Episode #16 - How to Discover the Power of Emotion in YOUR Vocal Performance [Audio]
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All righty, welcome back. Today's episode, How to Discover the Power of Emotion in YOUR Vocal Performance. Primarily geared towards singers also applies to presenters. Managers, if you are leading teams or people, if you are a [00:01:00] coach, if you are a teacher, if you are a doctor we've got doctors doing their own little videos now.

Lawyers, okay, welcome, we've got lawyers entering this arena now. So, today's quote. When there's music in your soul, there's soul in your music. All right? And, while we're sitting here for a second, I just want you to think of, just for a moment, who are the first people that pop up for you when you think about a singer, a celebrity, a performer?

Who, who is that? Artist. Who is that group? Who are those singers? There's so many different genres and styles. And I, I grew up in the Motown R and B age. So, and classic rock that whole period, what comes up for me when I think of emotion I'm thinking of people like Adele Tina Turner, may she rest in peace, a big contributor.

Taylor Swift [00:02:00] is still huge. What that woman is, is running a business like no other. So, what I want to, I'm speaking to your new singers, songwriters, emerging hobby people. If you are ready to unleash your inner diva and take your vocal performance to the next level, this Is the deep dive this we're going to we're going to do some mad the magical world of singing with soul is what we're going to play with today.

So once you get comfortable, make sure that you've got something to drink. I have not been mentioned that in previous podcasts. Water is always Great. If you can stay away from a decaffeinated stuff when you're working with your voice, but we are going to do a little vocalizing today. I've been branching out and we've been doing more of that.

Just playing with our voices, right? Doing your best, leave the rest, try not to judge any of this, but, but definitely plan on having a good time and join me today in our activities. Get ready to captivate your audience, increase your revenues and have a ton of fun [00:03:00] while we do this today. So the first.

Thing I want to go back to for a second is the melody of emotion, right? So, so picture this. If you're a singer, if you're a performer, you're on the stage, spotlight is shown shining on you, right? You've got the lights in your face, all eyes are on you. You start to sing, but there's something missing, right?

Your voice is technically perfect. You've had the training, you've done the work, you're warmed up, but it lacks that emotional punch. that leaves your audience in awe, right? That's where singing with soul, that's that connection with the emotion, right? When we sing with soul, we infuse our audience with genuine emotion.

It's like adding that secret sauce that makes your vocals soar and touch the hearts. of your entire audience, right? So I'm going to give you a three, actually [00:04:00] three powerful tools, some actionable tips and tricks for today. So the very first step in singing with soul is that you need to connect with your emotions first.

So, one way to do that is before you sing a single note, is to close your eyes and think about the song that you're going to perform, right? What is the story of the song? What, if you're covering someone else's song, what's the story? What's the, what's the vibe? What's the setting? What's the scenario, right?

Are you, is it outdoors? Is it inside? Is it nighttime? Is it daytime? Is there something cooking in the kitchen? If you're indoors, are there crickets outside because the sun is going down and now, depending where you live in the country, all kinds of interesting things change once that sun goes down.[00:05:00]

So, think about that, emotion is about it's about moving your listener, moving your audience member. What emotions. When you're thinking about the song, whether you're covering a song from somebody else, or you're sharing your own original material, what is it that you're trying to evoke from the song?

I shared in a previous episode before that, there's actually a formula for writing hit songs. First of all, depending what the genre is depending, who the artist is, just a, for example, in pop songs, pop writing. If you don't quote me exact, but if you want to write a hit pop song, you're going to do it somewhere in the key of G, and it's going to be at about 132 beats a minute now, just generally putting that out.

But it is an example. There's there's actual formulas. So taking that next step. Who is the [00:06:00] audience that you're writing the song for if you're a writer, what is it that you want them to do? What is the experience you want them to have? Do you want them to get excited about something that you're singing about?

Do you want them to take action when they're done with the song? Is it is it something that you're emotionally passionate about? Is there a movement that you're starting? I love Kalina Zanders. Shout out to you my love. I'm going to be putting your, your contact and your link tree and all that in the notes, but you know, she is my Kalina.

You are my new get ready jam right now. You're like my summer this summer 2023. If I'm, I, I, I got to get it going and I got to get it going now. You are who I'm listening to. She is an EDM artist and what I really appreciate EDM is new to me. I'm just learning about EDM right now, electronic dance music.

