As a song writer, I usually try to avoid clichés in my writing. But for the topic I'm going to address today, finding inspiration for your song writing though photography, this title cliché says it pretty well. When you recall a fond memory from your past, there are probably several things happening simultaneously in your brain: flashes of visual images of the people and events involved, combined with feelings, and maybe some recollections of the words that were heard or spoken as well. All of these things are found in good songs, too, especially if you view a song's lyrics as portraying a certain feeling using imagery in its words. But this same kind of feeling can also arise from looking at an old photograph of something special in your life. Maybe it's a photograph of a special person, or a special event, or a special place. But the important point here is that certain photos trigger certain feelings, just as certain songs do. And it's this aspect of photography that I encourage you to use to your advantage as a song writer.
As a matter of fact, for the purposes of inspiring lyrics, I rarely go anywhere without a camera on me, even it it's just my camera phone. And the reason is simple: life happens fast, most of the time too fast to stop and document in the form of lyrics. So when I'm living a moment that I believe will be worthy of writing a song about at some point in my near future, I will typically pull out my camera and take a few shots. These photos serve as instant reminders for my brain. The contents of each image typically will trigger certain memories, certain feelings, and also serve as concrete reminders of the visual impacts of that event, whatever it happens to be. And all of those triggers for memories that one finds in a photo, are also useful for composing lyrics later as you are recalling that time and place.
Most song writers and lyricists that I know keep a notebook of their thoughts and ideas. Their notebooks are usually a place where they can organize their thoughts, as they begin to crystallize into the phrases of a song. If you write songs, you probably have a similar solution you use when trying to write lyrics for your creations. The whole point here is to encourage you to incorporate photography into your lyric writing, too. So, your lyric notebook is a great place to tuck away your special photos, photos that immediately force you to recall those special times and places and people. Since these photos trigger various details and feelings, they can be valuable tools for jump-starting the writing process as you create songs about these special people, places, and events.
But incorporating photography into your song writing is more than just pulling out special photos when you're trying to write lyrics. It's also having the forethought to take your camera with you, as you are out there living life. And when you recognize that you are experiencing something that's potentially song-worthy, pull out your camera and snap a few shots. Your goal here is to document the moment, even if the things you are taking pictures of are not photographically interesting. Your goal here is not necessarily to take awesome photos. Your goal is to record the moment in an image, so that later on down the road, if you decide to write about this moment, you can pull out those photos and be transported back in time. Hopefully the photos will bring back more memories, more details than recollection alone. And these additional details should be of great benefit as you attempt to re-create similar feelings using music.
Although photography and music are usually seen as separate art forms, photography can be extremely valuable for the song writer, as I've pointed out. And it serves as a reminder that all forms of art can be complimentary to your song writing. So don't neglect other forms of art because you are focused on song writing. Use other artistic endeavors to inspire your music creations, too! Approach your art with an open, creative mind! Live artful!
Copyright ©2009 W.A. Blevins
Monday, October 26, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
That's Odd!
Most song writers I know rarely venture away from common time. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, I'm referring to the underlying pulse or beat of a song that is typically multiples of 4. Usually when you tap your foot to a song, the length of the various patterns in the song will be multiples of four. Just count as you tap your foot to a song "1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4..." and you'll notice that most changes in the song, like the repeated main riff of a song or the transition from the verse to the chorus, will happen in sync with these multiples of four. Occasionally, song writers will get adventurous and play around with rhythms in 3, the typical waltz or jig, or something that we think of as having a "swing" beat. But rarely do song writers venture beyond this.
There are several reasons. The first is the dance factor. Since humans have two legs, most dance steps are built around multiples of two. Therefore, if the underlying beat of the song is not an even number, anyone trying to dance to the tune might have difficulty. But not all songs are meant to inspire dancing! The second reason is that most of the songs we've experienced (on the radio, in church, etc) are based on common time. Therefore, it's what most folks are familiar with, what they feel comfortable with. A third reason has to do with instruction. Those of you who have taken lessons, no matter what the instrument, are immersed in the world of common time. It's the easiest, most straightforward approach for both student and instructor, so rarely does the instructor introduce students to the world of odd meter, that is, beat patterns based on odd numbers.
