Hi all, I'm wondering if there's any good tips or techniques to help me choosing songs to learn for my singing, for fun but also hopefully finding some "keepers" that I can do when I get the odd chance here and there to perform.
I've always struggled finding songs which overlap the bubbles of a) something I like, b) something my voice/range can handle, and c) what people in the two types of audience I tend to get to play for would like to hear. There's are lots of songs in individual bubbles but very few that overlap both.
Once I find a song I can normally arrange it quite nicely (enough) be it with guitar accompaniment or piano. I'm mostly doing piano singing recently because I've not unpacked my guitar stuff much since moving house.
I keep watching and listening to Jacob Collier's piano covers and thinking I could do something like that style but on a much smaller scale, but then he does go very high and very low which I can't necessarily do. But he's very good at choosing what songs to do to suit his thing.
So I'm not necessarily after song recommendations to learn as such, but ideas on how best to find songs myself that I could do. Hopefully that makes sense!
Comments
As far as the band goes, we try do so stuff our way rather than recreate studio covers. It tends to be rock with a bit of punk and I find the guitar playing helps guide my voice if that makes sense. I find that's the easiest way of singing naturally and finding my own way through songs.
I know my range already, in notes it's G#2 to C#5 but I think it's more useful to me to consider it as two-octaves-plus-a-4th because the actual pitch is kind of irrelevant really considering given I'll be accompanying myself so can easily transpose to whatever key is needed.
That range is kind of split in two, the more comfortable range from G#2 up to about D4, then above that my voice has more of a very slight breakup to it which I think sounds more interesting than the lower one. I tend to aim for that range more when pitching stuff - my high and dry cover entry for example
I do sing along to a lot things (much to the annoyance of the Mrs when she's watching TV with music in it) but only really half heartedly because i recognise them and I'm bored. It's finding ones I like enough to learn properly and find the key to fit in my range that I'm finding hard.
I've no intention or desire to collaborate as such so I'm kind of on my own choosing stuff as I don't really have any musical friends on a similar page
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You've obviously thought this through very thoroughly, but a surprising number of singers haven't.
For instance I've been learning John Denver's Country Roads for the function band I'm in.
The original key (A) means there's an Fsharp (2nd fret high e string) which I struggle with (the "where I be-LONG..." bit). I can do it if on a good day with a strong wind... but I've taken to doing it in G which means the high note is an e (open high string) - much more comfortable - and the drop down in key doesn't make the song sound "wrong" - as can sometimes happen when you start d*icking around with key changes.
As a tenor I've sort of got to know what I can and can't do - and there's certain songs that are complete no go's since changing the key means losing the open string riffs or chords you have to use for it for it to both sound right and playable. Case in point AC/DC stuff.
Sweet Child O' Mine is obviously a completely none goer.
I find Bryan Adams stuff is a reach - he's just that bit higher (and with power) than I'm comfortable with.
Bottom line is if I can't sing it to my satisfaction I don't go near it.
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The two types of audience I get to ever play for are the largely over 55s at my dad's church (if not older!) or on the rare occasions I get to play at more like thirty-something hipster type scenarios which is where I fit the stereotype. So generally 60s and 70s songs for the old folks, fairly random stuff for the hipster crowd. There's not a vast amount of crossover between the two but some stuff can work. I avoid ironic covers though, that is very much a rule. I did A Boy Named Sue once, literally only once, as a bit of a joke one as it was a previous karaoke party trick of mine at one point. I've been asked about it every single time since.
My listening tastes are generally quite different than my performing ones as I have to accommodate the voice, hence why I find it hard to find things I like enough to want to learn, arrange, and perform
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youtube.com/@TheColourboxMusic
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