"Categories"

Since my cold is hanging on, and I'd really like to be working on this project (and am actually frustrated that I can't), I've decided to put down some thoughts. One thing that I think is important for the sake of gaining knowledge in the full spectrum of singing is making "definitions" between styles and then making a specific attempt at each style. I usually hate creating labels: jazz historians get caught up on the differences between "post bop", "hard bop" and "cool bop". Trust me, Horace Silver and Clifford Brown didn't make a distinction. So I am hesitant to make a label, but I do feel it necessary.

So here are the categories I’ve created for the purpose of this project:

Singer songwriter/vocal and guitar
I’ve decided to make this my base, or my comfort zone. Being a big John Mayer fan is a large factor in this decision, especially since I’ve worked on his music a lot on guitar.. When I started this blog I threw down the names of a bunch of tunes, most of which fall into this category, or I envisioned being able to be adapted into this category. I definitely want to branch out to other styles, but I think this makes sense to be my “home base”. Maybe it just seems less daunting.

Jazz
Definitely an important style to check out. As my undergrad was in jazz, I have a lot of friends who will be able to help me with this. One of the big challenges I’m anticipating with this style is the desire to really go out and not sound like anyone else. With the other styles, assimilation seems desirable to varying degrees; whereas in jazz, “finding your own voice” was always the goal. For the purposes of this project, that seems a bit excessive as it is usually a lifelong process. There will definitely be some discussion of this in lessons.

Western Art Music (Classical)
This is also definitely an important style to explore, especially since I have very little knowledge of it in a vocal context. One friend recommended Bach’s “Bist du bei mir” for me to work on. I found sheet music online in no time (so I’m assuming it’s a common piece), but the music is for soprano (http://artsongcentral.com/wp-content/uploads/ps014.pdf). I’m told that it is commonly transposed and sung by baritones and basses, so I just need to find out what key I should transpose it to. It’s an excellent suggestion given that I (somewhat) speak German. The language in this is much more manageable by me than say, Italian. It seems like a really good starting place. At present, my plan of attack is to get the text and melody down, and then get some lessons to work on the stylistic nuances. I have four recordings right now (three sopranos and I’m not sure whether the fourth recording is a bass or a baritone, but I know it’s in B major). I have the piano part which I will put in MIDI for practice purposes.

Pop/Rock/Blues
Although I was tempted to group Blues with Jazz, I’ve decided to put it with Rock. It definitely could go either place, or be its own group altogether. The big challenge with this category seems to be competing/blending the voice with electric instruments, as is the forte of vocalists of this genre. Although there is a stigma that exists, I will argue forever that Michael Jackson, Elton John, Robert Plant, David Lee Roth and Justin Timberlake are excellent singers. John Mayer sings differently on “Who Did You Think I Was” than he does on “Comfortable”. One technique in specific that I really wish to work on is the growl. It transcends these styles with jazz as well (Ella has an amazing growl, and so does Stevie Ray Vaughn). Every time I try this I massacre my throat, so it will definitely be a lesson topic.

Although I feel it necessary to make categories for the sake of zooming in on technical aspects, there is obviously crossover between all of these styles. The areas that crossover are probably the most important (tuning comes to mind). Something I want to keep in mind throughout this, is that I need to look at what I’m doing both from a close-up lens (getting all the subtle stylistic things) and from a wide-angle lens (more broad aspects such as tuning).
Thanks for reading,
Please feel free to comment,
Trevor