My 'Featured Article' on musesmuse.com!

My article 'Why Songwriters Should Be Fearless Singers' is a 'Featured Article' this month on musesmuse.com - a great website resource for Songwriters.

 Part of your job as a speaker/singer is to know how to control the equipment you use onstage, and be able to articulate what you need from the sound person.

I've been on tour with big name acts (male and female) who could not (after long careers onstage!) tell the sound person what kind of reverb they'd like (long decay/big room etc.); what frequency panel they'd prefer for their vocal quality; or what they wanted to hear, or not hear in their monitors.  I usually had to play interference explaining to the sound booth easy directives like 'boost the mids, drop the highs' etc. just so that we could finish the sound check!

I once saw a concert with Petula Clark, who at that time had been a seasoned veteran for many years.  Her mic cord came unplugged, and SERIOUSLY, she looked around helplessly until a tech came and plugged it back in!  I was stunned at her lack of professionalism.  I can't believe that she wouldn't know how to plug the mic back in, and it really was too stupid to chalk up to being a Diva!

I think it goes for everyone to KNOW YOUR EQUIPMENT, and know how to talk to your crew on a technical level.  That's the best way to assure that you'll get the sound you want, and the respect and cooperation of those working being the stage to make you look and sound great!

What Is Your Song About?

When I'm working with students and they've just finished singing a song for the first time, the first question I ask is - 'what is this song about?'  Shockingly, most people say 'I don't know!'  How can you tell a story, when you don't know what the story is about?  Well, I guess you could, but if you don't have a clue about what story you're telling, don't expect your audience to care a bit about your song!

Singing is about communication, and in order to have your audience feel something you have to be feeling something yourself.  Otherwise, you're just spouting empty words and phrases with no emotion behind them.  You might as well be speaking a foreign language or gibberish!

Look at your lyrics.  Understand the point of view of the character who is singing through you.  Get to the subtext of the lyric….what emotion underlies the words you are singing?  Then, feel that emotion, don't just sing the words, feel the words.  Your audience will not only understand your story, but they will relate to the emotion contained in the lyrics that you are expertly delivering.

So before you even start singing a song, ask yourself 'what is this song about?', making sure that the lyric is appropriate for your age, as well as your life experience.  A ten year old girl shouldn't be singing a song about divorce or a lost love, but strangely I hear this with students all the time.  Pick a lyric that you can relate to emotionally, then let those emotions carry through the story of the song.  You will connect with your audience in a way that will make your performance emotionally supercharged and unbelievably memorable!

So, 'what is your song about?'