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Location: 6 String Ranch | There's a song that you want to play but it's pretty emotional or has an emotional part.
How do you get past the point of getting choked up your self when performing it?
Speed it up?
Slow it down?
Change the rhythm?
Play it a hundred times till you can do it by rote and not think about it?
Just don't do it? |
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Location: closely held secret | If you don't think about it the emotion is probably not going to come across to the listener. Nothing wrong with people knowing it's hard for you, you just have to work at it till you can keep it under control.
I know the song, Beal. I'll work with you...
Together, now -
Darrrrby (doo, doodoo, doodoo, do) Darrrby, (doo, doodoo, doodoo, do).... |
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Location: Utah | There are a couple of songs I just won't do, and in fact I don't listen to either. If it is too painful to get through it in practice, why be tortured? |
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Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Wow, great question.
Since I can't/don't sing, I would think that the reps would be the way to go.
As to emotional playing, let the emotions drive your fingers and the tempo. I've seen some very impressive amateur performances that would never make a recording studio track.
For different reasons, eulogies and singing are not my forte by any means! |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Someone else said think about cabbage instead....... |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Darby was by for dinner last night, it will be interesting to see what he comes up with a song for tonight. Topic is a "Battle in a war" |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Beal, it happens to me quite often...I just keep going over it until I can handle it...there may alsways be a bit of emotion left but thats OK... |
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Location: closely held secret | Wow, Joe's really digging...
Let us know what you come up with, too. |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Originally posted by Beal:
There's a song that you want to play but it's pretty emotional or has an emotional part.
How do you get past the point of getting choked up your self when performing it?
Just do it. Trying to hide the emotion, or letting yourself get cold to it, will come across just as strongly as the real emotion would. The difference is the "real" emotion is real, and only adds to the performance aspect.
I unfortunately have two performances on video from the mid 90's. One we played the tune near flawlessly, but I completely hid the emotion. The other time it wasn't initially in the setlist... added at the last moment.. no time to prepare.. I was a mess by the last line. Guess which actually came across better, missed cue's and all.
As a friend told me at the time.. "When you're singing about standing graveside as they buried the woman you loved... it's ok to look and sound upset about it."
I would love to tell ya it gets easier.. and sometimes it is easier, but then sometimes... they'll be a trigger... Keep extra tissue's in the road case.... |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | I never cry when I sing, the listeners do. |
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Location: NJ | play it. |
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| I have a few songs that cause me to choke up a bit and I just keep playing them to the point where it doesn't effect me as much - sort of like you just slide through that part w/out thinking because you've played it so much almost to the point of being bored - by which time you have to start learning another song and it all starts again because I only play songs that mean something to me..lol |
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Location: Cicero, NY | Originally posted by Mark in Boise:
I never cry when I sing, the listeners do. Yoko in Boise. |
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Location: Cicero, NY | ...and good to see you stopping by, Cliff. |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | ...and good to see you stopping by, Cliff.
+1 |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Don't EVER let it get easy. Just practice playing while you cry (or laugh, as the case may be)
How many of us remember those great blues singers on the Ed Sullivan Show, so into the tune they're weaping as they sing? (okay, you under-40's can skip that part) Sticks with you, donnit? |
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Location: big island | play it. sing it. cry it. |
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Location: Simpsonville, SC | WOW!
I am emotional now...Cliff came back. |
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Location: Nashville TN. | Originally posted by Beal:
There's a song that you want to play but it's pretty emotional or has an emotional part.
How do you get past the point of getting choked up your self when performing it?
Speed it up?
Slow it down?
Change the rhythm?
Play it a hundred times till you can do it by rote and not think about it?
Just don't do it? Let the emotion flow
and just repeat it untill can get through it without stopping. Real emotion can make for a powerfull memorable performance. |
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Location: South of most, North of few | Originally posted by Beggin:
WOW!
I am emotional now...Cliff came back. My keyboard is soaked with tears. :rolleyes: |
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| Originally posted by Beal:
Play it a hundred times till you can do it by rote and not think about it?
Just don't do it? Those are your best options. |
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Location: Cincinnati | Why do you want to hide the emotion? Isn't that part of why you play? If you get choked up I'm sure the audience is going to be right there with you. Let them feel it too. |
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Location: GA USA | I've been reading The Inner Game of Music . It's about eliminating interference while performing. I've been reading about using awareness as a cure for "trying". Maybe awareness of, or focusing on, something visual like your guitar, or a sound like your toe tapping could take your emotions out of play while keeping you involved in the performance.
I'm not very far into it, but it's interesting even if it's psycho-babble. Anybody else read it? It's Patterned after the other Inner Game philosophies, "Of Tennis" and "Of Skiing", but with a musical focus. |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Beal,
I hear what you're saying. I have songs that given the context make me weep. Here are three of them:
Soul of man by Jimmy Driftwood
Over the Rainbow, by Izzy
Will the Circle be Unbroken.
The only way I have to get over it, is just play them alot, starting with an audience of yourself, then before people who care about you, then others.
