Space

I had a great preproduction meet up with an artist yesterday. One word that came from the artist was “space”. She said that she wanted it to have space in the music and that she didn’t want it to be over layered. Perhaps one of the reasons that the recording industry has gone through the downturn is because the recordings don’t stand up to multiple listening and are overproduced.

In an effort to create with a sonic canvas, some engineers and producers have ventured into a place where the music becomes unlistenable. Let’s not kid ourselves; auto tuning vocals and instruments has only made for lazy or subpar performances. You can’t fix it in the mix or polish a turd. Great mixes begin and end with great music and a great performance.

It seems to me that at one time vocalists had an earnest quality in their singing. I think of Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan and others. I also think of Joni Mitchell, Patsy Cline, and Judy Collins. There is a joy in listening to Ella and Louis Armstrong sing duets. Louis' voice is the trumpet. His trumpet is a mirror image of his singing. When Ella scats, she imitates the trumpet.

Patsy Cline displays this earnestness in the convincing power of her voice. Billie Holliday is earnest in her vulnerability. Listen to Judy Collins in her rendition of “Send in the Clowns” by Stephen Sondheim. The closing line shows a resignation to what is happening. Look into “Sea Songs” by Edward Elgar, sung by Dame Janet Baker. She captures the storm and the return to safe harbor, a metaphor for home and family.

Use your imagination to seek the deeper meaning of song and music. Ask yourself, who am I singing this song to? What does the song mean? What are the emotions, thoughts and sentiments conveyed in the song? Where is the song being sung? This should move how you perform the song and the musical choices you make for its performance.

Adrian Yañez