Lots of things can and will go wrong when singing, there are so many things that have to be co-ordinated it is bound to happen. Usually the problem lies before the point in which it becomes noticeable that something has gone wrong. Yet we focus mostly on the sections that go wrong and for obvious reasons. However addressing what has gone on a few counts before the mistake becomes noticeable will fix the problem.
If you are having problem with a section consider the following:
Are you struggling with the vowel or the consent? Is the pitch a problem? Is the dynamic an issue? Are you running out of breath? Running out of breath causes a whole lot of problems especially with intonation and dynamics. Always make sure you have enough breath at the start of the phrase to last the whole phrase and to that end you must know how long the phrases are.
What has happened just before your mistakes manifests itself? Were you singing the right notes with the proper breath support? Are you pronouncing the words properly?
Above all a list of instructions which will address the problem but they fall under the term of “trying”. A list of instructions can set up resistance within our brains and a long list of instructions is hard to keep reminding ourselves of as our brains can generally only cope with focussing attention on 5 or 6 things.
Ultimately all we can do is try and I love the phrase : “Awareness cures – trying fails” – by that I mean that if I notice you are having a problem somewhere and decide that I think I know where the problem lies I can fix it for you quickly but if I say to you “please be aware of what it is you are doing with the vowel/pitch/consonant/dynamic/your breath at that point” most people end up fixing their problem for themselves. It is quiet a powerful tool and if it resonates with then I suggest a great book by T Gallwey and W Green, called “The Inner Game of Music”.
Be kind to yourself and in so doing you will learn more quickly than if you issue a set of orders to yourself as well as belittling or critiquing yourself. It serves no purpose at all to get angry with yourself and to try harder. Raising your awareness creates a better mindset and possibility for improvement.
Exercise
The next time you feel you have sung something that isn’t quiet right ask yourself to be aware of what might have gone wrong just before you notice the mistake. If you fix that then you will fix the noticeable issue.
