Do you sing from Memory?

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: My guru always said
Date: 17 Nov 07 - 05:16 AM

That's exactly how I feel about learning a new song Greg B, it IS a good thing for a singer to have a song on their lips!

And Stewart, that bit about not lugging songbooks being a freeing experience - so true!

Also Tootler regarding keeping the memory active, so very important, losing one's memory is a terrifying possibility!

Wonderful discussion!

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: DMcG
Date: 17 Nov 07 - 04:13 AM

Surely the context in which you are singing is everything? I've never sung professionally but have in various formal occasions such as choral evenings. In singarounds, I normally have a mental list of things that I may sing that are relevant to the time or date: ones about Napolean in mid-June for example. But I rarely stick to that because I prefer to react to what other people sing to make a kind of 'conversation' of the session. As a result, at sessions I sing from memory, even the ones I had as possibles. But when I sing a psalm solo in church, I always have the music. Ditto in choral work.

When I play music, I always have fixed pieces with the notes in front of me because I'm simply not confident (or competent) enough to do anything else.

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: GUEST,Jim Carroll
Date: 17 Nov 07 - 04:13 AM

I agree totally with Captain Swing - reading from crib-sheets is an insult to the audience.
In all the years I have spent with traditional (source) singers, I have known very few who have use written texts while they were singing.
One was/is a local singer who now has Alzheimer's, but is still asked to sing occasionally and has been encouraged to write his songs in a book by his daughter.
On the couple of occasions I have seen it happen elsewhere, the singers have apologised for having done so and have obviously been extremely uncomfortable.
Walter Pardon did it once; he had put a tune to Thomas Hardy's poem, The Trampwoman's Tragedy but had stopped singing in public by then so had not bothered to learn it, so he read it from a sheet in order that we might record it. He would never in a thousand years get up in front of an audience to sing from the page.
I believe it is essential to know the song inside out before you can make a good (or even passable) job of it, otherwise you end up just singing the words, and singing should be much more than that.
In my experience, reading from the page has always made the song stilted and unconvincing.
Risking the wrath of god (or Khan) being brought down on my head, it is why I have never really liked The Coppers singing. The fact that they read the text from a book has always made their songs poorly phrased and samey; the great exception being Bob Copper's solo Topic album (Rosebud in June??) where he proved what a fine singer he really was, to my satisfaction at least.
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: Mr Red
Date: 17 Nov 07 - 04:02 AM

Yes
And memory is not what it was.
I have to sing in the car to refresh that memory.

My feeling is that by singing off the page expression and artistic impression is impoverished or even non-existent.

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: Jim Lad
Date: 17 Nov 07 - 03:55 AM

Sorry: I thought we were talking about sets.
I wouldn't dare sing a song that I have not committed to memory.

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: M.Ted
Date: 17 Nov 07 - 01:09 AM

I like the guy with the PDA--you can also use your PDA/Cell Phone to look up lyrics in the DT(and other places)--so those stacks of songbooks will soon be things of the past--as will those of you who insist on singing only what you've memorized;-)

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: Don Firth
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 10:32 PM

"The process of committing the words to memory helps in understanding what the song is about."

Absolutely! But please don't misunderstand what I'm saying when I say that I don't think having a crib-sheet within eye-shot is a hanging offense. I am not advocating reading the song rather than memorizing it. Most definitely not! Memorize the words and know the song (the two are closely connected, but they are not necessarily the same thing), and do not read from the crib-sheet when you sing before an audience. Stay in contact with the audience. But having that safety net there--to glance at only in case of a "senior moment"--can make for a much smoother performance and a more enjoyable experience for the audience. If a memory lapse should occur, a quick glance slaps a patch on it, and the song goes on smoothly and without interruption. If and only if.

I have not actually done it yet, but if I were to use crib-sheets in a live performance, I would not be lugging around a gunnysack full of books. It would be one three-ring binder containing only the songs I intend to sing in that performance.

And I'm only thinking about it.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: Ythanside
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 09:29 PM

Always, unless I'm re-recording 'word-perfect' tracks that vary too widely from established lyrics. :-)

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: Leadfingers
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 08:48 PM

I know of at least one Floor Singer in MY Patch who has all his songs on a PDA ! AND he uses it when he is 'on Stage'

Personally , I go with the 'If you dont KNOW the song , you dont know the song' school !