I did not realize that you could actually be spinning your, your music. And [00:07:00] creating music lyrics to sing over all of that. You're really a one woman, one man show as an EDM artist. So that is very exciting. She's very talented. We have more EDM news on the way. I will share that at another date but also more very exciting emerging upcoming collaborations that are getting very exciting.

So I listened to Kalina because. Like she's the extra shot in my arm that I need when I don't want to do things. I don't want to go do dishes and laundry. I would rather sit down with my guitar or go practice my stuff on the piano, but no, these other things need to be done. And so that's who I put on and which gives me that, that's what it emotes for me.

It gives me energy. It gives me that extra little fire. It's that little motivation that I need to get tasks done that I don't necessarily want to do. So another way to do this, I've spoke about the elements. in [00:08:00] past episodes. Earth, air, fire, water, and metal. And a wonderful exercise. You know what, we're just going to do it.

So I would say two of the most challenging songs, traditional songs, like, I don't think you even need, there's, there's a number of them. You don't need the musical rights to record and release these two songs anymore, but happy birthday. And the national anthem, Star Spangled Banner. These two songs, they seem pretty simple, right?

We've heard them forever, all of our lives. If you've grown up in the United States, you know these songs. The hardest thing about these songs is that people, because we've heard them so much, we think that they're very simple and they don't require any technique or any mental thought or application of any kind.

Folks, let me tell you. wrong. Okay. [00:09:00] Those two songs are one of the two of the most difficult songs because of the way that we approach them. And we think that they don't require any thought where they actually do. And the problem with both of these songs is when people jump in and get going, they're singing them way too high.

They start off on way too high of a note to begin. So by the time that you're at the end of the songs, You have completely left the room. You've completely left the ball field because you, you can't get up there. The worst thing that we can do is change the key of a song midstream. Like you just don't do that.

If you, you do that, you definitely, everybody just. caught on to you. And if you, if they didn't know that, that you weren't in the right key, they know that you aren't now if you change the key in the middle of it. So that's just, that's just kind of a no, no, it's not the end of the world, but you, you wouldn't want to do that.

So I want to use happy birthday as a great example of how to apply [00:10:00] the five elements and a way to connect with your listeners emotions. So, the other thing is, is we've been talking a lot about storytelling. I'll come back to that in a second. But first thing, what do the sounds earth, air, fire, water, and metal sound like?

Okay. Earth is going to have a lot of weight. It's going to be very deep, think James Earl Jones, right? A lot of, of, of it's, you're heavy, you're sitting in your seat. It doesn't need to be monotone, but can you hear what I've done with my voice? I am talking at a much lower register, where the opposite of that would be way up here with a lot of air.

In my voice. So this is where we I have fun with character voices. This is an exercise I do with my clients. If they have to do a read where we're a I have clients auditioning for different groups for this fall. They're having to do [00:11:00] monologues. So we're starting to explore Explore different characters, different elements, how to get to those characters.

That's a lot of water or a combination of air and water, but air, very, very breathy. We're going to come back to that in a second water I mentioned in a previous episode that I'm a weather channel junkie, and I always compare it against my local weather where we have a new newscaster. And she's very sweet and she's very professional and she handles herself on the stage.

I think she's just new, so she's still building her own confidence and has a lot of water. This is kind of a combination of water and air, but she's got a lot of water. And what I'm desiring as a viewer, as a listener is more earth. I'm wanting more authority in her voice. I want, I'm wanting her to be more grounded and [00:12:00] I'm wanting her to lay it on me.

What's the forecast for today, sister? Now, another way of doing that, and we're all a combination. Of all of these things, unless if you find yourself sitting in one or the other, and one way of, of, knowing where we sit with our voices, the feedback that we get, you might. Get feedback.

You might not get any feedback. If you are being asked to repeat yourself a lot, make a note of that. There's probably a chance if you're being asked to repeat, you're not speaking loud enough. You're not giving enough energy. There's not enough weight in your voice. I know there's this this whole generation of mumbling, speaking like this is like you don't even know what you're saying because they're speaking so fast and slurring words into one long sentence, right?

