“I want to be good!”
“I want to sing better.”
These are common desires.
What is good? What is better?
I explore this every day. Some of my clients have a ton of experience singing - in choirs, karaoke, theatre - and at some point, come to focus on their unique voice, their sound, and explore how they can bring their artistic choices into the world.
This is artist exploration as much as voice exploration. Singing can focus on one or the other, or both.
Often “good” means, they hope people will want to listen to them; like they like listening to singers they love. Where can we find that magic?
“Good” is how so many of us want to be seen/heard/perceived - good girl, good enough etc. Perhaps that’s why I hear it so often. And therefore, I see it as a word that is applied to outside perception.
When I thought about what FEELS good as a singer, I thought about having fun . Singing as a way to self-soothe and relax and destress; that kind of singing FEELS good.
To be singing “good” feels easy. Sometimes being “good” feels powerful and helps me express feelings, even when there is more effort. “Good” singing is communicating and connecting.
Ok, so I didn’t use one aesthetic or texture of sound in that description.
We spend a lot of time in the studio exploring different sounds, to make things “better”. what if your voice is already “good” and you just haven’t figured out how to connect with it, and express with it.
Let’s look at some other view points…
A good singer is someone who knows and owns their own feelings, choices, tastes without comparison or others’ opinions getting in the way. This is from veteran record producer Rick Rubin:
“Understanding how you feel in the face of other voices without 2nd guessing yourself is probably the single most important thing to practice as an artist. Know how you feel and own your feelings. I know for me. If I’m undermining my taste for some commercial idea, it defeats the purpose. I’m doing me, I’m showing you who I am - whether you like it or not - this is still how I see it.”
A good singer is someone who is proud of and confident in their work. From an old interview I saw of Lady Gaga:
“I know how great my work is… I want to encourage you all to live that way. When you do something great and people tell you they like it, say - Thank you, I worked very hard on it - It’s the way we get a sharable sense of value.”
A simple, and powerful look at what makes a “good” singer is someone who makes me FEEL; someone who moves me.
There are artists who we might not identify as great singers (b/c we’re thinking primarily of their voice), and yet they are a favorite because they cut us and heal us all at once with their music and songwriting.
And, maybe sometimes their voice is a part of that. Brandi Carlisle is like that for me. Her voice is like dancing at a party or swimming in grief. She stirs up all my feelings.
Bob Dylan has a voice I do not love. I don’t think of him being a “good” singer. I enjoy listening to other people sing his songs. I love his songs, his artistry. AND, if hearing Bob Dylan sing his songs makes you FEEL something, then he is a good singer.
We like what we like. Perhaps the singers we like, we see as “good” singers.
Those of us that grew up listening to Dolly Parton may not dig Opera, and vice versa. Singing, like any music and all other art forms, is subjective. We have opinions/preferences.
I have lived in both worlds; I learned an appreciation for classical music, without loving singing it. I was a dang opera singer for several years before I was like, “Hmmm, I’d rather be singing country music.” 😂
Most singers I find moving also play with phrasing, dynamics, and intention/mood in their singing. I would also identify them as authentic; feeling what they sing.
This is my friend Kim.
I met her in the opera chorus a dozen years ago and she has remained a dear friend. I had the privilege of hearing her sing a beautiful recital last night filled with songs by African American composers and poets. I’ve heard Kimberly song a lot over the years, but never like this.
Anyone who knows Kimberly, knows she has a beautiful voice. But last night…she was unearthly. I was moved. My hanky was handy. Her intricate choices of dynamics, phrasing and feeling for song interpretation made us all FEEL the pain and sorrow, and joy in her songs. She spent time to find songs that moved her, and she wanted that for us. This was GRAND singing!
We can do all of the voice training in the world, but nothing will feel as good and confident as believing in yourself, that you are worthy to say/sing something in this world, and that you are powerful enough to connect and move others.
Often this can come naturally when we allow our feelings of expression to come through. And, the musicianship tools of phrasing, dynamics, inflection, and intention can be learned! Come explore with me Tuesdays, March 7 & 21!
Maybe set the voice analysis aside for a bit…get a little vulnerable and real.
That’s what we do in my studio - check in technically, check in artistically, check in with the heart, and do the work to bring them together.
