Unit 27 - Choosing Solos

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Song Choices

Song 1:

Title- Flowers (Eurydice), Hadestown

Artist- Anaïs Mitchell

Time- 3:30 mins

Style/Genre- Musical Theatre, Folk, Country-Pop

Vocal Arrangement-

 Melody and accompaniment


 Simply acoustic arrangement granting an embellished melody/vocal line that is broken into clear verses.
 There is not clear chorus, but the song title is effectively referenced and will need emphasis.

Vocal Technique Required-

In the version I have chosen to reference (2019, Eurydice played by Eva Noblezada), there is a quite generously sized
orchestra. This means that dynamic technique is a big part of acting through this song. The music rises and falls, and I
need to reflect that in my tonal quality.

As it is a musical theatre piece, there are certain words that require more weight or emphasis to communicate the story
without the context of the actual production. This will mean use of stronger ‘out’-breaths to give power to some words
and lighter ones for where the music drops.

There are parts where held notes are important, as they express the pain Eurydice is feeling. To make these notes
integrate with the syllabic parts of the song, placement needs to be clarified before I can rehearse. I need to know
where the break in my voice lies.

Challenges-

I feel using vibrato consistently and intentionally will be a challenge for me, as I have lost the strength and control in my
voice over the spring/summer lockdown. This means a lot of the time any vibrato or slight waver is not intentional and is
subsequently damaging my voice. I need to tailor my warm-ups to this requirement, mainly focusing on hidration and
consistent weight of exhalation.

Full song- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVy9WaTzTiA

Instrumental- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byrd1dVdTdA

Song 2:

Title- Masterpiece
Artist- Jazmine Sullivan

Time- 4:11 mins

Style/Genre- R&B, Soft Rock, Pop

Vocal Arrangement-

 Melody and accompaniment


 There are backing vocals at points that reinforce the lyrics
 The Chorus escalates (instrumentally), and the vocal dynamic rises to match.

Vocal Technique Required-

There are several rock instruments in the chorus- electric guitar, drum and a symbol play. Dynamic control is important
to maintain, as I need to be heard over the music; without compromising the build of the track’s volume.

As it is an R&B alternative piece, it is important to listen to lyrics. Unlike my first song, which is essentially intended to be
performed on stage, Masterpiece is less about conveying a character with a story and more about portraying the
extension of a moment or group/journey of emotions. This means I can do a lot more to personalize the melody,
dynamically, rhythmically and melodically, because the track is linear and doesn’t change tempo to tell a story like
‘Flowers’ does.

In my opinion, this song fits the tone of my voice. I am more inclined to have a relaxed breathier voice with songs that I
can place in my lower range. With this song, the build comes very naturally, and I am able to transition into my head
voice, however this needs work (I’ll expand more below).

Challenges-

In the chorus, there is a single line that requires me to use my head voice. As this comes in quite quickly, despite being
able to make jump and transition, it sometimes does not sound as smooth or I crack. This is where I need to decide at
which point, I am breathing to prepare for this. It will most likely be just before the line to help me mentally separate the
two parts of my voice.

There is a similar pitch jump for the bridge. This section is hard for me for two reasons: the first is that the backing track I
have chosen is acoustic and does not feature the additional backing vocals from the original song. This means that I am
jumping between two vocal lines and unsure which part to sing, meaning I am producing a very broken up and
uncontrolled melody that does not reflect the two parts accurately. I could get people to sing backing, however I will just
pick the main vocal line to showcase different skills in the bridge, such a belting.

Song 3:

The following is an evaluation of a different song to what I initially stated was my ‘song 3’. I decided to change from
‘Water’ by Mahalia and Kojey Radical, because I was not able to find a suitable backing track online. I considered finding
someone to play acoustically for my, however this would prove difficult with the Covid-19 restrictions. My only concern
now is how I can make the following song as consistent in quality as the others, because I have had less time to develop
it and also how I can emphasis its contract to my other songs.

Title- Crazy
Artist- Gnarls Barkley

Time- 3:04 mins

Style/Genre- Funk, Jazz, Pop, R&B

Vocal Arrangement-

 Melody and accompaniment with a very strong kick-beat


 Repetitive concept that serves as a chorus but changes each time
 There are two bridges that are spread across the song, as this is a confrontational song the structure is very
sporadic.

Vocal Technique Required-

The kick-beat is very strong meaning the same strength is required in my voice. This is all down to breath control and
how I characterize the lyrics to bring them to life. The energy in the original is what I wish to emulate for my
performance.

In terms of the lyrics, there is an iconic use of repetition in this song, however no chorus is the same. This means during
the rehearsal process, I need to work on my memorization of the lyrics, as I don’t want to fumble in my final
performance and lose the whit and humour behind the song’s meaning.

As the tempo is very fats, I need clear intonation to make the many lyrics clear.

Challenges-

There is a strong kick-beat that is a constant within this song. This poses the challenge of maintaining a good dynamic
quality. As this isn’t theatrical or telling a particularly chronological story, the dynamic journey doesn’t necessarily
depend on the lyrics.

With the repetition in this song, I run the risk of singing in a monotonal way and losing the funky feel that it’s known for.
Therefore, another challenge for this song is maintaining its energy and sharp rhythmic quality. This will require me to
take on some intonation exercises and make sure to work on my tongue control and co-ordination, so that I don’t
stumble.

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