Finding Your Unique Voice Vs. Mimicry
One of the most important aspects of artistry and sound is finding your own voice amongst all of your influences. Its impossible not to be influenced by the music that we have spent years listening to but something I always encourage my students to do is to make sure they are carving out their own sonic place. Ideally, we all approach the canvas in our own way with our own brushes and choice of hues. For now, think of who your favorite singer is and what you think defines their sound. Chances are, you’ve spent time trying to emulate that sound. Sometimes people are able to mimic other singers to an uncanny degree of sonic accuracy. One of my absolute favorites is Christina Aguilera doing Britney Spears (see below). Analytically, what I hear is that she created extra tension and compression in her throat with added nasality tot he texture to pull off this sound. IT IS HILARIOUS, amiright, 90’s kids? This leads me to my point though- its really funny in this particular case but ask yourself if throwing in a bunch of tension in your throat and squeezing the sound out through your nose sounds like your best voice? Probably not. This is kind of a more extreme and obvious example on where mimicry can go wrong but ultimately, the ways in which we play around with our sound and try to manipulate it to sound like someone else generally amount to added tensions that actually inhibit ourselves from singing comfortably.
Initially when someone is learning to sing and find pitches, mimicry can help a person place their sound on pitch. As you gain confidence in your sound placement, it may be time to focus on muscle training and relaxation of certain tensions. Are you having trouble with mimicking a certain sound and feeling like you’re having trouble finding your own voice? Please feel free to check out my free videos on this website as well as the subscription videos at just $20/ month and as always, follow the BOOK A LESSON tab and sign up for an online lesson today for completely personalized help!
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