Forget the Diaphragm - Sing From Your Mixing Bowl!

Want to stand out in the buffet of singers out there?  Try this recipe:  Combine one-part childhood innocence with two-parts teenage fantasy.  Fold in two bedroom-poster idols along with a random sampling from your Spotify playlist.  Mix in your father’s shower-singing and your mom’s humming in the car.  Season this concoction with a dash of your grandfather’s folk songs and a sprig of the church hymns that lifted your grandmother’s spirits.  Blend ingredients thoroughly and serve nightly in clubs and arenas everywhere. 

Perhaps you’ve heard the saying, “You are what you eat?”  Well, the same goes for singers.  Your upbringing seasons your voice.  Forget about trying to impress an audience with big screams and wild riffs that just aren’t you.  It is the smallest traits that make a singer unique.  A simple twist of a vowel or an unusual pronunciation of a common word can endear a listener to your way of expression.  These little behavior quarks are never intentional at first and are usually thought of as flaws by an amateur singer.  But every professional knows the quarks are what define a singer.  Of course, it would be easier to leave your voice’s natural flavor alone if you heard a roaring response every time you sang.  The challenge before that day, though, will be to find the courage to leave a little character in your singing before anyone else’s approval can be voiced. 

It’s easier to be authentic if you imagine yourself as a child.  Visit any preschool and you’ll see a perfect example of people (okay, little people) who are completely unapologetic about who they are.  You’ll see happy kids who are oblivious to the sad ones.  There will be loud mouths who take over the room and shy kids who let them.  For the most part, you’re still the same person you were when you were a little tyke.  The biggest difference, besides not sticking crayons up your nose, is that you were more in touch with your feelings back then.  As you grew older you slowly conformed to a more civilized package.  The censoring of emotions and behavior restrictions came from well-intended parents, peers and social norms.  Act like a two-year old when you’re 26 and you can easily be fired, shunned by friends or even jailed.  Unless you happen to be on stage – then you’ll be called a superstar!

Embrace the irony that our culture celebrates those who act like children on stage while discouraging it in public.  It’s the secret to a memorable performance.  Standing on stage sucking your thumb won’t work.  Singing from your “mixing bowl” means that you’ll allow all the ingredients of your personality to come out without censoring the result, just like a child speaks.  It means, “Sing it simple.”  We were all young and free once, which is why we instantly connect with people who are in touch with their inner-self.  It’s refreshing.  We seem to be happy to shell out lots of cash to watch a performer shed society’s standards.  Why not let some of that money come your way?

If you’re worried that you won’t be interesting enough unless you borrow heavily from an already proven persona (i.e., imitate your favorite singer), just remember that when that particular singer was an unknown he or she worried about the exact same thing.  Not only are the ingredients of your personality a distinctive blend of perceptions and beliefs, but the mixing bowl that holds them all together (your body) is unique as well.  That’s right; there’s not another human on the planet with your genetic code.  Which means your voice is automatically a one-of-a-kind instrument. 

If you feel that vocal issues like pitch and range are keeping you from letting go emotionally then you should address those concerns with a vocal coach.  Many people feel they would be able to express their feelings while singing if only their voices sounded better.  What you’ll discover with lessons is that a more playful, child-like, attitude creates an ideal physical environment for singing.  It fixes a lot of issues right off the bat.  So, don’t wait for your voice to be perfect before you get out there and let people hear your particular recipe for singing.  Be a brave soul and pick songs that stir up the flavors within your mixing bowl and then perform them like you’re standing alone in your kitchen using a spoon as a microphone.  I guarantee the crowd will beg for more!