As a song writer or a musician, why would you want to venture into the world of odd meter? There are many characteristics of music that you can "play with" in order to communicate a feeling: the dynamics, the tempo, etc. And the basic rhythmic structure of your song, i.e. the "meter", is just another characteristic of your music that you have at your disposal to help you communicate the message of your song. So from this perspective, why would you NOT play around with odd meter? It can help you communicate better as a musician!
There's no need to be afraid of this territory. It's not as difficult as you might think. It may feel a bit awkward at first, but you'll get used to it very quickly. First of all consider this fact: any odd number multiplied by 2 is an even number. In other words, if you have a pattern than is based on an odd beat, simply play that pattern twice. If your basic riff has 7 beats and you play that riff twice, that'll be 14 beats, an even number. So, anytime you are playing a pattern based on an odd meter, try to focus your mind on two of those patterns, not one. Since two of the patterns will have an even number of beats, your mind will latch onto that feel more quickly. And this strategy will even allow you to dance to odd meter, too!
But there's another problem. Since common time is so prevalent, most people "think" in multiples of four when they are playing around, searching for new song ideas. So how do you break the mold of common time and get your mind to think in odd meter when you are being creative? Well, you don't really have to. If common time is how you think creatively when spawning new musical ideas, there's no need to mess with that. Instead, what you should do is take that idea in common time, say a riff that spans 8 beats, and either add another beat or subtract one. Simply find something to add (or delete) from your current phrase in common time. In this manner, working with odd meter doesn't change your current strategy for coming up with song ideas. Rather, it's a small step you tack on to your existing process: you simply add or delete a beat (and corresponding notes for that one beat) and you are off and running! To get your mind and body used to the feel of your new odd meter riff, simply play it over and over again. It won't take long for you to feel the groove of this new territory, this thing called "odd meter." And remember, playing an odd meter phrase twice gives you an even number of beats. So concentrate on these doubled phrases if you need to in order to get the feel of your new odd meter phrase.
How would you use odd meter in your songs? As you can tell by playing around with off meter riffs using the strategy laid out in the previous paragraph, odd meters give your music a different feel. And "feel" is what music is all about in the first place! So, odd meter is another tool available for your use as you compose music to achieve a certain feel. Most people find that odd meter has an uneasy feel. Therefore it makes an ideal tool to use if your song is dealing with an uneasy topic, like the break up of a relationship for instance.
But even if your song is not looking for an uneasy feeling, your use of odd meter can spice up any of your tunes. As you play around with odd meter and become more familiar with it, you will find some good sounding grooves! And because so many song writers stay within the common time framework, this territory of odd meter is a great area to find new and interesting riffs and grooves! There is so much unexplored territory here that you will have no trouble finding new and fresh ideas as a song writer!
So, don't be afraid of odd meter. Embrace it as another tool you should have in your song writing toolbox. But most of all, look upon odd meter in the same way that the old explorers like Magellan looked at the unexplored part of this earth: with awe and enthusiasm at the richness and splendor that one might find in that vast unexplored space. So have fun, and go explore!
Copyright ©2009 W. A. Blevins. All rights reserved.
There are several reasons. The first is the dance factor. Since humans have two legs, most dance steps are built around multiples of two. Therefore, if the underlying beat of the song is not an even number, anyone trying to dance to the tune might have difficulty. But not all songs are meant to inspire dancing! The second reason is that most of the songs we've experienced (on the radio, in church, etc) are based on common time. Therefore, it's what most folks are familiar with, what they feel comfortable with. A third reason has to do with instruction. Those of you who have taken lessons, no matter what the instrument, are immersed in the world of common time. It's the easiest, most straightforward approach for both student and instructor, so rarely does the instructor introduce students to the world of odd meter, that is, beat patterns based on odd numbers.