Basically, it's just playing them alot. |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | The most vivid demonstration I've ever seen of this was when SWMBO sang the Lord's Prayer at her own father's memorial service, which he had requested. She maintained her composure, but nobody else did. |
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Location: SoCal | Originally posted by cliff:
play it. I don't know who the person is who posted this, but it's the best advice.... |
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Location: Budd Lake, NJ | I usually have to practice them until I get to the point where the emotion is still there, but just not overwhelming.
Case in point--when I sang "Hold My Fragile Heart" for the last NJ get-together, I was fine; but then, I tried to sing it for my daughter, and since it talks about her dad, we were both shot by the end of the first verse. I managed to get through it, because I wanted her to hear it and see how far I've come in the grief process, but it wasn't easy.
And I've found that a song that really touches you can blind-side you, even months later...and that's o.k., because only dead people don't feel.
--Karen |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Originally posted by Beal:
Someone else said think about cabbage instead....... Baseball Stats! |
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Location: Portland, OR | Direct it. Some of the most effective communication is from the heart. Let go. Just do it. If it's for a person special to you or their memory, think of the light-hearted times. It will work. Pauses may be necessary, but that's OK. I've had to give funeral talks and hate the fear of anticipation, but I try to remember that it's a gift to whomever and just do it. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Baseball stats, good idea!
Letting a little show is OK if it's appropriate, most of the time it's not. Quite often we are just the delivery system of the song and we want the audience to feel the impact of what's being said, not get distracted by(and then feel sorry for) the singer with tears. |
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Location: GATLINBURG TENNESSEE :) | I started having some difficulty with that about the (first) time I turned 40. I think it has a lot to do with MANopause.
No really... I have had difficulty holding my own every time I hear the national anthem or taps played, since the time I was in the Marine Corps. My freedoms and those who paid the price for them will always hold a special place in my heart. |
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| Originally posted by Beal:
Letting a little show is OK if it's appropriate, most of the time it's not. Quite often we are just the delivery system of the song and we want the audience to feel the impact of what's being said, not get distracted by(and then feel sorry for) the singer with tears. I agree.
It's effective to convey emotion in a subtle manner when appropriate and to some extent it might help the audience abstract into the song but choking in the middle of a line is just a distraction, breaks up the delivery and may be regarded by some as self indulgent. |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | "and may be regarded by some as self indulgent. "
You say that like it's a bad thing.
You put on the right clothes, tune up, plug in, get behind a microphone, and stand under a spotlight trying to get every person in the room to be watching, listening and otherwise paying exclusive attention to you... and your worried showing "emotion" might seem self indulgent????
Now granted, if it's to the point where it ruins the tune... that's something else. Time and practice will/should get you through it. |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | pull an Ashley Simpson on it... |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | I guess that's just the answer, play it till it gets old. It's not so much about not showing emotion, it's keeping the emotion from interfering with the tune.
Just "Play It" as that masked man said............
JFDI |
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Location: south east Michigan | On the flipside, maybe not every song you know has to be for public consumption.
It's a rare gift to come across a song that gets to you that way. To play it over & over until the personal magic is lost would be a shame. |
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| Originally posted by Mr. Ovation:
"and may be regarded by some as self indulgent. "
You say that like it's a bad thing.
You put on the right clothes, tune up, plug in, get behind a microphone, and stand under a spotlight trying to get every person in the room to be watching, listening and otherwise paying exclusive attention to you... and your worried showing "emotion" might seem self indulgent????
Now granted, if it's to the point where it ruins the tune... that's something else. Time and practice will/should get you through it. Not sure that I understand what you’re getting at.
I was simply remarking upon something that “may” happen.
You’ve taken the last clause from my post out of context from its accompanying remarks.
Moreover, it’s clear from what I said that I was referring to someone choking up in the middle of a line to the point of it being a distraction and not someone just using vocal inflection or whatever to convey a bit of emotion. |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | I was being sarcastic.. not combative.. Just struck my giggle-string to see any performance referred to as "may be regarded by some as self indulgent"... I thought being self indulgent was THE point of any performance... LOL |
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| Yeah, I suppose there is a certain amount of self indulgence in any performance but then there's the angst ridden types who go way over the top and every second line is a portrayal of world weary misery which can get old real fast for an audience. For those ones there should be a warning on the back of the ticket that says: "may be regarded by some as self indulgent."..lol |
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| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USafrOU3e88&NR=1 |
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Location: Jet City | I suppose it depends on the situation for me. There's a few songs I do that are pretty emotional and I use it to my advantage and let it show through.
However, that would be just a regular performance. When I played at my grandmother's memorial service earlier this year, I totally broke down in the middle of the song. I had played it over and over again and thought I'd be good, but when the time came, I couldn't make it through. |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | I got a good gig/experience out of losing it!
Was at a writing seminar and one exercise lead to me reading out 3 paragraphs on a traumatic childhood incident. I choked up and teared a little reading it but continued through.
As a result, I was invited to Vancouver to spend a day working with a Nashville pro writer who wanted to write a song about a parallel situation.
Don't underestimate the value of 'losing it' at the right time, for the right reason. |
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How do you get past it?