Even for One Off songs ate Theme nights , I prefer to have the songe memorised !

If recording , though , I WOULD have the words on a stand in front of me - Easier than Re Recording a song if you DO have a CRAFT moment .

(CRAFT MOMENT ?? Cant Remember A F****** Thing)

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 08:41 PM

I sing and play from memory as far as my own repetoire goes, but I have no problem using a cheat sheet if I'm accompanying someone else and they're doing something I don't know well. I just did a festival gig with a fiddler friend who has written some outstanding tunes, but I only play them a couple of times a year. I'd rather have the changes in front of me so I get 'em right. If we had a "real band" together and played the tunes more regularly, I'd memorize them.

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: Jim Lad
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 08:37 PM

I used to keep my set lists by the amp and read over them during the breaks.
I threw them away about 5 years ago with the intention of replacing them with brand new sets.
I swear to God, I forgot.

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: Beer
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 08:31 PM

Not any more.
Beer (adrien)

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: Deckman
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 08:03 PM

I was going to make a profound comment ... but I forgot what I was going to say. Oh well! Bob

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: Tyke
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 07:53 PM

When people turn up with the words of the song in a book and the book is as thick as my fist with hundreds of songs in it most if not all printed from the Mudcat. Then I think it can be a problem. As already stated on this thread are many good reasons why and why not crib sheets. But who is going to sing 50 songs plus in one evening.

Oh and if anyone tells you that I was seen down the then Tap and Spiel in Whitby with a laptop loaded with the digital tradition song files its true and I thought of it first! Yes I was taking the Mickey! Well there was hardly enough room for beer on the tables for songbooks.

I don't know if anyone has mentioned the Oral Tradition where a song is learned from a source singer. "Folk" is a living thing I don't want people in the future pointing at their crib sheets and insisting that they are singing the correct words. Because they got the words of the back of an LP by the Corries as recorded in 1957 or the Mudcat! Wasn't it Mr C Sharp who made a habit of taking all the swear word out of the Sea Shanties and other "Folk" songs

Here's the words you weren't looking for Dick!

It's adieu sweet lovely Nancy I've forgotten a verse or two.
So I'm going home for my Mudcat Book to look for something new.
Kind emails I will send to you from my home to your mobile phone,
I when I do return again I sing the song once more.

If only I had been their in 1977 with my Laptop!

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: Stewart
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 07:26 PM

I don't go to song circle very often now, but when I do I am still amazed to see some people bringing several bags of song books and loose-leaf notebooks full of songs - hundreds if not thousands of songs. Then if they need the words (which they usually do) they awkwardly try and position the song sheet on their knee in front of their guitar, and then it usually falls on the floor.

Just having not to lug all that stuff around and then not having to position the song sheet and still play the guitar, by itself makes memorizing the song worth all the effort. It's a very freeing experience.

I find it harder to memorize the older I get, but still do it cause it's worth the effort. It just takes longer to do.

When peforming before an audience, eye contact and other visual communication with the audience is as important as knowing what the song is about, etc., and even glancing down at the words from time to time takes away from that important aspect of performance.

Cheers, S. in Seattle

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: Tootler
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 07:06 PM

I don't sing professionally, never have and, at 62 probably never will.

I have been singing at local folk club singarounds for about a year and I always try to learn the words of the songs I am going to sing. This has been hard work, but has been worth the effort and I have only had to use a crib sheet about 3 times over the year. I do keep my words to hand, though and I often go through bits I am not absolutely confident about just before my turn.

I see the effort of learning the words as something to help keep my memory active, something I am very keen to do. My mother had alzheimer's disease and having seen what it did to her, I am petrified of going the same way so anything I can do to keep my memory functioning effectively is worthwhile.

I was interested in this comment by Don Firth "But 'knowing' a song goes beyond merely having the words committed to memory." because I think the converse is also true. The process of committing the words to memory helps in understanding what the song is about. I find that while I am learning the words, the process of going over them brings insights into what the song is saying at that point.

Although I can read music, I cannot sight sing, so I generally learn song tunes by ear. If I can get the dots for a tune, I can play it on my concertina and sing along which helps considerably.

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: M.Ted
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 06:31 PM

And I am sure that none of you have ever recorded a song with the lyrics in front of you, either. That would be dishonest, as well.

