How do you go
about choosing the best songs to sing -- the ones that define what you are
about and why?
There’s no way
MapQuest can tell you how to get from your local hole-in-the-wall all the way
to Hollywood, but a big part of a singer's success comes from having a good
nose for sniffing out the right songs at the right time. So, how do you know if
you are choosing the best songs to sing?
Some of you may
feel that a good singer ought to be able to sing any song at all -- including
the phone book. But there are certain parameters -- social, vocal, and age --
that define what is normally considered to be acceptable. So why ask for trouble?
Why not get songs that are exactly right for you?
Age
Appropriate
First and
foremost, songs should be age appropriate. If you’re young and you haven’t had
fourteen steamy love affairs, it’s hard to sing "You give me fever,
baby" convincingly. It always shocks me when a nine-year-old turns up with
a song about whiskey and failed second marriages. On the other hand, neither
should a mature artist ramble on about what happens after school and the end of
summer vacation.
Vocal Range
I find that a
majority of singers choose songs that are way too high for them to sing
comfortably. Perhaps they feel the need to challenge themselves. Forget that,
you should sing what makes you sound best. I mean, it’s fine to challenge
yourself in private, but choosing material that is too high to present well in
public doesn’t make any sense. I find myself suggesting lowering the keys for
many of my students, and most of them are already pretty evolved singers. So,
especially if you are fairly new to singing, the best songs to sing are those
with notes you can reach with ease.
Social and Ethnic Background
You would also
be wise to avoid songs that are sung in dialect. If you’re not Irish, don’t
sing an Irish jig. If you are Irish, why not make the most of your heritage by
exploring it in your music? Writers are told to “Write what you know.” Singers
should take that same advice and “Sing what you know.” If you were born and
raised in New York City, it’s a good bet you know little about tractors, barns,
or hay rides. But, you do know about Times Square, all night dancing and
perhaps what it’s like to be lonely in a big city. The same is true for a
Tennessee farm boy. If he's never been off the farm what does he know about
bright lights and the big city? The best songs to sing are those you can, in
some way, personally identify with.
Personality
Who are you?
It’s a simple question, but oh, so hard to answer. Know thyself! Know who you
are and choose songs that you can identify with, wild child, county boy, or
classy lady. Are you a high-energy singer who moves all over the stage? Then
you should look for songs with an upbeat tempo. If you are the more George
Strait stand-in-one-place-and-strum-a-guitar type, look for ballads and
easy-going songs. This does not mean all your songs have to be one or the
other, but you want to load up with songs that play to your greatest strengths
when you are performing.
What do you listen to most
Perhaps the best
songs to sing are simply the songs you like to listen to. Check your radio dial,
your CD collection and your MP3 play list. Do you see a pattern? Our favorite
songs tend to be the ones we like to sing along with because they are in a
comfortable range: the ones that don't require three octave high notes sung at
full throttle. Make note of those songs that you have loved for years and keep
their properties in mind when you are choosing the best songs to sing for
yourself.
Some of the
above suggestions may appear to be obvious. However, the number of singers that
don't seem to take these issues into consideration is surprising (and
alarming). Remember to keep in mind when you choose songs that your age, range,
personality, and personal history are all very important factors.
Nashville
vocal coach Renee Grant-Williams reveals the trade secrets that have already
helped hundreds of aspiring singers become celebrities: Tim McGraw, Martina
McBride, Dixie Chicks, Miley Cyrus, Huey Lewis, Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill,
Jason Aldean, Christina Aguilera...
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