Day 22: Listening for What You Like
Week 4 begins with a shift in focus—moving from drills to developing your unique voice and sound. Many singers misunderstand “finding your unique voice” as inventing something entirely original. In reality, most unique sounds are built from a mix of influences: small technical and stylistic elements borrowed from many singers, combined in a way that’s distinct to you.
Over the next week, you’ll practice identifying, analyzing, and experimenting with the choices singers make. Today, your job is to focus only on what you like. Do not evaluate what you dislike yet—that comes tomorrow.
Today’s Task: Choose one song you enjoy (and want to sing)—any genre, any style. Listen to a single performance of that song and write down the technical choices you notice and like.
What to Listen For:
- Phrasing: Are lines smooth and connected, or separated for effect?
- Breath Use: How long are phrases sustained? Are there intentional breaths or releases?
- Vowel and Resonance Choices: Do they modify vowels for tone or range? Does the resonance shift between sections?
- Dynamics: Where do they get louder or softer, and how is it shaped?
- Rhythmic Placement: Are notes exactly on the beat, slightly behind, or ahead?
- Ornamentation/Agility: Are there riffs, runs, or embellishments—and where are they placed?
- Registration Choices: Chest, head, mix—when and why?
- Articulation and Diction: How clear are the words? Are some softened for style?
- Tone Color: Bright, dark, breathy, or shifting between them for effect?
How to Practice:
- Pick your performance and listen once without taking notes—just absorb it.
- Listen again and write down specific technical choices you like.
- Note exactly where in the song they occur (time stamps if possible) so you can return to them later in the week.
- Focus on how they convey expression, not just that they do.
Why This Matters:
By identifying what you like technically—not just emotionally—you start building a palette of tools. Over time, combining elements from multiple singers creates a unique sound that’s recognizably yours.
Tomorrow: We’ll listen to the same performance again—but focus on what you don’t like, and why.