As a song writer or a musician, why would you want to venture into the world of odd meter? There are many characteristics of music that you can "play with" in order to communicate a feeling: the dynamics, the tempo, etc. And the basic rhythmic structure of your song, i.e. the "meter", is just another characteristic of your music that you have at your disposal to help you communicate the message of your song. So from this perspective, why would you NOT play around with odd meter? It can help you communicate better as a musician!
There's no need to be afraid of this territory. It's not as difficult as you might think. It may feel a bit awkward at first, but you'll get used to it very quickly. First of all consider this fact: any odd number multiplied by 2 is an even number. In other words, if you have a pattern than is based on an odd beat, simply play that pattern twice. If your basic riff has 7 beats and you play that riff twice, that'll be 14 beats, an even number. So, anytime you are playing a pattern based on an odd meter, try to focus your mind on two of those patterns, not one. Since two of the patterns will have an even number of beats, your mind will latch onto that feel more quickly. And this strategy will even allow you to dance to odd meter, too!
But there's another problem. Since common time is so prevalent, most people "think" in multiples of four when they are playing around, searching for new song ideas. So how do you break the mold of common time and get your mind to think in odd meter when you are being creative? Well, you don't really have to. If common time is how you think creatively when spawning new musical ideas, there's no need to mess with that. Instead, what you should do is take that idea in common time, say a riff that spans 8 beats, and either add another beat or subtract one. Simply find something to add (or delete) from your current phrase in common time. In this manner, working with odd meter doesn't change your current strategy for coming up with song ideas. Rather, it's a small step you tack on to your existing process: you simply add or delete a beat (and corresponding notes for that one beat) and you are off and running! To get your mind and body used to the feel of your new odd meter riff, simply play it over and over again. It won't take long for you to feel the groove of this new territory, this thing called "odd meter." And remember, playing an odd meter phrase twice gives you an even number of beats. So concentrate on these doubled phrases if you need to in order to get the feel of your new odd meter phrase.
How would you use odd meter in your songs? As you can tell by playing around with off meter riffs using the strategy laid out in the previous paragraph, odd meters give your music a different feel. And "feel" is what music is all about in the first place! So, odd meter is another tool available for your use as you compose music to achieve a certain feel. Most people find that odd meter has an uneasy feel. Therefore it makes an ideal tool to use if your song is dealing with an uneasy topic, like the break up of a relationship for instance.
But even if your song is not looking for an uneasy feeling, your use of odd meter can spice up any of your tunes. As you play around with odd meter and become more familiar with it, you will find some good sounding grooves! And because so many song writers stay within the common time framework, this territory of odd meter is a great area to find new and interesting riffs and grooves! There is so much unexplored territory here that you will have no trouble finding new and fresh ideas as a song writer!
So, don't be afraid of odd meter. Embrace it as another tool you should have in your song writing toolbox. But most of all, look upon odd meter in the same way that the old explorers like Magellan looked at the unexplored part of this earth: with awe and enthusiasm at the richness and splendor that one might find in that vast unexplored space. So have fun, and go explore!
Copyright ©2009 W. A. Blevins. All rights reserved.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Ignoring the Notes (Exploring Your Style)
There are many misconceptions in music. As a music instructor, I spend a lot of my time dispelling these myths. And the biggest misconception is that music is all about the notes. Unfortunately, much formal music instruction also focuses primarily on the notes, whether it's from a book, a DVD, online, or from a real instructor. So this misconception is perpetuated by the music "industry" itself to a large extent.
