Reassess your level of awesomeness

From  http://explodingdog.com/title/awesome2.html

The phrase 'reassess your level of awesomeness' popped up in a blog, article or comment somewhere in the last week and it's kind of stuck in my head.

I've always been ridiculously confident in my level of awesomeness in areas where I've chosen to engage. I do/ did have a trend of  not getting involved in something unless I thought I could easily succeed. My favourite ever school report comment was for Physical Education. It went something like "Eleanorjane needs to learn that cynicism is no substitute for effort". Teachers can't get away with writing stuff like that these days and the world is a poorer place for it!

I have (very sadly and slowly) realised that I'm probably never going to turn heads with my looks again. I was never a 10 in terms of looks, but I did enjoy dressing up and feeling pretty in my teens and 20s. I can still dress up, but I'll never be as pretty as I was...

Anyway, I've had a few experiences lately that I have caused me to reassess my level of awesomeness in a couple of other areas.

Firstly, singing. There's a local group that meets every couple of weeks to jam. We get a set list and I do a bit of practise to make sure that I have some idea of how the songs go. I was excited about last week because one of the songs was 'Rolling in the Deep' by Adele. I had a bit of a practise and even recorded myself to make sure I didn't sound too 'classical'. I thought I had it sorted. On the day though, I got flustered, started off wrong and it was just horrible. Something that should be been a showpiece was so painful that everyone quickly decided that the song was off the set-list for good. I did fine on the other songs, but this really knocked my confidence.

Next, work. We had a big meeting. I was there as one of a panel with a few other folks. When speaking to the whole group, I was interrupted and my comments clearly didn't go down well. In contrast, an amazing senior woman had them sitting in the palm of her hand. I was in awe of how diplomatically she phrased things, how she made small concessions seem like big concessions and managed the whole thing. I wasn't the only one who was impressed as the room went quiet whenever she opened her mouth. I know it's not fair to compare myself to someone with 20 years more experience than me, but still...

So, I'm a bit down tonight. Maybe this dose of humility will be good for me. Or maybe I'll bounce back to my normal optimistic self. We'll see.

How to sing like a (talented) pop star

I've been in an intense phase of listening to music lately and I've been noticing again some points where singers sell themselves short. I thought I'd share some tips in case you're an aspiring singer or you just want to kick ass on karaoke night...

1. Take singing seriously
This is my number one bugbear; people saying, "Oh, you're so lucky you can sing!" as if years of singing lessons and practice have nothing to do with it. Yes, people have a greater or lesser amount of natural talent, but there is a LOT of craft to learn with singing too. Take time to learn the craft from an expert teacher. Practice.

If you can't do a really good job of singing and playing an instrument at the same time then pick one to focus on. I think it's not good enough for a lead singer to be a great guitar player and a slap-dash vocalist. (Of course there are many highly successful examples of exactly that, but it irritates me a little).

Elton John is a brilliant example of someone who can sing beautifully while playing an instrument.

 2. Hit the notes
Learn the songs until you are 100% of where every note is and what it takes to get there. Don't scoop up to (or just under) high notes. Don't meander vaguely around the notes thinking you're being all R n B. Pick (or write) songs in a comfortable range so you're not straining to hit notes that are either too high or too low.

As documented, I love Franz Ferdinand with big love, but Alex gives a great (or not so great) example of scooping up to just under the note around 3:49 when they go into "I feel love" in this clip.

 3. Give notes their full value
 You don't need to sing long notes all the time, but stop somewhere logical i.e. at the end of a bar. Don't just trail off vaguely 'cos you can be bothered or you're running out of breath.

4. Think about when to breathe
Generally, don't breathe in the middle of a phrase. PLEASE don't breath in the middle of a word! A breath is like a pause in the flow of ideas; it can highlight something or switch up the rhythm. Practice and good technique can give you enough breath to deliver thoughtful musical phrases as you sing. Adele has interesting phrasing and impressive breath control in this song, especially in the chorus around 1:26 when she carries on over first line into the second line to keep the energy going.

5. Put attitude into it (but be genuine)
To entertain people you need to demonstrate emotion in your voice, whether that's heartbreak or a cocky confidence. You can use all sorts of stylistic tricks to keep things interesting and express your musical ideas, but don't overdo it. Sometimes simplicity is best.

Also, I think it's nice when pop singers use their actual accents instead of merging into some form of faux-American accent. Missy Higgins makes her strong Australian accent charming (quite a thing for a Kiwi to admit!) and I love Paolo Nutini singing in a Scottish accent.

 6. Communicate the words
If you've gone to the trouble to write lyrics (or choose a song with lyrics you like) then make sure the words are clear. Put tiny spaces between each word. Spit out your consonants (more than you think you need to) and be clear about differences for example between 'd' and 't'. Try saying 'The tip of the tongue, the teeth and the lips' with exaggerated mouth movements to limber up.
  
What next?
So if all this has inspired you, something you could think about is joining a local all-comers choir. If you're a beginner, look for one with no audition and no requirement to read music. There are plenty of choirs like Bristol's Riff Raff Choir who sing a range of stuff including pop and rock.

How to put on a show - updated

Recently I saw Franz Ferdinand in the O2 Academy in Bristol - it was a lesson in how to put on a show. In the last  year or so I've seen Suede, Keane and Depeche Mode (twice) live, but Franz Ferdinand had them all beat hollow for sheer showmanship. So what do you have to do to put on a great show?

1. Look like you're enjoying yourself
Alex Kapranos (lead singer and guitarist) grinned through quite a lot of the gig. In his banter, he picked out some keen audience members and even dedicated a song to a guy who was dancing wildly. The bassist scarcely moved or cracked a smile, but even so the band really seemed to be loving being on stage together and getting to play their music. They put masses of energy into the show in spite of it being a reasonably small venue in a reasonably small city. They didn't look jaded like bands can do when they've been touring too much.

2. Communicate (intelligibly) with the audience
The support act to Franz Ferdinand had a lead singer who mumbled a few awkward comments (including not saying their band name clearly - which is really important to do if you're an unknown band!). Alex was clear and confident, saying just enough to build rapport while keeping the energy of the music going.

3. Re-mix and jam your music
Suede and Keane both played brilliantly live, but every song was exactly the same as their records; same tempo, same structure, not even an extra repeated chorus. Franz Ferdinand and Depeche Mode both mixed up their music to give us something live that we couldn't have just listening to a record at home. The highlight of Franz Ferdinand was a long drum solo with all four band members to end a storming rendition of Outsiders.

4. Think about the visuals
Franz Ferdinand are well known for dressing up. For their Bristol gig they worn matching custom-made black, white and grey outfits. They looked amazing jumping about in front of the mainly monochrome images projected onto the set and screen behind them.


5. Turn an interested bystander into super-fan
Before this gig I was kind of fond of Franz Ferdinand. I had one of their old albums and had listened to their new album a few times but wasn't in love with it.

Somehow, seeing the band perform a whole range of their songs has turned me from feeling vaguely interested into someone who's been playing their music daily and raving about how cool it is. Magic.

In case you're interested, here is the set list with links to most of the videos.

Update: so this happened...