I think as time has passed people have gone from the certain strong, vocal, technique to being able to "skip by" a song without having to actually sing it. Do you have to sing the whole word when you can "trick" through it? I don’t know if it’s just what the newer generation wants to hear, or if it’s just we are missing something that the previous generation possessed.
Lately, I have been kind of sidetracked by a lot of different types of voices (not the ones in my head), but the difference in the gap of singing from back in the early to mid to mid late 1900's. What has happened to the passion of the previous era compared to the new era of singers? Is there a difference? It seems to me that everybody today has to try to trick songs and make it sound stylish, when in reality, it seems this tricking and stylish style of singing is done because it is a shortcut and a way to actually avoid the real voice. I have been around people that have tricked every word they have said in a song and the real question that comes to my mind is, "if they even tried, could they actually sing that song one time through without tricking one word'”? I think as we get further into what we call “new age” music, there is becoming a bigger lack of discipline in artist’s voices that has really somewhat faded. Why discipline your voice when you can trick it?
When I think of people that could and still can sing, my mind goes to Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Luciano Pavarotti, Ray Charles, the 3 Tenors, Albertina Walker, Murrell Ewing, Guy Penrod the list could go on and on. Looking at these pillars and landmarks, the difference in this generation and that generation, is the passion and discipline they had and believed in and put into every song they sang. The gap in the style of singing from back in the last century into the new one now is quite vast. While some singers have it, and some singers don’t, the majority of people that were great successes, had very disciplined voices. When Frank Sinatra went in to the studio to record, it was a known fact the he hated recording more than once. He would do it one time through and that was it on almost every song. If you were in the band or were a background vocal, you had be on the ball, know your game, and be ready to put everything you had into it or the result was not so hot for your career. But he would practice to the point where he didn’t have to come into the studio and do it more than once. They didn’t have all of the modern conveniences we have today like pro tools, they didn’t have tuners, and they didn’t have several chances to get it right, but they came in ready to go and finish it up in one run-through.
Today, it is nicer to have the convenience of programs like pro-tools, tuners, and etc, but it poses the question to me, what did they posses back then that we don’t posses to the same level now? What did they have back then that 70 years later, we are still attracted to their voice, and style without the use of all the modern conveniences? I think a lot of it was dedication and passion to what they did. I guess I am just saying that the passion in a lot of newer artists I hear does not level nor really compare to the level of what true singers did put into it. They can’t just sing out what they believe. The term “sing your heart out” really truly meant something. It came from inside, it came from somewhere deep within, and they didn’t have to trick it, they didn’t have to “effect it” and they didn’t have to “tune it”, because people could hear that they were sincere and tried and really believed what they were singing and were putting everything they had into it. To the point where when you were done singing a song, you were sweating, wore out and still had 3 songs to go, but still kept on going. Personally, I think people were attracted to them because they could just sing it out and their dedication to what they did was apparent. Throughout a lot of the albums you pick up today, it is refreshing when you pick one up and can hear this sound.
What is missing? The passion, the sincerity and the conviction are truly what make a singer and what this is all about. I guess that’s why I can listen a little bit more to singers who may not be that great, but they can just belt it out. The tricks and different styles on every word aren’t there but they can still ..........just sing it.
4 comments:
Tricks are often referred to in the music world as licks. I know some people who have more licks than a German Shepherd. I like a clean sound with an occasional flair. Tricks/licks should be used sparingly. A way to know if you trick too much, record yourself and then listen to your own recording with the lyrics in front of you. Put an "X" on each word that is not kept clean. You will soon find out if you are out of balance or not. Great post, Tyler.
I saw you at the funeral yesterday but I did not get a chance to talk to you before we left. In my opinion,I think that good clean singing is great with a few vocal licks here and there. The whole idea of a song is to minister and give a message. It is hard to get the message if all your time is spent reading between the licks.**(Reading between the lines)**
Jana,
Agree with everything you said. I just find it annoying that alot of people now are doing this. They cant just sing it out. I have a friend who was actually at youth convention this year, and he is actually knocking off all the tricks he does and when he started singing everybody was just in awe because nobody had ever heard him sing like that before. Licks are a dime a dozen now days, but if you give me someone who can sing, they can do alot more to affect their career. People dont notice tricks, but they do notice a voice.
Josh,
Good to hear from you bro. Sorry bout the funeral, wish I could have talked to you. Wholeheartedly agree with your post. Thanks for stopping by.
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