One of the most exciting and important aspects of singing is knowing how to sing with expression. What is the purpose of music if not to express emotion, feeling, thought, and, yes, music. There is nothing quite as much fun or rewarding than holding an audience in the palm of your hand through the expression of a song. What a gift to be given to be able to move people by expressing the words and music of a song in such a way that it evokes emotion in the listener.
How, then, do we learn to sing with such expression? A lot of the equation is choosing to sing songs that you can connect with both musically and textually. What does the song mean to you and what do you want to convey to your listeners? What do you feel when you think about the words of the song and how can you make that come to life? Many times I have had students bring songs to work with me and when they sing them, I feel nothing. Even if the singing is good, if there is no emotional expression, it is fruitless. Once we bring the words to life, the song takes on life, and the student can bring me to tears, or make me laugh, or give me chills. Of course we want to work on the technicalities of singing and have the voice the best possible, but it is the emotional expression that is the icing on the cake. The song that moves is the one I am going to pay to hear. How about you?
Once the song has been chosen, and it is one that the singer can relate to, then there are some things that can help bring about the natural emotion in the singer’s voice.
The first is to speak the words. Just speak the first line. Then speak it with as much emotion as possible, but still naturally.
Next, sing it right there, just like that. Speak the line, then sing the line. Feel the emotion and let it go, so when you are singing, it is the same as when you are speaking with passion. Your singing should feel as easy and as natural as your speech. The thing is, when you begin to sing with more emotion and expression, you feel even more vulnerable, because singing for an audience does make you vulnerable. Singing for people is an invitation into your very heart and soul, because that is where music and song is born. Practice this speech singing often to find this freedom path to more expressive singing. Once you begin to let go, singing takes on a whole new level of fun.
You can take a FREE LESSON!!!
I will be writing and videoing many more helpful tips on how to sing with more expression, so stay tuned and check in often. Now go and sing with passion!!!