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Tips on how a singer can use music dynamics to enhance their performance. Dynamics are a great tool that all singers can use to prevent their performance from being static.
Music dynamics
There are many ways to incorporate music dynamics into your vocal performance, from simple things such as increasing volume to varied harmonies. Below are just a few ways in which you can use music dynamics to improve your performance.
Increase or decrease volume
This is a music dynamic singers can use to help the emotion from the song come across during their performance. Many singers choose to increase the volume in their vocals when they hit the most emotional part of the song.
Articulate through characterisation
For example, if you’re singing a happy part of the song, try to reflect that in your vocals. Although it may not necessarily fit with the song, it will give an extra dynamic to your performance.
Change vowel shape
When writing your own songs it can often to be difficult to find ways to make your song stand out, changing vowel shape can help this. A good example is pronouncing ‘me’ as ‘may’, it adds something unique to the performance. This is one of the music dynamics that can change your performance quite easily.
It’s important to remember that not all music dynamics will be suitable for every singer’s style of vocal. It’s wise to know which ones suit your vocals and which ones don’t work for your vocal.
Add silence/rests
Of course, you’re singing so you want to be singing for most of the performance time, but sometimes adding silence or rests to the performance makes the following vocals sound more impressive.
Phrasing
Extending a phrase rather than keeping it short and taking a breath, can often provide a new music dynamic to the performance and can help to show off your vocals.
Do not try to use all of the above in one performance. It’s encouraged to use music dynamics throughout your performance, but if you try to use all of them you risk the performance sounding messy.