Getting Instructions – Being Songtaneous
A big part of spontaneous singing is “getting instructions.” Getting instructions means listening to those impulses you might ignore in other situations. You may be the only person to hear a part that’s “missing” from the piece. By adding your unique idea, the whole work becomes more relevant to you and to the rest of the singing circle.
Some of you – writers and other word lovers – have the gift of language. Music calls up words, phrases, a line from a poem or another song. I grant you permission to say it. And I encourage you to say it so that we can hear it – that it truly becomes a part of the music we’re making.
Others are drummers or dancers — you want to add a rhythmic elements, tap your feet, clap your hands, click your tongues, dance, stomp your feet, wave your arms or wiggle your hips.
Then we have melody makers – you hear lyrical ideas and melodies. You tend to hear the pieces as songs, you can find the beginning, middle and end of a piece. You can create structures.
All of us have all of these talents to varying degrees. The distribution of these talents is as unique as each singer in the circle.
Nothing contributed is “bad” or “wrong.” Some contributions may work better than others, but that’s another reason we practice to translate and move what we hear in our heads out into the world.
