The first two blogs of the semester have involved reminding ourselves to establish a technical purpose when singing and then focusing on what is working instead of focusing on the problems.
Unsurprisingly, this tactic isn't just for your vocal technique. It applies just as well to your artistry. The more clearly you identify and commit to a character objective and an emotional intention when you sing, the more clearly those choices will read to your audience. Like we discussed in the first blog, once you have decided on and implemented a strategy, you can then assess that strategy. Was it successful? Could it be improved? Give yourself a few repetitions with the same strategy, then try a different strategy (a new character objective and emotional intention) and see where that leads.
This is the key to exploratory practice: choose, implement, repeat and refine, choose something different, implement, repeat and refine.
There are two ways you can try this when you are practicing: playing the higher stakes game and playing the opposite game.
To play the higher stakes game, you have to specifically decide how your characters are feeling and what they are trying to accomplish. Are they annoyed? Angry? Infatuated? Are they trying to dissuade? Chide? Flirt? After singing your song from that perspective, then raise the stakes and take that emotion up a level or two. Instead of being annoyed, try being deeply disturbed. Instead of being angry, play it infuriated. Instead of feeling infatuation, be passionately enamored with the fire of a thousand suns. Instead of dissuading someone from doing something, try actively preventing them from even considering it. Instead of gently chiding someone, try cruelly mocking them. Instead of subtly flirting, try aggressively seducing. This may start to reveal the wide range of emotions and perspectives that exist.
Next, you can play the opposite game. It's similar to the higher stakes game in that you have to clearly identify what your characters are feeling and what they are trying to accomplish. But, as you might guess, instead of raising the emotional stakes in the same direction, choose the exact opposite. Instead of being inviting, play it as defiant. Instead of searching for love, play it as if a relationship is the last thing you want. Instead of being upset, play it as though you are completely at peace. As actors, this is a fun exercise that can uncover a variety of interpretive choices you may not have considered. Even if these choices are not appropriate for the piece you are working on, they may have applications in some of your other material. Surprisingly, you may also hit upon some choices that could be effective with the piece you are working on, even if they originated as being the opposite of what you were intending.
Play some games this week with your songs. Raise the stakes, try the opposite, have fun, and see what you discover.
Now go practice.
I loved this blog post. I think this is another great way to look at acting through a song. I know that we all, in class, have the character analysis and lyric analysis sheets that we fill out to get in the mind and feel of our character. But I think this could be great to use if you feel burnt out with that, or are needing more choices to get your whole body involved with movement while singing. I think playing opposites could be a fun game and you can discover/apply more to the song you are singing or take that and use it for other songs!
ReplyDeleteI think it is so important as an actor to be able to be open to playing and trying new things with a piece because it allows for discovery. Playing games like these can help you discover new things about the song and different ways you can play a character that may be helpful for the performance. The higher stakes game could be a great way to put more intention behind your objective when singing and the opposites game can be a great way to discover contrast in your characters feelings during a song and this can be useful as well.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy this post because at-least for myself, and probably the rest of the ATP, i am strictly an actor first. By prioritizing this side of the singing I dont have to worry as much about being a good singer. That being said, I really struggled committing to a character during our 'True Love' performance. Im equating that to nerves, and I hope that 'Hair' goes much smoother from an acting perspective.
ReplyDeleteI think that when I sing, character is the first thing that flies out of my mind. I am so focused on hitting the notes that the emotion or the character or the story just fade into the nerves. I think that these games really help to get the focus back on character, intention, and goal because they become part of the strategy rather than something that gets overlooked. Also, I have found that once I can click my brain back into that mode, singing becomes a lot less frightening and a lot more fun because by that point it feels more like playing a character in a situation rather than standing in front of an audience singing.
ReplyDeleteI really like these suggestions and I think they're really helpful for keeping a piece interesting. I especially love the idea of playing opposites. Besides just using it as an exercise for discovering new tactics, I think having two opposing objectives can be really helpful in a scene because it keeps the performance from getting predictable. Unexpected choices are one of my favorite things to see in a performance, and I think it can actually be really truthful--you can both really want something and be afraid of getting it.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the implications of playing games while signing. As an actor we are always so focused on the next subject and what choice we should make next. There are different explanations of such and in this post there is the aspect of focusing on the choices while multi-tasking. I also wanted to talk about my practice, I have been warming up in the car on my way to perform a small musical for a friend. And I have seen immense improvements with the way I breathe and use my voice and intonation.
