Telling the Story

Telling the Story

Audiences are concerned far less with your perfect singing than they are with the emotional life being created and the story being told.

To effectively interpret and perform your song, you will use the following:

-lyrics and dynamics

-focus on a partner (fourth wall or no fourth wall)

-gestures/blocking

First you need to know two things:

-who am I talking to

-what do I want from them?

FOCUS:

-Once you establish who you are singing to you will know where to focus and you should see the whole person, not just their eyes.

-You can change your eye focus as you remember things to say and experience certain emotional changes.  Remember to always check back with your partner.

DIALOGUE:

-A song becomes exciting as the audience feels like there is dialogue rather than monologuing.  They will be drawn in to what you are trying to accomplish (your objective) by singing your song (telling your story)

-Remember to react to what your partner’s response is (again- usually an imagined response unless you are breaking the fourth wall).  This keeps the performance active rather than indulgent.

URGENCY:

-A performance is usually much more exciting when the singer has energy about what they are saying.  This is urgency.  A NEED to sing, a want that is so great, you HAVE to sing it rather than just say it.

-”Life or Death” thinking is a way to get urgency in your performance.  You will “die” if you don’t get the thing you want from them.

GESTURES:

-There should always be a reason to use your hands, arms etc. in gesturing.

-No reason=unnatural and nervous movement

MOVEMENT:

-If you move your feet or walk, you must have a reason or it looks uncomfortable/unnatural.

-No gesture is stupid if it’s motivated.