As a youngster, I participated in school band, church choir, and even took piano lessons. Every one of those experiences revolved around a piece of sheet music in front of my eyes that contained a written representation of notes, and my primary task was to decode that written notation into it's correct audible note, either with my voice or an instrument. Very quickly, the music that I enjoyed so much degraded into an exercise in decoding a slew of written notes. Music wasn't fun anymore. It was a complex decoding task. It was more like sports and competition than it was an expression of feeling.
I am not the only one who had to endure this kind of note-centric view of music. It's a common experience for me, when I encounter a new student, to discover this same attitude in their view of music. Typically when a student wants to learn a new song, their primary focus is on what key the song is in, what the chords are, and the series of notes that comprise the various parts of the song.
While it is true that notes are an important component of music, their place as the central focus of music is unfortunate. One has to look no further than the drums (no notes) to realize that there are vital instruments in music for which the concept of a "note" is not critical. Of course, with drums and percussion, it's the rhythm that matters the most. But there are other aspects too, such as timbre, tone, and dynamics (intensity). All of these concepts apply to the instruments that play notes, too! But musicians tend to downplay this aspect of "music", often ignoring them due to the focus on the notes.
When I bring this topic up with my students, most are confused at first. How can one focus on music, but not the notes? That certainly does sound a bit confusing on the surface, until I bring up the topic of style. Most musicians that I know are very interested in developing their own style. But at the same time, most musicians have no idea how to go about finding their own style. They simply assume that it'll be something that shows up eventually, as if it's an aspect of their music that they have no control over.
Your "style" is something that you can actively work on and develop, just like any other aspect of your musical training. But how do you do this? By ignoring the notes. This concept is not so strange as it first sounds. Think about 3 of your favorite guitarists, and how they would play the "Star Spangled Banner." Most of you probably remember that Jimi Hendrix had a famous version of this song. But what if this song was also played by Chet Atkins, or Eddie Van Halen, or B.B. King? They would all be playing roughly the same set of notes. But each of those guitar players would likely have very different versions of the same tune. Same notes, but very different styles. Their style is found in the aspects of music other than the notes: the tone, dynamics, rhythm, pace, tempo, technique, and phrasing. Even the careful use of rests (silence) can contribute to style. And all of these aspects of music are just as vital to your musical development as your ability to play notes. This concept of focusing on aspects of music other than the notes applies to every instrument, not just the guitar. It even applies to your voice.
How do you practice and develop your style? The same way you practice notes. When you practice scales, you typically will play through every note in that scale. You exercise all the possibilities within the concept of "notes." To develop your style, you should do the same thing with those other concepts: explore all the possibilities. For instance with phrasing: are the notes slurred (one note seamlessly gliding into the next) or are each of the notes distinctly articulated with some space in between each note? But even with phrasing, there are more possibilities than just these two (all slurred or all distinct). Some of the notes might be slurred while others are played distinctly. But which ones should be distinct versus slurred? There's only one way to find out: try the various options. And this same approach of exploring the possibilities can be taken with those other characteristics: tone, dynamics, tempo, etc.
But the most important concept here is that you pay attention not so much to WHAT you are playing, but HOW you are playing it. And this requires a skill that most musicians ignore: their listening skills. In order for you to develop your style by focusing on these non-note aspects of music, you will need to carefully evaluate what you are hearing as you try out various options. What do you like best?
So pay close attention as you make music. The notes of music are more about "intellect", i.e. your brain making your body do the correct thing, to produce the correct series of notes. But music is more about "feel" than it is "intellect." And the feel of music is found more in these non-note characteristics than it is within the notes themselves. So as you practice, try ignoring the notes and concentrate on all those other aspects of music, and explore that musical territory with the "feel" of the music as your primary focus. And before long, you will discover that by ignoring the notes, and focusing on these other characteristics of music, you will find your style emerging!
©2009 W.A. Blevins. All rights reserved.
