Please help me! I suck at organizing my thoughts. I feel like if I go any further my essay will turn into mush. The center of the essay is now just a couple of sentences where paragraphs used to be.
How should I re-arrange/expand things to make my thoughts coherent? My thesis is basically that too much focus on technique will keep us from enjoying ourselves while singing, which is the most important part. How can I state that clearly yet clearly/eloquently? Also, this is a college course, so I can use "adult" language or talk about sex/drugs/whatever.
One of the first things a voice teacher tells you to do is release any tension in your body. Singing is supposed to feel good. It's supposed to be relaxing. It's supposed to be freeing. However, so many of us get caught up in the technique that we quickly forget this. Are you in form? Is your jaw dropped? Are you smiling? Did you eat diary today? All those quested go through a singer's head when they walk towards the stage. And don't forget to be relaxed. Singing can quickly become a microphone-induced panic-attack.
Though I was there to see Elvis Costello, I did not notice him when he walked past me. The way he was dressed did grab my attention, but only in a "how cute, that old man is dressed like a hipster" kind of way. If I would have realized who he was, I probably wouldn't have shot him the stink eye for walking around with the contents of his mini bar stacked in his hands.
It wasn't until he was on stage that I realized who he was, of course. I was so surprised at how relaxed he looked right before the show. I would definitely have been spending my time backstage warming up my voice and warding off a panic attack if this was my show.
Elvis Costello wants you to know that music is a thing of joy, and that set lists and sound checks are for pussies.
If you focus just on his vocal technique, you're missing the point of Elvis Costello. He never worried about his microphone being too far away from his mouth, or weather or not his guitar was in tune (at one point he just spun his guitar on his strap until a stagehand brought him something else to strum), or even if he was hitting the right notes (he wasn't). He doesn't worry about these things because he's there to enjoy himself. That's it.
Costello brought back his famed "Spinning Songbook" for this tour, which is reminiscent of the Dollar Wheel from The Price is Right. The wheel was a way to celebrated spontaneity over the tightly programmed concert rituals we're used to seeing. With a quick spin between songs, everything was left up to chance, and the only guarantee was that no two shows would be the same. Costello performed as if the carnival attractions he used to pick songs were a part of the band. The click of the wheel was like the click of drumsticks and the second it landed on a song Costello would start playing. He brought "go with the flow" to the next level. At one point, he even broke free from the melody of "Everyday I Write the Book" and starting singing Prince's "Purple Rain." Just 'cause. And the audience loved erupted with applause.
It's strange to think that Costello has been doing this for almost 40 years now. It isn't strange when you see how comfortable he is on stage, but it is strange when you consider his utter lack of professionalism, which he can manage to supplement with a sense of defiant and confident proclivity. He really knows what it means to be a rock performer and do it well. Rock should never be professional. Rock is not about technique. It's about having a good time. Costello has that nailed.
How should I re-arrange/expand things to make my thoughts coherent? My thesis is basically that too much focus on technique will keep us from enjoying ourselves while singing, which is the most important part. How can I state that clearly yet clearly/eloquently? Also, this is a college course, so I can use "adult" language or talk about sex/drugs/whatever.
One of the first things a voice teacher tells you to do is release any tension in your body. Singing is supposed to feel good. It's supposed to be relaxing. It's supposed to be freeing. However, so many of us get caught up in the technique that we quickly forget this. Are you in form? Is your jaw dropped? Are you smiling? Did you eat diary today? All those quested go through a singer's head when they walk towards the stage. And don't forget to be relaxed. Singing can quickly become a microphone-induced panic-attack.
Though I was there to see Elvis Costello, I did not notice him when he walked past me. The way he was dressed did grab my attention, but only in a "how cute, that old man is dressed like a hipster" kind of way. If I would have realized who he was, I probably wouldn't have shot him the stink eye for walking around with the contents of his mini bar stacked in his hands.
It wasn't until he was on stage that I realized who he was, of course. I was so surprised at how relaxed he looked right before the show. I would definitely have been spending my time backstage warming up my voice and warding off a panic attack if this was my show.
Elvis Costello wants you to know that music is a thing of joy, and that set lists and sound checks are for pussies.
If you focus just on his vocal technique, you're missing the point of Elvis Costello. He never worried about his microphone being too far away from his mouth, or weather or not his guitar was in tune (at one point he just spun his guitar on his strap until a stagehand brought him something else to strum), or even if he was hitting the right notes (he wasn't). He doesn't worry about these things because he's there to enjoy himself. That's it.
Costello brought back his famed "Spinning Songbook" for this tour, which is reminiscent of the Dollar Wheel from The Price is Right. The wheel was a way to celebrated spontaneity over the tightly programmed concert rituals we're used to seeing. With a quick spin between songs, everything was left up to chance, and the only guarantee was that no two shows would be the same. Costello performed as if the carnival attractions he used to pick songs were a part of the band. The click of the wheel was like the click of drumsticks and the second it landed on a song Costello would start playing. He brought "go with the flow" to the next level. At one point, he even broke free from the melody of "Everyday I Write the Book" and starting singing Prince's "Purple Rain." Just 'cause. And the audience loved erupted with applause.
It's strange to think that Costello has been doing this for almost 40 years now. It isn't strange when you see how comfortable he is on stage, but it is strange when you consider his utter lack of professionalism, which he can manage to supplement with a sense of defiant and confident proclivity. He really knows what it means to be a rock performer and do it well. Rock should never be professional. Rock is not about technique. It's about having a good time. Costello has that nailed.
