Monday, February 25, 2019

DDPY Positively Unstoppable Challenge Mistakes

The song I'm currently working on in my lessons is Mistakes by Lake Street Dive.  I'm OBSESSED with their lead singer, Rachel Price.  She doesn't know it yet, but she and I are musical soul twins.  I've been using their songs to learn vocal diction, breathing, and general technique.  Their songs are helping me to grow tremendously. 

Unfortunately, it also means that I am BUTCHERING songs that I am in love with. I don't know how it is in other people's voice lessons,  but we're dissecting the elements of language and breath and your instrument’s physiology.  It gets cerebral, agonizingly slow, and vocally weird.  And my face.  Oh, my awkward awkward face, lol. Reviewing the recordings of my lessons and practice sessions has left me angsty for sure.  

At the same time I recognize that watching myself, hearing the weak spots, and seeing my awkwardness is hugely beneficial.  I remember the one time years ago, my friend videoed me practicing dance.  I was so embarrassed when I saw it, but it also led to me making several adjustments that took me to the next level, so I'm trying to approach this with the same philosophy.  With enough practice, technique becomes second nature.  It flows out of you without having to think so hard about it or slow way down.  That’s the place I’m trying to get to.  As frustrated as I am when I’m feeling stuck, I’ve seen huge progress and payoff in the year that I’ve been training with Paige - my 1 year anniversary of starting singing lessons is March 1.

Back to Rachel Price and Lake Street Dive.  What do I love about them?  Rachel’s vocal smoothness, control, richness, range, phrasing, her attitude and emotional commitment, the songs’ lyrical content, melodies, and catchy rhythms.  Simply put, Lake Street Dive kills it.  It’s not that I want to sing just like her as an end goal, but I try to emulate her while I’m developing my own vocal abilities and musicality.  

Other singers who I love are Johnette NapolitanoHaley ReinhartAmy Winehouse, Lauren Hill, Freddie Mercury, and this one song by LP.





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