What... Still singing too hard????

Well since I got quite a bit of feedback from the last blog, I thought I’d do one more on the subject…

I’d like to explore the idea of conversational singing… This is an area that I am really working on in my own singing right now… Yes, even though I’ve been singing since dirt was created… I’m still learning…… If you’re reading this it means you want to keep learning too… BRAVO!!!

If you look at a lot of great artists, what you will find is there ability to really tell you the story rather than sing the story at you… This will also help you to not over-sing or sing too hard. If you feel as though you’re “talk-singing” a large portion of the song and then punctuate the song with big notes and lots of dynamics you might get a performance from yourself and a response from your audience that you just didn’t expect.

Talking v. Singing

Remember I’ve always said if you start on 10 … you don’t have anywhere left to go… Learn to back off thinking that you have to “sing” everything. Try saying the line. Notice where your meter is, notice which words you punctuate and which you don’t when you say something. Now sing it the way you just said it. Do it again and again till your singing feels more like your talking.

I read this great quote, which I’ll include at the end if you want to read it in its entirety, but basically is said life was like being a sprinter… lots of hard work punctuated by brief moments where you get to be great.

Try thinking about your songs this way too, lots of “talk-singing” with brief moments, and only certain notes that will you really belt. You know where; yep, it’s on the money note! Try using all kinds of different colors of the voice in every song, it will give your songs character and make them more interesting for your audience and for you.

Hit one high note soft and pretty and the next time it comes around knock it out of the park! Use full tone, use soft tone, use breathy tone (just not too much on this one), use growls, just plain talk a word or two and then occasionally really sing something full out, wide open… It will get the crowds attention.

Keep it interesting for your audience. Keep it interesting for yourself. And quit trying to hold every note right into the other one. Make it swing; go ahead, give it some soul!


From his book “Slaying the Dragon” Olympic sprinter Michael Johnson who set records in the 200 and the 400 meter sprints in 96 wrote:

Success is found in much smaller portions than most people realize. A hundredth of a second here or sometimes a tenth there can determine the fastest man in the world. At times we live our lives on a paper-thin edge that barely separates greatness from mediocrity and success from failure. Life is often compared to a marathon, but I think it’s more like being a sprinter: long stretches of hard work punctuated by brief moments in which we are given the opportunity to perform at our best.