As a youngster, I participated in school band, church choir, and even took piano lessons. Every one of those experiences revolved around a piece of sheet music in front of my eyes that contained a written representation of notes, and my primary task was to decode that written notation into it's correct audible note, either with my voice or an instrument. Very quickly, the music that I enjoyed so much degraded into an exercise in decoding a slew of written notes. Music wasn't fun anymore. It was a complex decoding task. It was more like sports and competition than it was an expression of feeling.
I am not the only one who had to endure this kind of note-centric view of music. It's a common experience for me, when I encounter a new student, to discover this same attitude in their view of music. Typically when a student wants to learn a new song, their primary focus is on what key the song is in, what the chords are, and the series of notes that comprise the various parts of the song.
While it is true that notes are an important component of music, their place as the central focus of music is unfortunate. One has to look no further than the drums (no notes) to realize that there are vital instruments in music for which the concept of a "note" is not critical. Of course, with drums and percussion, it's the rhythm that matters the most. But there are other aspects too, such as timbre, tone, and dynamics (intensity). All of these concepts apply to the instruments that play notes, too! But musicians tend to downplay this aspect of "music", often ignoring them due to the focus on the notes.
When I bring this topic up with my students, most are confused at first. How can one focus on music, but not the notes? That certainly does sound a bit confusing on the surface, until I bring up the topic of style. Most musicians that I know are very interested in developing their own style. But at the same time, most musicians have no idea how to go about finding their own style. They simply assume that it'll be something that shows up eventually, as if it's an aspect of their music that they have no control over.
Your "style" is something that you can actively work on and develop, just like any other aspect of your musical training. But how do you do this? By ignoring the notes. This concept is not so strange as it first sounds. Think about 3 of your favorite guitarists, and how they would play the "Star Spangled Banner." Most of you probably remember that Jimi Hendrix had a famous version of this song. But what if this song was also played by Chet Atkins, or Eddie Van Halen, or B.B. King? They would all be playing roughly the same set of notes. But each of those guitar players would likely have very different versions of the same tune. Same notes, but very different styles. Their style is found in the aspects of music other than the notes: the tone, dynamics, rhythm, pace, tempo, technique, and phrasing. Even the careful use of rests (silence) can contribute to style. And all of these aspects of music are just as vital to your musical development as your ability to play notes. This concept of focusing on aspects of music other than the notes applies to every instrument, not just the guitar. It even applies to your voice.
How do you practice and develop your style? The same way you practice notes. When you practice scales, you typically will play through every note in that scale. You exercise all the possibilities within the concept of "notes." To develop your style, you should do the same thing with those other concepts: explore all the possibilities. For instance with phrasing: are the notes slurred (one note seamlessly gliding into the next) or are each of the notes distinctly articulated with some space in between each note? But even with phrasing, there are more possibilities than just these two (all slurred or all distinct). Some of the notes might be slurred while others are played distinctly. But which ones should be distinct versus slurred? There's only one way to find out: try the various options. And this same approach of exploring the possibilities can be taken with those other characteristics: tone, dynamics, tempo, etc.
But the most important concept here is that you pay attention not so much to WHAT you are playing, but HOW you are playing it. And this requires a skill that most musicians ignore: their listening skills. In order for you to develop your style by focusing on these non-note aspects of music, you will need to carefully evaluate what you are hearing as you try out various options. What do you like best?
So pay close attention as you make music. The notes of music are more about "intellect", i.e. your brain making your body do the correct thing, to produce the correct series of notes. But music is more about "feel" than it is "intellect." And the feel of music is found more in these non-note characteristics than it is within the notes themselves. So as you practice, try ignoring the notes and concentrate on all those other aspects of music, and explore that musical territory with the "feel" of the music as your primary focus. And before long, you will discover that by ignoring the notes, and focusing on these other characteristics of music, you will find your style emerging!
©2009 W.A. Blevins. All rights reserved.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Simultaneously Finding Your Voice...
and Peace!
