Understanding Vocal Performance

A better question is why do you want to sing for an audience? For some it’s an ego trip or to show off while for others it’s just a natural extension of their personality driven by a need to share their artistic expression. Some people have a message in their music while others use their voice to create an experience for their audience.

If you are sharing your art then the song you sing, the way you sing it, and the experience you create is a gift to your audience. And they are special so treat them like they’re your best friend. If you are preparing a gift for your best friend then make it the best gift it can be and deliver it from your heart.

Whenever you perform a song you are giving the audience a part of yourself. That’s why singing is so personal. In a very real sense you are revealing your inner self and using your voice to convey feelings of fun, reflection, anger, love, or any other emotion you want to share. You’re inviting them to share your feelings by singing to them.

Now this might sound a bit weird to people who just want to sing songs they like to others. But almost anyone can do that. Karaoke bars are full of people who just sing songs the best they can and the audience seems to enjoy them. But how do you connect on a deeper level? You can take vocal lessons, sing more precisely, and sing with more intensity. These all help and are part of the mystery of great singers who just seem to know how to connect with their audience, but there is much more.

Have you ever heard someone singing and turned your head toward the sound to see where it’s coming from? What makes some singers turn heads? Is it emotion, talent, tone? Have you ever watched and listened to a singer and got shivers? That is a special feeling, but what causes it? It seems to be a combination of melody, words, talent, mood, inflections, tone, emotion and the way it reaches the listener. There is something magical about a singer who can turn heads and give people shivers. It comes from a personal, inner understanding that some people are able to find and convey. What makes that happen can’t really be taught but there are ways to help develop it.

Some of my best singing lessons had little to do with singing. When studying English literature I had the opportunity to read Aristotle’s Poetics in which he spends a lot of time examining art. He tries to define art and examine why it touches people so deeply. There seems to be a place in everyone’s heart that art reaches where nothing else does. It satisfies and gratifies in a unique and special way. That’s why music is often called the universal language and is so therapeutic for so many. Great artists know how to connect with that special place in the heart.

William Wordsworth describes poetry as the “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings,” but for me that’s what music is, and that’s what singing is. He also writes of the “transference of emotion,” those powerful feelings that are captured by the artist, reflected upon and transferred to the reader through poetry. But this also applies to singing. Capture an emotion, intensify it, and then transfer it to your listeners through your voice so they can also experience that emotion. To do this successfully you need to sing from your heart to the listener’s heart. That’s where the true connection really happens, head turning and shivers. The voice and ears are just the vehicles that transfer the feelings. Great singers understand this.

Now at this point it may seem odd that an article about singing isn’t talking about technique, pitch, breathing and other technical aspects of using your voice. I will discuss some of these issues shortly, but the philosophy of why you sing and how best to connect with people is much more important than the technical aspects of singing.

Music is both an art and a science, but it’s mostly an art. The science facilitates the art. But if that’s true then why are most lessons on musical performance about the science of music rather than finding ways to connect with people through art? I believe this is primarily because science is more accessible. It gives the teacher something concrete to teach. But the reality is that there is something indescribable and largely unteachable about the magical connection between a great singer and the listener, a gift from one to the other, and ultimately the challenge for any aspiring singer is to find a way to make that connection. There are people with degrees in the science of music who don’t understand this and people who play by ear that do.

As a professional singer I have developed this connection for many years. And while I do have a healthy level of musical theory and vocal training, it is a means to an end but not an end in itself. My ability to reach the audience with my voice and the resulting musical success it brings is something inside me that I understand but is difficult to describe. It is talent, emotion, confidence, experience, and the willingness to stand before people and expect them to enjoy my artistic expression.

I’ll offer a few tips that might help you better understand what I’m talking about. Above all, singing involves strength of mind. Find the emotion in every song that you sing, intensify it and use that intensity to move the audience with your voice. Sing every song again for the first time with a sense of wonderment, recapturing and transferring the strongest emotion you can find. Project your voice with intensity by singing to the people in the very back (as though they are right in front of you) and then everyone in between will be washed in the richness of your voice. Pick one person in the back and picture yourself singing to their heart, intensely, with passion. You will go through the hearts of everyone else on the way to that person in the back.