LTS raises an important point when she mentions the ones who think they've got it down, so sing from memory and get it wrong.    I will suggest that many of you who are so proud of your memory often confabulate the melody, as well as the lyrics. Many who sing folk music, and even perform it, are often lazy, sloppy, or just plain incompetent in their melodic efforts, and use some combination of excuses about the folk process and sponteneity--

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: Art Thieme
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 06:25 PM

...And I'll know my song well
Before I start singing.

It's a hard rain's a gonna fall~

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: Don Firth
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 06:12 PM

"re Classical Performers - I've never known why soloists have the music there as they know it inside out anyway."

Knowing the music "inside out" does not necessarily mean that even the best of them won't have a memory lapse from time to time. Even the recitalist, standing in the curve of a grand piano, has his or her accompanist a few feet away with the music in front of them to prompt them if necessary should they falter. In full-blown opera productions, Broadway musicals, and stage plays, there is a prompter's box under the stage and out of sight of the audience where someone with a score or a script hunkers down, ready to feed a line to a singer or actor when and if necessary.

So no matter how well you--or a very highly paid, world renown singer--know the material, neither you--nor they--are immune to the occasional brain-fart.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: Greg B
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 06:06 PM

I'm with the 'from memory' set except, as someone mentioned above,
when the mortal flesh has intervened such as from a TIA or just plain
old age. In that case, the singer isn't cribbing it because s/he doesn't
know the song well enough, but rather because of a memory issue---
which means they understand how well one must understand a song to
sing it in public.

The other thing about singing from memory is that if you make
it a rule then you'll be singing the new song constantly. Driving, at
work, out loud and in your head/heart. Which means that you go about
with a song on your lips or in your heart much of the time, which is
a good thing, now isn't it?

Unless of course it's Barnacle Bill, and you're at work.

And forgetting the words isn't that awful, really. Hell, if Lou
Killen can do it on occasion, I sure can. Only thing I can't figure
out is how in the hell he gets the words projected up there on the
ceiling where he always seems to look for--- and find--- them. I
can't see him. Must be some sort of invisible ink laser projector
he carries with him, with about 10,000 songs in its memory.

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: John Routledge
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 05:36 PM

Bill D I wish your third paragraph could be repeated at the start of every thread on singing with/without words.

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: My guru always said
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 05:31 PM

Memory, definitely.

I'm with Marje on her 'card system'. I've made cards for each song that I feel I can sing with 'hints' on the reverse & authors name, key (only used if someone's kindly accompanying me on guitar, I wouldn't know a key if it came up & slapped me in the face with a wet herring) and book page number etc on the front. Then I just check through them before starting a set. I also find them very useful to figure out 'sets' in advance by laying them all out on a table & selecting or discarding till I find a good balance & variety of songs for an upcoming 'spot'. Or just shuffling and getting people to pick a card. Not advisable really - I recall a 'gig' when audience picked page numbers from my songbook and we ended up with 3 dreary ballads (probably about whales) on the trot *eek*

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: oggie
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 05:31 PM

re Classical Performers - I've never known why soloists have the music there as they know it inside out anyway. For choirs it can be different but their level is training is such that they can sight read on the fly. When my son was at Eddington Festival I watched them rehearse the Lassus Mass from scratch in 45 minutes and give a brilliant performance. All the chrosters were senior boys and their training was to do this week in and week out seven or more times a week.

When I sing I never use cribsheets, at anyone time I have about 30 songs I could sing at the drop of a hat and many more at a few minutes notice. Over the years I suppose I've learnt 300 plus songs and every so often I delve into the past and try and remember ones I haven't sung for years. If I couldn't sing a song from memory I wouldn't sing it in public, the performance I could give wouldn't work for me or the audience.

Steve

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 05:29 PM

I can't even remember words I've written myself. In fact, I find these much harder to remember than songs by other people, which I never have a problem with actually.

That said, even though I write out words before gigs I very rarely have the presence of mind to actually look at them in mid-song so generally make something up or sing the lines in the wrong order.

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: Bill D
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 05:26 PM

It is obvious from the above that most regular singers feel that it is best to KNOW the song....but there are times when it is a problem.

One example: In my club, we have a monthly "Open Sing" with a topic announced. It is often a spur to learing new songs and dredging up old ones....but often, the perfect song for the topic might not be 'locked' in the memory, even though you 'almost' know it. Then a cheat-sheet...just to remind one of the verse order, etc. can be a blessing.