ReplyDeleteI really loved this blog post! I find it so important when working on any piece, whether a scene, monologue, song, etc. to play around with extremes and opposites. Sometimes I feel like if I "go bigger," there's more risk to embarrass myself, but this year I've really been working on letting go of that fear and just going with what feels right, without being afraid to make mistakes! I really resonated with this post.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy the points made in this post! Still, even into my senior year, I often forget to apply the same techniques of vocal exercise to acting exercise while singing. As we've discussed in our lessons, I often can feel an emotion intensely while performing it, but externally the choice appears very small. I need to always choose higher and more active stakes in order for my performances to read with the level of acting and performance that I want. In that same vein, the opposites game can get me to accomplish the same thing because it makes me more aware of the choices I was making and turning them on their head. Also, the opposites game can be fucking hysterical! I find a lot of enjoyment in it, as well as discovery for the actual performance of the piece.
ReplyDeleteI found this blog post helpful. I definitely will try playing characters differently. I think this could be helpful with finding what a specific character really wants. I should start trying this within the songs we perform in class as well as in my private voice lessons. Maybe if I tried singing Somebody Somewhere from The Most Happy Fella, as you said, “play it as if a relationship is the last thing you want” could be fun and more revealing than playing it as wanting to be loved.
ReplyDelete"You want to play? Let's play!" It reminds me of an old saying that my old classmates in Elementary said to each other. If we really want to make it big in the acting industry we need to understand the characters we play from all the building blocks they have. Play with all of the blocks. Even if it means to go further beyond a standard emotion, such as "sadness" I like the word 'elevate' because you're going above and beyond.
ReplyDeleteLately, the biggest issue I've had with my singing cuts is the reception and perception of my acting choices - mostly they have been way too much (usually in the way of their chaotic energy) or they've been misinterpreted. This year, I feel that my ability to come up with circumstances and actable verbs for my songs has greatly improved, and I am finally able to fee emotionally connected to my material, even in performance, but the intentions in emotion I set are not being well-understood. Perhaps these two types of experimentation may help improve my ability to portray emotions that can be easily perceived; while I am finally able to watch my own performance qualities in the mirror while I practice, it seems as though my impression of my choices is skewed, and implementing these experimental practices could reveal to me better choices than the ones I'm making. I hope to incorporate these experimental processes in my upcoming practice sessions this week.
ReplyDeleteThis blog is exactly what I’ve been working on the most this semester. As we’ve discussed in my lessons, I have a tendency to make the smaller, safer choices rather than play big by taking bigger risks. I’ve been trying really hard to break this habit this semester, and I think both of these strategies will really help me. I especially think that playing the higher stakes game will help me break the habit by forcing me to think in bigger emotions and in an already higher stakes environment. I’m going to try to implement both of these games into my practice more this week, and see if it helps me break my habit.
ReplyDeleteHi Brian! THis blog reminds me of some of the exercises that Sarah has me do in her Shakespeare class! Things like pretending I’m a monster saying the monologue or an opera diva opened up more possiblilties in the way that I delivered the text that I haven’t even thought of! I just tried it while making this blog and I can already feel that it can impact my physicality in a more motivated way. I think that I sometimes forget how important playing around with acting is!
ReplyDeleteThis blog post was super fun and I loved reading it! It definitely inspired me to work on my pieces in a different way as I go forward throughout the week. I think at times I can really get stuck on making comfortable choices and these games will be a great way to get me out of the comfort zone. Not only that but I always notice that when I am making strong acting choices during a piece, the vocals tend to come much easier based on the strong intention behind it. Therefore, trying a piece with an extreme emotion (either fittingly or opposite), it will be interesting to see how it affects the vocals!
ReplyDeleteAlexa Shaheen
I love this post! By far, one of the most fun ways to go about practicing my songs, as I often get too wrapped up in memorizing the song or remember what comes next to focus on the emotions I am displaying. But when I do get a chance to play these emotions, especially the opposite of what I am feeling in the song, it can make for some really fun reactions that end up being comedic about a tragic song, or vice versa with a comedic song. All of it is really great in fueling what my character wants. What I have also noticed in practicing like this is that these choices also make me more confident in singing the corrects notes and even helps with notes I struggle to hit at times, and overall makes me feel more well-rounded as an actor and singer while also allowing me to have fun and get to sway an audience with emotion!
