Really… Bad Singing!
Last night, we happened to catch a
concert which originated in Paris and the venue held, no doubts, over 60,000
people! It was truly packed.
To the credit of all those people
and the two well-known bands, in spite of the unstable political situation, the
concert went on and actually, to my surprise, was very well received.
While watching the concert, I
became more and more scared that singing (off key, off tone and off tune) is becoming
our standard.
I originally came from Leningrad,
(St. Petersburg, Russia), and was deeply enrolled from the age of 6 in all
sorts of music. Education in Russia is taken very seriously; so I spent 12 consecutive
years, 7 days a week doing music and, specifically, singing.
I, apparently, possessed ‘perfect
pitch’ which, I am not sure right now that I still have.
I have been teaching singing since
I was 17. That makes it close to 42 years now and 32 years in my own school
here in Toronto.
I have taught an estimated 20.000
students over the years and I think that has also contributed to my ears not
being as sharp as they once were. But
lately, it is not as many students, but so called Artists and some of them, surprisingly enough, with big names.
Watching the aforementioned concert
from Paris, I could not believe my ears, as at least 85% of so-called ‘singing’,
by both bands, was beyond my comprehension. I felt scared, frustrated and embarrassed
for them.
However, again to their credit, it
was commendable that they actually put the concert together, not being scared
that something bad might take place. I, however, was scared that something bad may take place and not just on the
premise of bad singing, but on the premise of totally unacceptable singing!!!
We all know that the world has gone
crazy, but until yesterday, I was still hoping that it had not gone completely deaf
and, I am sorry to say, dumb (to put it politely). Even now, here in Toronto,
almost every morning on our news station, there are new up and coming “singers/songwriters”
being profiled and introduced to the public.
This is the next miniature horror.
They are introduced like they are
the next best thing since sliced bread!
To be generous, maybe one percent of
them could squeak out a couple of notes remotely resembling singing!
How sad is that? For me, it is sad
beyond words!!!
I have spent over 35 years here in
Toronto teaching all kinds of singers – beginners and professionals…
For the last few years and
especially since the recession, my singing business had somewhat slowed down,
and I am not even surprised. I guess there is no point in coming and paying the
money to learn how to sing.
Because incorrect, (bad singing)
could easily cause voice damage.
It is not a secret that almost
every second well-known Artist had undergone, or has been scheduled to undergo,
a vocal surgery.
The lack of knowledge and training
is the main cause of the voice disability of one who puts enormous pressure,
(due to occupational hazard) on their voice.
In the United States and in Europe,
all of those shows like American Idol
and even The Voice are
suggesting that you could be discovered “out of the blue” and become an “instant
star”.
So why learn anything?
Go and try your luck or, easier
yet, upload yourself singing on YouTube…
All of that suggests that you do
not need to work hard on your craft (why bother and spend time and money on
it), like in the good old days. For example, the singing group “The
Platters”, were able to record off the floor (without digital recording
and the use of Auto-Tune or Melodyne).
However, my burning desire last
night while watching those two famous bands play, was to somehow plug in to
their microphones or floor pedals, some kind of Auto-Tune to save not only
mine, but hopefully some other people’s ears.
But… OH NO!!!
This was a “TRUE LIVE PERFORMANCE”!
Go figure…
Where was that technology when you TRULY
needed it?
Thank you for reading.
Please be advised that it is a
subjective opinion piece.
Reader’s discretion is advised!
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