If you're, if you're being asked, could you, could you repeat that? Could you slow down? Friends, it's just feedback and the feedback is just that. Slow down, take a breath in [00:13:00] between some of your phrases, make your whatever it is you're communicating enunciate. More clearly, but just slowing down.

I've never heard anybody ever receive feedback, could you speed up? I've never, could you talk faster please? I do know that some listeners listening to my podcast, they do speed up the speed on them. And I take no offense in any of that. No names, I won't say any names. But I've never heard anybody say, could you please talk faster?

It's always been the exact opposite. Could you please repeat that? Could you please slow down? Could you please speak a little louder? Fire, fire is that passion, right? Not fire hose, as in giving everybody a bunch of information as fast as you can. I've been known to do that. In fact, I've been asked in my previous courses that I've, I've attempted to launch that it was just too much information.

So I'm listening. I'm taking that. feedback. I'm simplifying. I'm [00:14:00] shortening and I'm not fire hosing anymore. So, upcoming things that we have, I've got another launch happening in September, more on that later, but I will not be fire hosing you friends. So you have that to look forward to. I want to come back to this happy birthday.

So the first thing to do with happy birthday, friends, and I don't even know what key I would start it in. I would just start it in a lower key. It generally, I want to say it's generally done in C, but we're going to take that way down. So instead of happy birthday to, way up here. Drop down in the lowest part of your body.

You all can do this with me wherever you are. Feet flat, sit up nice and tall, nice and straight, right? If you're driving, probably not a good time to do that right now. Let's take that way, way down. So, you're at a birthday party. You've heard this little note in the podcast. Okay, I'm going to drive this.

Another way of keeping that key lower. At the happy birthday party is be the one to jump in and lead before somebody else jumps in and someone who doesn't have this [00:15:00] information I'm giving you right now. All right. We're going to go back to that humming space. We did this a couple of podcasts ago, right?

Nice, deep breath, find that breath, drop down to the lowest part of your body and just make sound

that part of your body, one voice, three vicinities. We're in that lower registered. Ha, ha, I have no idea what that key is right now, I just know it's lower than the key everybody always wants to start in. Now, we're going to add, by being down there, we're automatically adding earth, weight, right? Happy birthday to you.

to you. Sing it with me. We're on the same note. Happy birthday to you. It might be too low for some of the ladies. It's okay. But the reason we're down there is because of this. Happy birthday. Happy birthday. You just repeat that twice. If you don't know the person's name or we're making it up on [00:16:00] the spot.

Happy birthday to you. Lower register, lower key. All we did was drop down and find a place that had a lot of weight. Earth. Authority. Now, let's jump up. I know this is starting to get really silly. Happy birthday to you, I'm now up in my falsetto, happy birthday to you, falsetto, I'm kind of jumping between my chest and my falsetto, happy birthday, happy birthday, breath.

Happy birthday to you. So that was a combination between my chest voice. I was flipping above my break into that falsetto, right? That had water. You've got the element of [00:17:00] water in there. You've got some air in there. Now, all time favorite, made famous by Marilyn Monroe when she sang to the president of the United States of America.

All that air, right? Breath, air, right? Happy birthday to you Mr. President, that's how she did it. Happy birthday, right? You feel the difference? Sing along with me, have fun with it. To you Mr. President, happy birthday Happy birthday Air. It's all about air. There's no weight whatsoever. Happy birthday to you.

And I've got some, I've got some water in there, a [00:18:00] combination of air. Anyway, really silly example, but super helpful, I hope, because I know. Because you've all come, you've come through my studio. I don't even like to sing happy birthday. I'm too embarrassed. I don't know how to sing on the right note. I don't want people to look at me.

I don't want to have my voice crack. Long list goes on. So now, listeners. You all know how to sing this song it correctly and in a key that works for you and how to jump in and maybe Lead that a little bit. So again, you know tapping into emotions But we're really this was really an exercise in playing with all of the different elements and tonal qualities of your voice right, which also taps into emotional.

Now becoming I talked a lot about the storytelling. All I'm going to say about that today is the more stories that you can share [00:19:00] when you're presenting, the more stories you can share in your own songwriting. If you are a singer, a Former a poet the better. And, sharing stories about real things that you've experienced, sharing stories about real people that it, it's a great way to, to vent, to take, horrible, traumatic things that.

