In a message dated 2/15/2002 12:50:49 AM Eastern Standard Time,
lloyd.hanson@n... writes:
>
> I was not aware that this music has become so strongly defined that
> it is no longer possible for the individual performer to impress his
> very strong personality on it. I long for the days when each song
> had a unique quality because the performer had a unique quality. But
> evidently anyone now performing such music must meet some criteria
> that has been established by the listener's favorite singer. Sad.
>
>
lloyd,
when bob dylan heard his song, 'all along the watchtower', rendered by
jimi hendrix, he said "that's great! he can have it. i'll never sing it
again." if hendrix had just copied dylan, we never would have had his
fantastic version. so, once again, we find ourselves in total agreement (a
new record).
i don't think the situation you are lamenting is restricted to pop
music. i was just thinking of the failing senior pga golf tour. it was
extremely popular when chi chi rodriquez, lee trevino and ray floyd were all
winning. these guys had swings that were like signatures. these days, on
the regular tour, with the exception of tiger and john daly, we're watching a
bunch of cookie cutter robots who not only swing the same, they dress the
same too. and now that the proto-types of the robot swing are turning
fifty, no one is interested in the seniors anymore.
in the case of golf, the learning process, that is now more advanced,
is responsible for a lot of this 'robotry'. i would be more willing to
blame the recording industry for this phenomena, in pop music. i also think
it has affected operatic singing as well. if we examine the earliest
recordings of opera, at the end of the 19th cent. and the beginning of the
twentieth cent., the second rate singers had a style of their own. while
within the guidelines of operatic singing, their mediocrity was their own
doing. now, the mediocre are just bad copies of the exceptional. pop
singers, who fall victim to being just copies of another, are even more
susceptible than opera singers as, there is usually only one version of a pop
song to copy where, with opera, there are usually quite a few different
recordings available.
this is why i think training, that is specific to the needs of pop
singers, is important. it is hard enough for any singer to abstract the
workings of the voice from the music being sung. beginners are even less
capable of doing so. while there is a fine line between personal
idiosyncracy and personal flaw, the transference of one's personality from
speaking to singing has obstacles that requires skill to overcome. left to
their own devices, when no other help seems available, these people copy,
assuming that, if they copy exactly, the problems will be solved.
you're right. it is sad.
mike
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