ReplyDeleteI think this post was a really great reminder for me. As an actor I put all my focus on serving the story, being in the event, and emoting. But when I sing sometimes I get so focused on the technical part of it, I lose the story! I also think bring in some of those actor attitudes makes singing more fun and enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteI definitely find myself playing the opposite game pretty regularly with the rep that I work on, mostly because I have found that it's my favorite game to play with new pieces! I do however feel like playing the higher stakes game is something I need to do much more often. I always have ended up feeling so silly and embarrassed doing it, but I need to remember that it's just an exercise that will help my find something stronger to use than I already have, and helps all intentions to be more specific. As always, there is no growth in the comfort zone.
ReplyDeleteI loved what was shared in this post because no matter how many times I hear it, it’s always important to remind myself of the necessity of telling a story while singing. No matter how perfect your technique is, without a story it has no meaning and no substance. I think that these two games are great ways to play with songs and get the most out of them storytelling wise. Making choices that might feel/sound extreme can be daunting, but they are so much more exciting to watch. The higher stakes game is a great example of the importance of making the strongest choice(s) possible. And playing the opposites can create emotional tension in the work. I also think that allowing two opposites to live within a character can create an exciting environment to tell a story from. Humans are complex and I think we often feel emotions or have thoughts that contradict each other.
ReplyDeleteJosh Wheeler
ReplyDeleteEvery song, every dance, every monologue can and should be explored in this way. Not only is it a very fun, it can also be very helpful to find what works well and what doesn’t! It also gives us good practice to be flexible in our decisions, often times a director will tell a performer to do a scene over with a certain action or idea in mind, and it can very well be the opposite of what you’ve been used to and been practicing to get exactly right. You might find that that direction completely changes the tone or narrative of the song. As actors, it is our job to portray human emotions, and as there are infinite combinations of emotions, so too are the infinite ways in which to perform a song.
I loved this blog post + found myself relating it all back to my most recent work for my studio class. Just Breathe from The Prom is typically performed in an inauthentic way, but playing a version of the opposite game was helpful for finding places in the song to make it my own: I was able to explore different feelings/emotions to make the song as a whole more dynamic than it may typically be done. What I struggled with, though, was finding ways to raise the stakes and have them show. Even though I found more intense words to describe what Emma might be experiencing, it wasn’t until I found ways to replicate these feelings physically that they were able to come across more clearly. For example, I discovered that something such as heavy breathing was a good way to get into the song in order for it to lead to the emotions that were to come throughout the rest of the song.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I think that playing and having fun are some of the most important parts to discovering and building the world within the songs. Moving forward, I would like to continue working to push myself to play even further opposites and create even bigger stakes— the more that I can play with, the more options I will have to work with once I am able to reign in the big choices. I think this could also be something to start incorporating in dance to help tell more specific stories through choreography!
Hi Brian! This was such a great blog! I think this is a great way to think of these things. I struggle with this a lot because even though I may have these intentions in my mind, they don’t really come across externally. Whether I’m very focused on it internally or not, my movements and physicality are usually very small and I always think they’re bigger than they actually are. Being able to portray these emotions outwardly is definitely my biggest goal right now. I will try to continue implementing these strategies for sure!
ReplyDeleteI never thought about playing opposites with the songs! I will definitely be thinking about different songs that can benefit from that kind of experiment. I think I do a good job making sure to put acting in the songs, but I know that I can always go deeper. now I can practice going deeper in the other direction and maybe see what it might be like from that perspective
ReplyDeleteAlex Fish
When I sing I tend to get so wrapped up in the way I sound and the technique of it that I completely lose the story and freeze up. Which is funny because acting is what I do best. But acting throughout a singing performance makes it so much more fun to watch and do! This post was a really good reminder for me!
ReplyDeleteI often focus so much on making sure that I sound a certain way that I lose the character I am portraying completely. I love the idea of the "high stakes" game. In acting, increasing specificity will often bring about new emotions and different ways of playing a scene. The very same thing applies to singing and vocal, technique. Raise the stakes and enliven your own performance as a result!
ReplyDeleteI play too many games with myself. I think I can work on making those games positive rather than negative. I really care about the songs I sing, and I want to focus more on the enjoyment of singing.
ReplyDelete