Made an impact on you and put it to song, put it to music, put it to something that you can share with somebody else that has also had maybe the same experience. I mean, this is what this is what causes those the listenership to go through the roof is you sharing something That you might not think that somebody else has had the same thing, but you're going to put it to a song anyway.

And the next thing you know, you're getting feedback. Oh my gosh, that same thing happened to me. I can't believe that you're writing about this. It's like you're writing my song about my life, something that I really experienced. So, things that you, you've experienced. That gets challenging when I'm working with vocal clients, [00:20:00] sometimes especially, younger kids who haven't been through like relationships, a serious relationship or a serious breakup, it's, it's hard to to express that.

Vocally or musically. If you haven't had that experience, you can certainly try and you can certainly go through the exercise of imagining, but it's not gonna have the same weight and the same believability as if you have been through it yourself. So, again, with your storytelling, with your songwriting, the voice, your voice is the narrator.

So using vocal dynamics, the power of the pause. When you are trying to make a point emphasis to create a captivating tale that will have your listeners hanging on every word waiting to hear what, what are you going to say or sing next? Right? Don't be afraid to get creative, right? Add your own unique flair, your own flair.

I'm going to use I'm finding is also a [00:21:00] wonderful tool. Now I had no idea. And I think I mentioned last week. I've been learning about human design and the gene keys. I'm just doing it for myself. My sister, Stacy Estrella shout out. I might put a note in there for you to get to her. Got certified in this work.

And it's starting to use it in her own work. And we've been using it in our own family, and it has been. a game changer. It is a game changer because as we are learning about ourselves and how we're wired and our personalities, we are able to incorporate that in our relationships, in our work, And the reason I bring this up is because humor, apparently I did not know is part of my marketing and promotion.

I apparently should be using humor and laughter in everything that I do as a way to connect with my ideal client [00:22:00] or whatever it, whoever it is that I'm working with. Even in my relationships, I have found we are all, are like my immediate relationships, my, my family, we are having a heck of a lot more fun right now than we've probably ever had.

And a lot of it has to do With me being able to relax, not take everything so seriously, being able to let go of control let other people run the show. I've, I've been learning there's more than one way to get anything done and to be able to laugh about it when it doesn't work out or things don't go quite as planned.

So, humor. is great to inject with an audience or a listener suspense, even a touch of drama into your performance. If that is part of your design, if that's part of what you do remember that the stage is really, Your voice, this, these podcasts, I am so enjoying delivering [00:23:00] content on this platform.

It's, it's an all inclusive place where I truly can show up. And we, we are also, these podcasts get repurposed and they go out on video as well over on YouTube, but I am really enjoying being able to lay down one piece of content and then go repurpose that in all of the different ways that you, the listener, you, the audience member, the viewer.

So it is a wonderful stage to place where I have the power to create a truly memorable experience, even if we just have a few minutes together. I do have a few more tips here for you. The other is to let loose and dance. I know that was a really fast segue, right? Move your body, take up space, and engage your audience, right?

It is okay for you to be moving while you're singing, for you to be able to use that stage, right? Singing with soul [00:24:00] isn't just about what's coming out of your mouth, your voice, your vocal cords. It's about your whole body, right? Allowing the music to flow through you. Letting your body become an extension.

of your emotions, right? Dancing while you sing adds a whole extra layer of excitement and energy to your performance. It's a fantastic way to engage your audience, to get them on their feet. I've shared, from my hobby singers, we just, I do a few showcases a year with people that are just checking this out.

They're not, they have no intention of becoming songwriters or, touring artists, but the greatest compliment that they have all received is when the audience gets up and starts singing as if they are a celebrity artist, it is, it's a wonderful compliment and it's so fun and it's such a high and you're really feeding off of the audience.

It's like it's a party. It's a celebration. You're all working together. Now I will say [00:25:00] for the touring artists that I've worked with, getting them ready to go on tour, to be doing live shows is a whole nother animal. And we start first with them first. getting their their vocals all down, right? All of the audio portion of their shows of their concerts.

And then we move into movement, choreography connecting, certain words, phrases, pieces of songs to very specific movement. But putting those two worlds together, it's a lot of, it's I hand it's, it's, brain body coordination. And it's exhausting.

