Well, I'm finally getting round to posting again (sorry it took so long) on what we discuss in our workshops on "how best to put a song across"...

Some things to consider:

I) Try to understand the song yourself – as best you can – before you sing it to others. After all, how effectively can you communicate a song if you don't really understand it properly yourself? So... are there bits that don't make sense to you? Words that seem a bit strange? Perhaps a certain word meant something different 200 years ago than it does today. Or maybe some of the words have been mis-heard over the years. One of the most interesting conversations our group had concerned the phrase "wee pen-knife"; it turned out that the original words were "weapon knife" – pronounced "weepon knife" – but almost all of us had "heard" wee pen-knife. The verse in question did make considerably more sense when we knew this; after all, it's one thing to threaten someone with a weapon knife (shorter than a sword, but longer than a dagger), and another to threaten them with a "wee pen-knife"!

Knowing the context of the song – when & where it was written, perhaps in response to, or as a result of certain historical or socio-political events can also be extremely helpful. For example, if you sing a song "by" an unwed mother, it helps to know how society in that time & place thought of and treated unwed mothers – especially if it's significantly different from the present day.

II) What kind of song is it?
A ballad? A funny song? A protest song? A story?
If it's a story, you might try telling the story in your own words (you might even record it & listen back, if that helps) & notice what kind of expression you put into it & where you pause for effect, & do you speak louder/softer or quicker/slower for certain bits. Then (or if it's not a story) try just speaking (rather than singing) the actual words of the song – as if you were talking to someone, and again, notice how you say the words, the rhythm of your speech, where you pause, speed up, slow down, get louder, softer, maybe even make gestures now & then.

All this might cause you to make certain adjustments in the way you sing the song – particularly where you pause for breath, and the rhythm of the words. Some people feel that the rhythm of the words in each line should land squarely on the beat – but it might actually enhance your presentation if it's not quite so regular/rhythmic and leans more towards the conversational approach.

III) Who is singing the song? What "voice" is it in? If you're an American trying to sing with a Scottish accent (or an English person trying to sing with an American accent), will that sound strange? A lot of people (without even realising it) end up sounding like whoever sang the song on the CD they learned it from. (More than once, I have heard someone perform a song I've never heard before – and could figure where they got it from – because the delivery of the person singing it actually sounded so similar to the performer who sang it on the CD.) Most people recommend that you try to sing things in your own "voice" rather than imitate someone else's.

This can bring up a secondary problem; for example, there's an English song ("I Wish They'd Do it Now") that starts off "I was born to Geordie parents, one day when I was young; That's how the Geordie dialect became my native tongue." Now, as a US Midwesterner born & bred, there is NO way I am going to sound like the Geordie dialect is my native tongue. A solution that has worked for me (in this case) is to change the words slightly, to "I was born to Georgia parents, etc" – which is much more believable for my audience (especially since I'm living in England!) Of course, it can get complicated; there's a bit later on in the song: "They'd dip me like a yow" (yow = ewe). They definitely don't say "yow" in Georgia, but if I change it to "ewe", then it messes up the rhyme (with "I wish they'd do it now"). Still haven't solved that one... But anyway, you get the idea.

IV) What's the mood of the song?
Happy? Sad? Angry? Neutral? This could make a difference in your tempo, as well as where you decide to pitch the song (that is, if your range is wide enough that you have a choice). The same song can come across quite differently sung in your lower range than it does in your upper range. Try singing it lower, higher, in-between. Where are you most comfortable singing it? Where sounds most appropriate to the song? (Unfortunately, these two will not necessarily be the same.)

One experience I had: I sing an American version of "John Riley". I brought it to the workshop & sang a bit of it. During the discussion that followed, it was suggested that I try singing it considerably higher than I had the first time, and try to add "a bit of an edge" to my voice when singing it – because it is, for the most part – a song that deals with the harsh realities of life for a woman pledged to a sailor in that day and age. I tried this, and the people there said it made the hairs on the back(s) of their neck(s) rise; thanks to this fairly simple change, the song suddenly was much more effective.

On the other hand, you don't want to overdo the drama; if you go over the top, people will be paying more attention to you and your dramatics than they will to the song itself. You want to subtly enhance the song – not distract people's attention from it. Some people I know feel that a ballad should be sung with very little (if any) emotion injected by yourself – that a singer should, in effect, stand back and let the ballad "speak" for itself. A lot of people also feel that having an absoloutely gorgeous voice can be a real disadvantage to putting a song across, because listeners can get so caught up in enjoying the voice that they forget to listen to the words. (I must confess, this is a "problem" I would love to have!)

V) Ornamentation
How much (if any) ornamentation is appropriate to the song? Where should it go, and how simple or elaborate should it be? You want to enhance the song and bring out its meaning, not make it so complex and ornate that it distracts people from the actual content of the song.

VI) Who are you singing it for?
Is your audience already knowledgeable about the time & place your song is from, and the language used? If not, putting things in context for them, and explaining any obscure/confusing language and/or no longer common laws/customs/practices, beliefs, and metaphors/idioms/symbolism, should help them understand the song better – which will in turn help it be better-received. This goes back to (I), 'cos you can't share this kind of info if you don't know it yourself in the first place.

VII) In summary...
Be aware that you have an incredible number of choices available when you interpret/perform a song. Examine your choices, and ask yourself why you are doing it this way instead of that way – do you have a good reason for the choice(s) you have made? If you don't consciously make decisions about how to present a song, it is oh-so-easy to end up doing it the way you heard it "on the CD" – which is probably not the way that is best suited to your voice and/or your other talents, and may not even be best suited to the song itself.

I suppose it's a bit like cooking (or any other art/craft/skill); an uninspired cook follows directions to the letter, because they're afraid that if they do anything differently it will mess up the recipe. A chef thoroughly understands his ingredients, his tools, and the ways they all interact and affect each other. He understands these things not just because he has memorised them, but because he has played around with all these things many times. (What happens if I add an extra egg? Suppose I cut the amount of butter? What if the humidity is higher than normal?) He's not bound to a recipe, but if he changes it – he has a reason. Probably a very good reason.

So... play with your singing. Try different things. SeeHear what works – and what doesn't. If you're lucky enough to have a friend (or a group of friends) who will tell you – honestly – what they think, in a constructive way, get some feedback and give it serious consideration. Try to put yourself in the audience's shoes; think about what you enjoy (or don't) when you are listening to someone. Think of someone you feel is a particularly successful performer – what is it about how they present a song (aside from their wonderful voice and/or technique!) that makes what they do so effective? Is there anything they could do that would make their performance even better? Is it something you could do? Keep "playing". Keep asking questions and keep learning. Keep enjoying yourself. Don't eat yellow snow. ;-p

I'm sure there's more, but that's about all I can think of...