Improve Your Singing Performances
Diction is a singer’s distinctive ability to pronounce words clearly or express him or herself in a way that can be understood without muffling or slurring. When words of a song are heard, emotions or feelings that one can relate to are stirred. Repeated singing will create familiarity and a listener starts to understand the sentiments behind the words, picking up words that eventually encourage participation. Diction is very important since it promotes participation and if words are not understood, the song becomes meaningless. In most forms of contemporary music like blues, rock, jazz, pop, rap and soul, words become an integral part and they must be expressed clearly by a singer if the story or sentiment is to be understood. Sometimes, even when a singer's vocals cannot be understood due to effects and the type of song being performed, it is however important to pronounce and have the words projected clearly. While it can be said that the instrumentals and classical forms of music have a certain “spark”, vocals give meaning to a song.
One good example of bad diction is in live performances. Usually, people get frustrated because they cannot hear what the singer is saying due to either poor engineering or poor volume from the band. On the other hand, listening closely to bands and singers who have made a name of themselves in the field of music it is clear that one of the reasons for their success is their ability to enunciate lyrics clearly. They are successful because they recognize that fans need to understand the song if it is to sound good to them. Practicing pronunciation by the way one shapes the mouth and places the tongue for each consonant and vowel, will affect the brightness and tone of notes produced. In addition, correct breath control will aid in clarity and tone.
Since vowels are sang more often than consonants, learning how to sound them out will help greatly. When pronouncing the o’s and a’s, let these vowels escape quickly and keep the lips relaxed. When pronouncing a ‘j’ to be followed by a vowel, keep the tongue’s tip in its place and move only the center of the tongue. Relax the jaws and breathe through the mouth in a hurry. Fill the lungs completely and then sing fast. In time, one will find that whole phrases can be sung with only one breath. When breathing in, support more when rising and make sure the tongue stays on the lower teeth. When pronouncing ‘a’, feel the tongue lie down and move the lips a bit. In e, i, o, u, breathe through the nose quietly and then breathe through the mouth when anticipating the vowel coming. Avoid emphasizing the consonant e.g. in words like Mo, Mi and May. In time, one will realize that sounding out the words becomes much easier and becomes the most important aspect of any song.
Diction is a singer’s distinctive ability to pronounce words clearly or express him or herself in a way that can be understood without muffling or slurring. When words of a song are heard, emotions or feelings that one can relate to are stirred. Repeated singing will create familiarity and a listener starts to understand the sentiments behind the words, picking up words that eventually encourage participation. Diction is very important since it promotes participation and if words are not understood, the song becomes meaningless. In most forms of contemporary music like blues, rock, jazz, pop, rap and soul, words become an integral part and they must be expressed clearly by a singer if the story or sentiment is to be understood. Sometimes, even when a singer's vocals cannot be understood due to effects and the type of song being performed, it is however important to pronounce and have the words projected clearly. While it can be said that the instrumentals and classical forms of music have a certain “spark”, vocals give meaning to a song.
One good example of bad diction is in live performances. Usually, people get frustrated because they cannot hear what the singer is saying due to either poor engineering or poor volume from the band. On the other hand, listening closely to bands and singers who have made a name of themselves in the field of music it is clear that one of the reasons for their success is their ability to enunciate lyrics clearly. They are successful because they recognize that fans need to understand the song if it is to sound good to them. Practicing pronunciation by the way one shapes the mouth and places the tongue for each consonant and vowel, will affect the brightness and tone of notes produced. In addition, correct breath control will aid in clarity and tone.
Since vowels are sang more often than consonants, learning how to sound them out will help greatly. When pronouncing the o’s and a’s, let these vowels escape quickly and keep the lips relaxed. When pronouncing a ‘j’ to be followed by a vowel, keep the tongue’s tip in its place and move only the center of the tongue. Relax the jaws and breathe through the mouth in a hurry. Fill the lungs completely and then sing fast. In time, one will find that whole phrases can be sung with only one breath. When breathing in, support more when rising and make sure the tongue stays on the lower teeth. When pronouncing ‘a’, feel the tongue lie down and move the lips a bit. In e, i, o, u, breathe through the nose quietly and then breathe through the mouth when anticipating the vowel coming. Avoid emphasizing the consonant e.g. in words like Mo, Mi and May. In time, one will realize that sounding out the words becomes much easier and becomes the most important aspect of any song.