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VoiceScienceWorks

ongoing discussions 

a forum to discuss the continuous mysteries and discoveries of the voice

What does help look like?

5/31/2016

1 Comment

 
Have you ever wanted the power to start conversations about the voice like this?



 Everyone, at some specific emotional level, is the expert on their voice. 

Have you ever tried offering unsolicited advice to someone about their voice? 

If so, how well did they respond?  The voice is so connected with our emotional center, and so much a part of each individual's identity, that we can appreciate people having difficulty hearing that you know something that they don't about their instrument.  That idea extends to vocal professionals too.  The very idea that a vocal professional might not know something seems to send us into a dark place.  Yet, when we pause to ask ourselves if we know everything, every one of us has to admit that the voice is too complex to be fully understood, and that we are all specialists in very specific ways.  The industry supports the vocal professional's reluctance to admit that they might not know something.  Past instruction practices, a difficult job market, and a cult-of-personality system of private training have created a scenario in which vocal instructors are unwilling to show any weakness.  Yet, the words "I don't know, let's find out" can be so motivating, and empower the instructor to deepen into their community as well.  So how do we open conversations without the power of wizardry?  Maybe magic is the only answer, or, maybe the voice world is developing the power of inquiry and openness to community in new ways so that new knowledge doesn't make us feel like we're being robbed, and help is always just a conversation away.

~David
1 Comment
Steve Wachter link
7/16/2016 11:43:10 pm

Hi Laurel,

This is a very interesting subject to me.
I think that mimicking or copying can be useful to artists that haven't "found" their voice.

A good example would be Michael Buble' who I believe copied Sinatra until he found his signature sound.

When I hear you sing I can hear a unique style coming from you that sounds unique to your person....so once an artist finds a sound then an audience wants to hear more of that, but of course always great to hear a song that sounds like something from the past if an artist can pull it off in a way that does justice to the original.

This is why I pick an artist such as John Fogerty to try to copy but I also find other artists from the past such as Jimmy Durante that may also be a good pick for me to minic simply because I like his sound and hope to incorporate parts of his style and until I find a way to sing that I recognize as something unique coming from me.

I think that is why I talked about Paul McCartney singing at 73 and Leonard Cohen singing at 75 who are now 75 and 80 or so respectively, because it gives me hope that maybe I still have a chance...😊!!

I saw Jungle book and while the credits rolled at the end of the movie, the actor Christopher Walken sings a novelty number that had a lot of color and character to it and he is 73!

Another old style that I like, is Edith Piaf....of course not for me to copy...but to encourage female vocalists to try and learn from because I like the passion I hear in her voice. Though as you said this may partly be from the recording which comes across a bit "shaky" giving a mysterious tone to her songs.

Thanks again to you and David,
I look forward to exploring the material and the website.

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