Reckless Singing

I sat watching a grunge band perform last night. It was the first live performance I've watched in more than 18 months.

The music ranged from The Ramones to Nirvana to originals. Every single song was loud, high and intense and I genuinely could not relax.... all I could think was "Dear God, that young man isn't going to have any voice at all five years from now."

He fronted with all the energy one might get from chugging 6 Redbulls and being in his 20s could pogo on stage endlessly without seeming to lose his breath. While I applaud his enthusiasm, the lack of vocal technique he was demonstrating was real cause for concern.

It wasn't only me. We attended the show with our drummer and bass player in our rock band Cover2Cover - both experienced musicians in their 50s. They asked me what I thought and I told him that if he didn't change the way he was singing, his career would be short lived. They nodded solemnly in agreement as we have all seen this happen to other musicians we've known.

I do not advocate "singing safe" as we need emotional commitment in songs to move our audience but if you are serious about singing for the long haul, you owe it to yourself to go see a vocal coach and get some actual vocal technique and training. Winging it is for the birds!