There are a few common traits I find among song writers. I find that most do not like their own voice. I also find, especially among my adult students, a reluctance to experiment, to just "go for it" and try new things as they search for new ways to express their inner feelings, their inner soul. But there is an easily accessible, traditional form of music that you can use to both gain confidence with your voice, and also to help you work on you ability to express your inner feelings using your voice. How do you do this? By chanting.
What is chanting? It is the rhythmic speaking or singing of words or sounds, usually only a handful of words or syllables. In addition to a small number of words or syllables, chants are also typically characterized by the fact that they only use a few notes, sometimes only one or two notes. Chants also rely heavily on repetition. The words or syllables in the chant are usually repeated over, and over, and over again (for minutes or even hours!). But the importance of chants, for the purposes of working on your voice and your expression, is the focus on simplicity.
First of all, the fact that chants can be spoken or sung, gives you a lot of freedom to work with your voice. And if you are not comfortable with your singing voice at all, you can still make a lot of progress with your speaking voice, gaining a ton of confidence in that aspect of your voice before you try much singing. In particular, even if just speaking, you can still work on rhythm, groove, dynamics, tone, volume, inflection, and many other aspects of your voice. It's just that you don't have to worry about pitch at the moment. And this is great practice for those just trying to learn how to control and manipulate this musical instrument that resides inside your body. And working with chants and your speaking voice should give you the confidence, eventually, to try singing the chants.
The focus on repetition is also important here. Because you are repeating the same phrase over and over again you will become very familiar with breathing patterns that support your voice, volume levels that you are comfortable with and how breathing and volume levels change over time. You can also experiment with subtle changes in your voice. On each repetition, you can change something, to see how it sounds. You can increase your volume, or decrease it. You can change your pitches, depending upon how you feel. You can also change the tempo of the chant, how fast or slow, again, based on how you feel and what best matches your mood at the moment.
But one of the most important aspects of a chant, for the purposes of exploring your voice, is how it allows you to work on your vocal expression. Because chants are typically just a few syllables and are extremely repetitious you cannot rely on a long progression of words to express your emotion. Neither can you rely on any underlying music, because a chant is just you and your voice. The only tools available to manipulate and change the feeling of what you are singing, is by changing certain aspects of your voice: the volume, pitch, dynamics, tempo, etc.
Over the course of just a few minutes of chanting, you will discover interesting things about your voice. As you try various things, new pitches, new volumes, new tempos, you will find areas of comfort and discomfort for your voice. You will hear things you like, and probably things you don't like. But the repetitive nature of chants will allow you to focus more and more on those things that DO work, and avoiding those things that do NOT work for your voice.
Even in the context of "real" songs that I'm in the midst of writing or recording, sometimes I'll struggle with a certain phrase. Maybe the melody doesn't sound right, or the feeling isn't right. To work on this phrase, I'll treat it like a chant, and sing it over and over again. This allows me to concentrate on this one piece of the music, trying different vocal approaches until I find one that fits the current mood and feel. So chants are not just a "beginner" song writing technique. They can benefit the old pro, too.
At this point, you're probably wondering where you can find some chants to work on, what words and notes to sing. You can search the Internet for some, and you will find them. However, what you'll find is that it really doesn't matter for the purposes of improving your song writing craft by working on your voice. To begin working with chants, simply pick a phrase that's meaningful to you, maybe something like "true love never fails". Then simply sing that over and over and over again, with whatever notes seem natural to you. As you chant this, with each repetition, try new things with your voice (as outlined above). Change notes, hold those notes for different lengths of time, try it loud and soft, just keep changing various aspects of it as you carefully listen and evaluate your voice. Chanting is truly this simple.
Before I set you free, to go off and try your own chants, you should know that chants have deep roots in various spiritual and religious disciplines around the world. I mention this because you can likely find some chants that are EXTREMELY meaningful to you from the perspective of your own spirituality. So one of the most beneficial side effects of working with chants, is that you can likely find words or syllables to work with that will tap into your spirituality at the same time you work on your voice. And what a great concept...to work on your voice and simultaneously find some spiritual peace.