You start touring and you're traveling and city to city and that kind of movement. I mean, part of what helps is the energy and the feedback that you're getting from your live audience. But it is a lot of work. And one simple thing I've had artists do is, while they're doing their shows, Singing, if they're an individual [00:26:00] performer, single artist, doing that while they're on a treadmill, while they are riding a stationary bike or a regular bike hiking up in the hills, inclines, singing their full show while they're moving, Peachtree Rascals were my first group ever to get ready for their first show, first live show ever.

Lollapalooza in Chicago, a few years back when we came out of the pandemic, I, they are doing pushups and sit ups on the stage and, while they're singing their song to build physical endurance. So this is why I say, exercise is an excellent exercise. Shouldn't be an option for any of us, but especially if you are a performing artist, you need to be doing something athletic to get your heart rate going on a regular basis.

Two, three days a week, minimum, minimum, Carrie Underwood, she travels with her gym. She has a whole mobile unit. It is the size of a mobile home. I'm talking, maybe [00:27:00] 20, 25 feet, fully loaded with all of her tools, her workout gear, her music, her playlists, and that thing travels on the road. When she's when she's moving, so even on the road, she's still exercising when she's performing, so movement is big.

Don't be afraid to move. The worst thing that you could possibly do is be standing in one place. They're on your stage with your microphone. not moving. Even if you only have a two foot square, you can still move your shoulders. You can move from your hips. You can move your audience and engage getting audience participation through clapping.

That's another fun thing to do when it, when the song calls for it. So I think that was my three things. There we are. Number one in review. Turn into your emotions. Tell the story. What are you singing about? Engage, share that moment using the elements, earth, air, fire, water, metal, using the [00:28:00] senses. Is it, is it light?

Is it dark? Are there, are there crickets singing? Are there is there music going on Well, obviously there's music because you're singing a song here. Is there smell? Are you at a barbecue? Are you at a bakery? Those are two very different smells that you can create and engage your audience with your songwriting or whatever it is that you're conveying in your message.

Coming back to that storytelling, you'll use. All the tools in your toolbox for your voice, dynamics, punctuation, clarity, melody. Don't be afraid to move, even if you only have a small space. The bigger the space, the bigger the stage, the more movement that you're going to want to be engaged in.

And it doesn't have to be... Super athletic movement, depending on the tempo of the song, maybe you're just walking back and forth in the stage. Maybe you are standing in one spot for a portion, walking over to one [00:29:00] end, standing there for a couple of lines, moving back to center stage for a couple of lines.

It's all, it's all a dance. It's all choreography. It's all All show business, right? Main thing is to have a good time. So, you've learned a few techniques here to go and unlock that power of emotion in your performance. Singing with soul, from your soul, from your heart, from your gut. Right. It not only will bring joy and fulfillment to your own performance, but it's also going to attract new fans.

It's going to boost your song sales. Get out there, let your voice shine like the superstar entrepreneur. Or if you're an artist, singer go out, this is going to affect your listenership. Remember it's all about connecting with your emotions. and letting loose. Embrace the power of NLP.

I'm not talking neuro linguistic programming. I'm talking natural, lively, and [00:30:00] passionate. That's our new NLP. Natural, lively, and passionate. And watch as your audience becomes mesmerized by your heart.

So on that note, friends, if you have not picked it up already, another great grounding tool, I've mentioned it a few times, I'm not going to mention it much longer, it's free, head over to the show notes, in the link, go grab your 26 ways to activate your voice instantly, it's breath work, it's meditation, it's affirmation, it's connecting your mental brain to your physical body, it's grounding, it's just an all inclusive, super short, It's free.

Go grab it and start using it. That's the key. Don't just get it on your phone or your device. Actually use it. And if you have not already at this time, please go grab the link to get on my calendar. If you have questions about your voice, you're curious, you're, you're not sure you've got questions, [00:31:00] go get on my calendar for a complimentary discovery call.

And let's just have a conversation. There's no need for you to wait any longer. If you've wanted to explore this thing, I say, If not now, then when? We only have today. We don't know if we have tomorrow. And if you've been on the fence, there's no need for you to be on the fence any longer. Go schedule a complimentary call and let's have a conversation.

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