant notes and there's no problem!
So, coming up with ways to NOT hit a bad note can become a dogmatic technical uncreative point of view that hinders your discovery and consequently your learning to recover!
Becoming an accurate singer is, of course, a good idea. And one should be able to sing what one hears in one's head on command: I agree. But in ANY moment, if that does not happen for whatever reason....it's no problem.
It never was! It never will be.
Pressure off to be the perrrrrfect singer before you can have the time of your life performing for the folks???
Revealing yourself,
essentially vulnerable
and as naked as you can be,
to the world
is:
FUN!
Don't make something that is so much fun a problem.
This is Divy Nelson for
The Singers' Daily
Austinvoicelessons.com
(since 1492)
PS: it is important to have sung about 10 thousand scales in every key during your hourly practice, if you are a beginner.
Just thought I'd throw that in. Its like the steering wheel on your fancy car. More on scales later..
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Bravo Divy! Very timely. Beautifully addresses the whole issue of being your self and being vulnerable. If you're truly being you and not making a problem of a mistep, people will be much more forgiving and give you the benefit of the doubt. It's when you're not being vulnerable, putting up defenses and getting uptight about your performence that you make people uncomfortable and less in allowance of you. 'Course I wouldn't know this from personal experience ;)
ReplyDeleteKeep on writing great stuff like this.
Love ya,
Rich
Okay I have two comments. One, sometimes you go for something but it doesn't come out the way you thought it would. Two, it's a fleeting moment, both the thought and the attempt, they happened so fast that the only person who really knew you didn't make it was you, the singer (that is unless it was extremely bad, in which case yes, you do it once more like Divy said).
ReplyDeleteAnd I love the life analogy. It's wonderful how mastery of anything leads to mastery of everything. A master learns to relax.
I don't ever remember making what I considered to be a mistake while singing, even when I am so into the music that I forget to swallow and end up gargling out a note it's okay with me. Guitar playing on the other hand was a completely different story. But, as they say here in Nashville, not no more.
Keep it up Div. Love your show!