A [Serious] Examination of the "True" Difficulty and Fascination of Singing

↓ Video version of this note

A friend of mine

"Your article titles are always so stiff, aren't they?"

is what they told me. I'm Yoshiki. I have no comeback for that (´・ω・｀)

It's just my personality, I can't help it; I'm serious to a fault.

...That said,
I intend to speak passionately in this article.

"What is the true difficulty of singing??"

or rather,

"What is 'singing,' the thing I love so dearly?"

I want to delve into that
"vocalist's proposition"!!

I'll try to be careful not to make it too long, so I probably won't be able to write even half of what I'm thinking, and I'm worried about whether I can convey my feelings.

So, I'll state the conclusion of my thoughts first:

Singing is the ultimate art form.

Finding anything more wonderful than this would surely be a daunting task for me.

And I want more people to know, realize, and savor this wonder and fascination, that is the sentiment with which I will write this.

I wrote an article last time about the difficulty of the voice as an instrument, so if you haven't read it yet, please take a look. (That article focuses on the differences between other instruments and the voice.)

・The possibilities of expression are 'infinite'

Despite writing this, I hate using expressions like infinite (possibilities) lightly lol

120%, absolute, eternal, certain.

I'm not fond of people who talk as if they have seen everything.

Unfortunately, even among those who are in a position to teach others, there are tons of people like that (~_~;)

…Anyway, that's enough of that (laughs)

It is also roughly a fact that you cannot put a number on the possibilities of singing.

I think those who have read the previous articles might have a sense of that.

In fact, there is absolutely no end to the list of difficulties,

but almost all of them can be divided into two tasks.

The first is the "task as an instrument," and the second is the "task as a performer"

These are the two.

I also explained this previously in a discussion about the two responsibilities of a vocalist.

In the previous article, I explained and introduced the points that differ from other instruments, specifically among the tasks as an instrument.

Following this flow, it would be normal to write about the tasks as a performer, but

In fact, this "challenge as a performer" is what
makes "singing" an even more unique position when compared to music played on other instruments.

I believe this is something that vocalists and singers themselves feel the most, but if I were to put it into words...

"Singing is a living thing."

That is what I would say.

Some of you might not understand what that means, so I will explain, of course (laughs).

・A connection between mind and body that is deeper than you realize

The instrument known as the voice "breathes, gets hungry, gets tired and sleeps, and performs even better when you are in a good mood."

In other words, it isan instrument that is directly influenced by the heart.

Just handling that is very difficult, but

what is most terrifying is

"that a malfunction of the instrument is equal to a malfunction of the performer"

.

In the case of a singer, when there is a problem with the instrument (the voice), the condition of the performer, who should normally be covering for that problem, is almost without exception also poor.

The reverse is also true; when the condition as a performer is poor, it will always affect the voice.

In the case of other instruments, if the instrument is malfunctioning, you can just switch to a different one.

Even if the performer is in poor condition, I think it often goes unnoticed by the average person unless it is a very severe case.

(By 'average' here, I mean general listeners who are not deeply familiar with music and do not have deep knowledge of it.)

Alternatively, there are plenty of ways to cover up minor issues with your condition.

When it comes to singing, however, things don't go quite so smoothly.

・The consequences of being in poor form as a performer

First of all, since vocal control is deeply linked to the mind and body, physical malaise is directly connected to mental distress and is strongly influenced by it.
Immediately after, the poor condition spreads even to the instrument that should not have been in poor condition initially.

In this way,

**Normally, poor conditions tend to be "added" together,

but for a singer, they are always "multiplied."**

Mental distress causes shallow breathing, poor blood circulation, lower body temperature, and even a drop in maximum muscle strength, which ultimately leads to poor physical condition.

"Illness starts from the mind"

is a common saying, but it is likely true.

The "mind" (ki) referred to here does not just mean feelings, but has a broader meaning of energy, including vitality, motivation, and atmosphere (like the qi, blood, and water in traditional Chinese medicine).

Of course, this does not apply to all illnesses, but it is almost certain that a disturbance in one's energy (ki) invites illness.

・The vocalist's heart, constantly being shaken

Singers and vocalists are subjected to all kinds of tension.
Let's list some of the causes.

・Condition
First, the voice is an incredibly difficult instrument to condition; there is likely no one who can be in "perfect" peak condition every time they sing in front of others.

I have heard that even professional athletes are unable to perform at 100% of their ability at all times, and that is why many of them undergo mental training.

