It’s amazing how imagery can affect our behaviour. I often guide people to shift their singing habits by using imagery because it really works.

So this principle I’m going to share with you today, is powerful because it’s not a technique, or instruction, or position you have to apply – it’s an image and as such you can simply ‘step into it’ .

It’s also one I never thought I would need to teach, because it seemed such a natural way to sing. But over several years of working with a lot of different singers, I often hear a particular poor habit of singing which is this-

 People sing their songs ‘chunkily’. Their songs come out as series of short chunks with unnecessary tiny gaps in between (and I don’t mean breathing gaps) -  like a string of sausages. This is often because the syllables, individual words, or beats are given too much emphasis at the expense of the flow of the phrase.

Another aspect of this habit is that people often, unwittingly let each word fade in volume, strength or duration too soon. What I mean by this is for example, if you were to sing the word ‘Moon’, and it is meant to last 3 beats, but you let the sound dwindle and finish after 2 or 2 1/2 beats. This can be due to lack of confidence or not being truly focused on the communication.

So to overcome this, what we’re aiming for (and I’ll tell you the image in a minute) is more Legato. (And legato accounts for 75% of the style needed in songs across a variety of genres, with staccato and marcato representing only 25% - it’s a bit like bread and cheese).

Legato means linking, or binding together, and many of us understand it as flow. (Staccato and marcato are shorter, more distinct, more choppy sections of music)

 So a single powerful over-arching principle, or image, that I use to help people achieve a sense of flow, sustained power, and more consistent richness, is ‘Sing Like A River’.



Lovely, simple, easy, hey?

You can imagine the strong powerful flow of water continuing on naturally through its own innate momentum, and see it pouring through your song as you sing.

The way you deliver the syllables and words will be more connected and fuller. (So we'll lose the unattractive chunked effect)

Your singing also takes on a stronger and more engaging presence, because you are allowing something beyond yourself to move through your song.

(Obviously when the song calls for staccato / choppy bits, then you do that instead. We need variety too!)

Don’t underestimate this principle. Give it a try.

If you want to find out how well you’re singing, you know, what’s good and bad about your voice and singing technique, so that you know what to improve, then I invite you to see me for a free Singing Strengths Discovery Session. Find out more about it HERE.

Also, if you want to get a better feel for what I’ve described in this post, so you can make even better use of it, then hold on a couple of days because I’m going to make a video to demonstrate it. Just leave me a note in the comments so I can make sure you get access to this.