Learn the difference between intensity and aggression and sing intensely without yelling. Whenever you can, find songs and parts of songs that turn heads and give people chills. There is little appetite for mediocre performances in this musically saturated world filled with increasingly fussy and discerning audiences. Reaching hearts with your voice is about creating magic. Find that magic then recreate it every time you sing.

Now a few words about the technical aspect of singing: If you are preparing your musical gift for someone and want to make it the best it can be then of course you’ll need to study your craft, have good pitch, develop a pleasing tone, sing with crisp intervals, use proper breathing, etc. You will want to keep your diaphragm tight and your shoulders and throat relaxed while you create a rich facial tone that fills the room. Yes the technical aspect of singing is important to facilitate the experience you’re trying to create.

Singing begins in your head and the challenge is to get your voice to do what you decide you want it to do. I have always thought (in principle, at least) that if properly conditioned your voice will do what your mind tells it to do. This involves training and visualization, much the same way professional athletes visualize what they want to achieve then train and challenge their body to make it a reality. To have the mind of a professional singer you need to consider yourself an athlete.

Above all you must know your voice much the same way an athlete knows his body. Get to know what it feels like to sing certain notes and parts. Experiment with it by adding more treble, more bass, more mid. Try some different tones, raspy, squeaky, raunchy, smooth. Stretch your mouth and see how the shape of your mouth affects the tone. Experiment with your facial tone by understanding that most of the tone of your voice comes from your face not your throat. Feel your face when your sing; plug your nose and hear the difference. Develop a rich facial tone.

Stretch your range by singing your lowest note then highest note. Make sure you are comfortable singing the notes in your range then expand your range without hurting your voice. This is very important so that you learn to sing the notes you choose with a confidence and ease. Relax and smile when you sing higher notes. And when you sing high parts, push less not harder. This seems counter intuitive but is very important because pushing too hard actually has the opposite effect you want as it constricts and hurts your voice. Keep the same intensity without forcing it. And always remember that your voice is a delicate instrument and needs to be treated that way.

It is very important that you have a clear image in your mind of what you are going to sing before you sing it. It’s not about crossing your fingers and hoping it comes out right or guessing on what you’re about to sing. And especially for high or difficult notes picture them in your mind and then make them a reality with precision. If you don’t do this then your singing will sound sloppy and you might hurt yourself trying to sing a note you aren’t prepared for. The reality is that singing takes great mental discipline and concentration while giving the appearance of ease and control. This is only possible by developing a relaxed intensity. Professional athletes understand this implicitly.

Making something that is difficult look easy is what professionals do. And while it’s true that some difficult things are supposed to look difficult, intensity is different than struggle. You sing intensely because you choose to, not because you’re struggling. Struggle makes the audience uncomfortable and pushes them away while intensity creates intrigue and draws them in. Understand the difference and develop it in your vocal performance.

Don’t over sing. Desperate to make an impression, many novice singers make it obvious that they are trying too hard. Some add too many trills or excessive vocal moves trying to impress people, but it has the opposite effect. It’s ok to go “Mariah Carey” on a tune if you are Mariah Carey or if you’re good at it and it suits the song. But this is often not the case.

Others tend to sing too hard or too loud. Some people holler and think they are singing. But louder and harder is not better. This again illustrates the difference between aggression and intensity. Intense singing filled with passion and emotion reaches people much deeper (and longer) than hollering. Some rock or alternative singers use anger, aggression and yelling because it seems strong to them and incites their audience to join in their aggression. But aggression is no substitute for intensity, and yelling is not singing. The audience you attract by yelling will quickly disappear when the angst subsides and your lack of musical talent is laid bare.

There is an obvious difference between great and mediocre. Being mediocre is easy. That’s why most singers are just average. Being a great singer and reaching people with your voice is your challenge. It’s not about being technically perfect (otherwise opera singers would be the biggest stars). It’s not about how much you warm up, your breathing, exercises, or technique, although these are important. Being a great singer is about whatever style, tone, inflection, personality, technical ability, and magic you create that connects deeply with your audience. Capture your magic and recreate it every time you sing.