“Learning the Steps to Originality”
Singing is all about presentation.
Be the character. Tell the story.
If I tell you to make the song your own, what does that even mean?
First of all — what is the song?
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What’s its energy?
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What does it have to say for itself?
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Is it more about the tune, the words, or the rhythm?
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Or do all the components play their own part?
An even better question is: Who the heck are you?
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Do you have a style?
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Do you stand for something?
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Is there a story you need to tell?
The happiest of marriages between singer and song is when essence matches essence.
That’s pretty easy to do when you’re the songwriter — but that’s a topic for another article.
Let’s just say there’s a song you’ve always wanted to sing. Why?
Obviously, you’ve heard it.
Did you love how that singer sang it?
Was it all in their presentation, or did the essence of the song shine through regardless?
Sometimes a song just captures us — not because of the performance, but because of what the song is.
It has essence — or personality, to use a different word.
Yes, a top-level singer can create a rendition of a song that takes your breath away.
But that is their interpretation.
That interpretation is not the song itself — it’s only an artist’s version of it.
You would never want to simply duplicate an existing rendition.
There’s no reason to. The song has already been sung and recorded that way.
What we want to look at is how you and the song are in alignment.
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What about the lyric is something you’ve always wanted to say?
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What about the melody lets your emotions soar?
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What about the rhythm makes your body want to move…
…or your heart expand…
…or turn you thoughtful and introspective?
The very best performance coaches are incredible at helping you answer these questions — and more.
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Is the song something you want to yell from the highest mountain…
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…or whisper in your lover’s ear?
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Does it help you vent your anger…
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…or awaken you into becoming a better person?
When you know:
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Who you are,
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What the song is,
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Who you are when singing it, and
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How its story is one with your own,
…you are ready to start thinking about the arrangement (instrumentation and style) and the energy you want to portray.
A parade of people will come into your life — whether you’re signed to a major label, working with a small indie, or recording in your basement — who can assist you and give insight into how the song can be recorded.
Ultimately, how you sing your song is up to you.
Hopefully, you’ve thought deeply about what you’re doing.
If you need a performance coach who can help you find the silver lining in that song you’ve always loved, we recommend calling The Singing Lesson Expert.
Source: http://thesingingblog.com