・The position of the frontman
In addition, in many cases, the vocalist's level of attention on stage is higher than other parts; they are the so-called star, and they also occupy a central position musically.

・The ease with which mistakes are conveyed
Even though adjusting the sound is difficult because instruments are living things, mistakes in lyrics are conveyed even to people who are not familiar with music.

・Tension due to visual attention
In the case of a style where you sing while holding a microphone, you are asked for staging sense because there is a lot of freedom in your behavior (because you can't just stand still and sing, haha).

・Tension due to comparisons that are easy to receive because you stand out
In the case of a live performance, unless it is a solo, you will likely sing before or after other singers, so you may be obviously compared, and you may also feel pressure by comparing yourself with other performers.

It goes without saying that even those tensions have a great influence on the mind and body, but in my opinion, the greatest threat during singing is"that songs have lyrics.".

The power of words, kotodama (the spirit of words)

There are many musicians who overlook this, but lyrics have tremendous power.

I have a friend who listens to music more than anyone else, but they say they hardly care about the lyrics because they listen to the melody in vocal songs.

But what happens when you actually try to sing them?

Although there are individual differences in the degree of awareness,

Is there anyone who sings a sad song cheerfully?

Is there anyone who sings a cheerful song sadly?

No, there wouldn't be.

Lyrics and sound always pull at each other, influencing the voice and the heart.

I believe most of us have already experienced how "our emotions are unconsciously pulled by words."
Anyone who has ever been moved by a song has undoubtedly been moved by empathizing with the emotions embedded within it.

When you sing that yourself, don't you feel a powerful force just by reading the lyrics??

All the scenes projected from skillfully crafted lyrics embody the images lurking in our hearts, stirring emotions that were once like ripples into a storm, turning them into a tsunami that shakes the soul.

When a voice is added to that, the power of the sound phase (the impression received from the pronunciation of words, similar to hue in color) is added, and the emotions gain further acceleration.

The influence received from the accompaniment, the moment lyrics become music

Even though it has this much power without a melody, if a melody is added—which seems to tell the whole story of what one wants to convey on its own—amidst a grand accompaniment played by instruments that sprouted from human breath, the lyrics become a song and reflect everything about the singer.

By the way, I consider a cappella to be an "accompaniment of silence."

When music and words mingle, both vying with each other, and resonate under the axis of the singer's emotions,the song fulfills its purpose of shaking people's hearts.

・A song is "a projection of the singer's heart"

Expression is nothing other than "conveying."

A letter with no recipient is nothing more than a memo.

It is a letter only because it reaches someone.

If it comes to that, can an expression that reaches no one be called an expression?

In other words,

My belief is that it is an expression precisely because it reaches people, and

my belief is that singing is the means of maximum output for "conveying."

Daily life, or rather, even more than that,

Everything you have experienced in your life up to this point defines the "words" you use, nurtures your "heart," and shapes your "body."
**
In other words, "a song is the very life of the person singing it."**

The exact same sound never rings twice, and the same form of thought never dwells within twice...

Therefore, songs are alive.

・Songs exist in everyone's daily life

There are surely many people in the world who do not listen to music.

Even so, the world is overflowing with sound, and various stories are hidden within all of it.

Even in a world without sound, just on paper, we feel rhythm and receive strong power from the meaning, impression, and rhythm of words.

Even people who dislike singing perceive the emotions and thoughts of the person they are talking to through tone of voice, pitch, pace, and so on during conversation.

I believe that as long as people are not alone and as long as communication using the voice does not disappear, it is impossible for songs to disappear. I think.

I believe that for everyone, the "voice" is an asset that should be cherished.

Summary

What do you think?

The scale of singing itself is so vast that doesn't it make the "difficulty of the instrument called the voice" seem like not such a big deal? (lol)

Well, this is just my own opinion, but this is how I interpreted a similar conversation I had with my mentor.

It is not guaranteed that those reading this will find the exact same answer,

but at least a song is neither "something for a limited few" nor "something that only satisfies temporary bliss like fast food" nor "something like a papier-mâché prop that only dresses up the surface of a person's heart."

**I only think of "songs that are not very musical" as "mere poems," but

I don't even consider 'pseudo-songs that don't even feel like they have a soul' to be 'expression'.

Please, let me hear your voice.

I believe music resides within your own heart.

...And

If you don't know how to sing, let's do vocal training!!!!!!!!

That's all for now!!

I will probably add to and revise this at a later date!

Thank you for reading this far!

If you'd like, please follow me m(_ _)m