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You are what you sing. As strange as that sounds, there is more truth to that statement than you might realize, especially in the eyes and ears of an audience that doesn’t know you very well. The songs you sing have the potential to make or break your performance and to define or distort your image and persona.

To help you choose material for a song set, think about your performance in terms of where you want to take your audience emotionally, stylistically, spiritually. There are many possibilities in terms of mood, tone, humor, tempo. Ask yourself in what ways you’d like your audience to be moved. What would you like them to take away from your performance?

I Sing What You Want To Hear
So your performance really needs to be more of a happy union of “I am what I sing” and “I sing what you want to hear.” In other words, you want the material to appeal to and represent your audience in terms of struggles, longings, love, disappointment, dreams, and so on.

What You Sing Best
Ask three or four people you know and respect about your strengths as a performer. What do they feel are your strongest points of appeal? What styles do they feel you sing best? What emotions or feelings does your voice most commonly evoke?

In addition to these qualities, determine guidelines for issues with range, versatility, skill level needed for your accompaniment, and any other technical parameters. Get input from any band members, backing vocalists - anyone who will sing and play with you at the gig.

At this point you will have a better sense of what to look for, that you sing well and will be easy for others to back you up. So choose four or five songs, based on the criteria established, that you personally will enjoy singing.

Take Your Audience To Heart
Now think about your audience. What do you know about the venue or its location? What acts are routinely most successful there, and what do these acts have in common? What cover songs are most popular? What local issues are being faced that may be sensitive areas or opportunities for humor in a song choice or in chat time between numbers? To get this information, talk with the venue’s manager, bartender, or even a regular customer, just two or three people that are qualified in assessing the tastes of traffic at the gig.

You want people that have a finger on the pulse of the vibe of the venue and on the collective heart of its patrons. This will help you choose your songs that say:”I sing what you want to hear.” If you do mostly original songs, or happen to be a singer songwriter, use the criteria established for the songs that define you and the criteria for the songs that define the audience. Based on your catalogue, find the songs that are the best fit.

The Song Set As Storytelling
Once you have the songs you love to sing and the songs your audience likely wants to hear, you need to think of the evening as a piece of theatre, with highs and lows, tension and relief, tears and laughter. Remember you are a storyteller that delivers messages from heart to heart with each song you sing.

Choose one of the patron’s popular songs as an encore piece. This will reinforce the power of the evening, further endear you to them in their hearts, and increase your chances for a future booking.

As You Grow, Stretch Your Material
Remember that as you mature as a singer and performer, the voice changes in depth, resonance and expressiveness. Your interpretive skills grow with experience and confidence. Another likely result will be that your song choices will change as your range and skills are enhanced.

But remember to not let your audience be the guinea pig for testing your technical expertise. Only enhance or increase the level of difficulty once it’s been mastered in lessons with your vocal coach, voice teacher, and programs like Mastering Mix and Singing Success. Save the experiments for rehearsal.



Randy Moomaw

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Jan 06, 2010 | 15 Comments

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I personally agree with all the above. It took me a long time to discove it to be honest. Figured out from my singing tutor in the end.
Was having real trouble with creating an image and a persona. And what songs I sang good and bad!!! I just can't work it out myself, sounds the same in my head!
Hope alls well, keep up the good work.
Ben :-)
oh and incase your wondering my tutor was Alex Masefield. Think its www.alexmasefield.co.uk but check him out if your having these trouble and live up north.
 
p.s. Can anyone give me some advise on my set list?

Great Help

I've always needed good advice like this. This kind of stuff isn't easy to find. Thank you so much for all your help. I'm going to share this information with the members in my band. It's good to have kind people like you spreading this amazing infomation. Keep it up Randy!

Wow Great Advice

I am a professional actress who can sell the heck out of a comedic song. This article REALLY is great. Thank you for simplifying what I already know but haven't been able to articulate.  I also teach acting and this advice holds true for actor's audition material as well. I will be sharing this with all of my students.

Inexpressive, Is the

Inexpressive,
Is the impression I get from a lot of performers nowadays. They try to sing like so & so make their voices sound like them, etc. The whole purpose of performing is that you connect with the audience your way, you tell your story you share your feelings. The article is totaly right on and I agree with the "Sing songs that move you" concept so you can then pass it on to your audience. 

Great Advice...

Thank you for this timely article.  I will definitely put it to use as I charge forward in the industry and in my ministry! 

honest to goodnest avise

I have to say that one of the reaons that made me decide to purchase Brett Manning's Singing Succes was his honesty and  unselfishness in teaching the course. I have compared other products (including Seth Righs books, sorry Seth) and to me honesty wins over all of them. But why do I free adveretise? because the article of  Randy Moomaw is so honest and true. I have been in a Salsa Band for several years and it took me several years to find out what Randy is talking about. Thank you Randy for your unselfish honesty.

This article is awesome. Some

This article is awesome. Some of the most real advice you can give. Thanks and I think You're Great!All the best..

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