©2009 W.A. Blevins. All rights reserved.
What is chanting? It is the rhythmic speaking or singing of words or sounds, usually only a handful of words or syllables. In addition to a small number of words or syllables, chants are also typically characterized by the fact that they only use a few notes, sometimes only one or two notes. Chants also rely heavily on repetition. The words or syllables in the chant are usually repeated over, and over, and over again (for minutes or even hours!). But the importance of chants, for the purposes of working on your voice and your expression, is the focus on simplicity.
First of all, the fact that chants can be spoken or sung, gives you a lot of freedom to work with your voice. And if you are not comfortable with your singing voice at all, you can still make a lot of progress with your speaking voice, gaining a ton of confidence in that aspect of your voice before you try much singing. In particular, even if just speaking, you can still work on rhythm, groove, dynamics, tone, volume, inflection, and many other aspects of your voice. It's just that you don't have to worry about pitch at the moment. And this is great practice for those just trying to learn how to control and manipulate this musical instrument that resides inside your body. And working with chants and your speaking voice should give you the confidence, eventually, to try singing the chants.
The focus on repetition is also important here. Because you are repeating the same phrase over and over again you will become very familiar with breathing patterns that support your voice, volume levels that you are comfortable with and how breathing and volume levels change over time. You can also experiment with subtle changes in your voice. On each repetition, you can change something, to see how it sounds. You can increase your volume, or decrease it. You can change your pitches, depending upon how you feel. You can also change the tempo of the chant, how fast or slow, again, based on how you feel and what best matches your mood at the moment.
But one of the most important aspects of a chant, for the purposes of exploring your voice, is how it allows you to work on your vocal expression. Because chants are typically just a few syllables and are extremely repetitious you cannot rely on a long progression of words to express your emotion. Neither can you rely on any underlying music, because a chant is just you and your voice. The only tools available to manipulate and change the feeling of what you are singing, is by changing certain aspects of your voice: the volume, pitch, dynamics, tempo, etc.
Over the course of just a few minutes of chanting, you will discover interesting things about your voice. As you try various things, new pitches, new volumes, new tempos, you will find areas of comfort and discomfort for your voice. You will hear things you like, and probably things you don't like. But the repetitive nature of chants will allow you to focus more and more on those things that DO work, and avoiding those things that do NOT work for your voice.
Even in the context of "real" songs that I'm in the midst of writing or recording, sometimes I'll struggle with a certain phrase. Maybe the melody doesn't sound right, or the feeling isn't right. To work on this phrase, I'll treat it like a chant, and sing it over and over again. This allows me to concentrate on this one piece of the music, trying different vocal approaches until I find one that fits the current mood and feel. So chants are not just a "beginner" song writing technique. They can benefit the old pro, too.
At this point, you're probably wondering where you can find some chants to work on, what words and notes to sing. You can search the Internet for some, and you will find them. However, what you'll find is that it really doesn't matter for the purposes of improving your song writing craft by working on your voice. To begin working with chants, simply pick a phrase that's meaningful to you, maybe something like "true love never fails". Then simply sing that over and over and over again, with whatever notes seem natural to you. As you chant this, with each repetition, try new things with your voice (as outlined above). Change notes, hold those notes for different lengths of time, try it loud and soft, just keep changing various aspects of it as you carefully listen and evaluate your voice. Chanting is truly this simple.
Before I set you free, to go off and try your own chants, you should know that chants have deep roots in various spiritual and religious disciplines around the world. I mention this because you can likely find some chants that are EXTREMELY meaningful to you from the perspective of your own spirituality. So one of the most beneficial side effects of working with chants, is that you can likely find words or syllables to work with that will tap into your spirituality at the same time you work on your voice. And what a great concept...to work on your voice and simultaneously find some spiritual peace.
©2009 W.A. Blevins. All rights reserved.
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