I have always been more drawn to the lyrics of a song than it's melody. My father and my fiance both feel the opposite but for me, unless I can feel some sort of connection to the lyrics, I can be left cold by a song.
This often leads to a heated debate when watching talent shows on TV in my house. The singers who I would describe as 'Powerhouse' singers have never really done it for me. I can certainly see that they are very talented and they have a very strong instrument, but, I often find all the belting and vocal acrobatics a little tiresome. I must make it clear that this is simply an opinion.
When I am working with a student I always tell them that you must take the listener on a journey. Years ago someone told me,"You don't give them starter, main course and dessert all at once. You give one course at a time". I loved that analogy and still use it today. In my eyes a song is a heightened way of telling a story. The combination of words and music can often get a message to travel right to the heart of the listener. I think I like singers like Glen Hansard and Damien Rice because they are not afraid to sing a story in a very stripped back manner. They have moments where they sing notes that some may say are rather harsh and ugly, but the story at that part of the song requires that.
As singers, do we sometimes hide behind our vocal prowess? Do we lose the story in our attempt to impress? As singers WE are the instrument but we are also the human behind the story in that moment. Do we prefer our singers to be more singer or more human?
This often leads to a heated debate when watching talent shows on TV in my house. The singers who I would describe as 'Powerhouse' singers have never really done it for me. I can certainly see that they are very talented and they have a very strong instrument, but, I often find all the belting and vocal acrobatics a little tiresome. I must make it clear that this is simply an opinion.
When I am working with a student I always tell them that you must take the listener on a journey. Years ago someone told me,"You don't give them starter, main course and dessert all at once. You give one course at a time". I loved that analogy and still use it today. In my eyes a song is a heightened way of telling a story. The combination of words and music can often get a message to travel right to the heart of the listener. I think I like singers like Glen Hansard and Damien Rice because they are not afraid to sing a story in a very stripped back manner. They have moments where they sing notes that some may say are rather harsh and ugly, but the story at that part of the song requires that.
As singers, do we sometimes hide behind our vocal prowess? Do we lose the story in our attempt to impress? As singers WE are the instrument but we are also the human behind the story in that moment. Do we prefer our singers to be more singer or more human?
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