My rule is: ***If I can close my eyes and not be able to tell that a person is reading some of it, I don't worry***....but if they barely know the tune, and have only printed off the song that afternoon, and are unsure of the pacing and have to stop and adjust their glasses and turn pages, it is no fun for anyone!

Certainly, folks giving a concert, and who are expected to KNOW the songs, should only in special cases use notes. I have seen some wonderful professionals read from notes because they had something new which needed to BE in the concert....but that is rare.

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 05:24 PM

I defy anyone to remember the entire 'Messiah' - including the bits usually cut out - without the music.

Most of my performances are done with the music in front of me, because it's simply far too much to try to remember. Even with the music in front of me, it's far too easy to go wrong. I've discovered that this is because a few members of the choir who stand behind me, have been singing 'Messiah' regularly for a number of years. This will be my third performance in a singing career spanning 34 years in various choirs, so I'm looking at the book for the correct words and notes. These few members have sung it so often they no longer feel the need to refer the score. Consequently, what they sing and what is written in the score are not always the same thing.

Having sung with the words in front of me for more than 3 decades, I find it hard to remember songs I've not sung more than about 90 times. As I get older, it's getting harder to remember tunes too, so the book in front of me is more of a crutch now. I have been known to have the book in front of me and sing an entire song without refering to it once.. I've even been known to turn it to a blank page for the few songs I DO know completely off by heart.

Similarly I've seen a performer stand up in front of an audience, tune up his guitar and not play a single note on it for the duration of the 4 songs he sang. He did grip it like a drowning man grabs a straw though.

Different crutches work for different people. It doesn't bother me, so don't let me bother you.

LTS

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: Micca
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 04:56 PM

Kendall, It wouldnt happen because he has them on the music stand in front of him as he sings,and the Notes too

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 04:49 PM

One of the skills of the performer is the just ad-lib.

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: kendall
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 04:37 PM

I just got a vision of Pavarotti stopping in the middle of his solo and saying, "Mama Mia, Ima forgetta the words"!

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: jacqui.c
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 04:32 PM

Crib sheets when I need to - I'm with Micca on this - it's much more embarrassing to forget the words mid song than to glance down at the sheet just to remind yourself of the next line. I always try to sing to the audience, not the crib sheet though. Some songs I have committed to memory but, often, I don't know what I'm going to sing at a song circle in advance and may want to dredge up one that hasn't seen the light of day for some time as it fits in the mood of the evening, or to try a new one that, whilst I may have got it right at home, may not be totally committed to memory in public.

It irritates me when a performer forgets the next bit and wants to go back and do it again to try and remember, or agonises over not knowing the song at that moment. That really spoils my enjoyment of their song.

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: kendall
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 04:14 PM

Memory. Always.

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: GUEST,Captain Swing
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 03:54 PM

Folk performers tend to get away with far too much in terms of standards of performance. Using crib sheets or lyrics is a case in point. It really is an insult to your audience to fail to learn your material. I'm sure it's contributed to the demise of the clubs. A performer trying this in front of a 'live' audience wouldn't last long.

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: GUEST,Jim Carroll
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 03:28 PM

"Jim,you said you don't do it any more.why don't you start again?Dick Miles"
Cap'n,
I assume you are referring to singing - what else!!!
Why don't I sing any more?
I enjoyed singing at one time, especially when my singing worked for me.
When I became interested in collecting and research I found myself with less time to devote to my singing so, as I was not prepared to sing in public without putting in the work, I was faced with a decision as to what was most important to me - collecting won - simple as that.
I get as much pleasure from research as I did from singing, so from my point of view it was the right decision.
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 03:17 PM

If you're singing at a folk club, from the front, as a performance, I think it should be from memory. This may be one of the aspects in which folk is different from other forms eg classical music? Patti Vetta performs in folk clubs but her background is as a recording session singer who sings from music on a music stand, so that's how she performs in folk clubs.

If you're singing from your seat (sitting or standing) in a singaround as part of a shared social experience, and you only feel confident to participate when reading from the words, that's OK.

Even when I write songs specially for special events I try to sing from memory (though will have a crib sheet just in case).

Kitty

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: PoppaGator
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 02:47 PM

Amen, Don.

Even though I've begun to "refer" to cheatsheets ~ something I would never have even imagined years ago ~ I feel most confident when I know I can glance at something for reference. I certainly don't fix my eyes upon a lyric sheet and read every single word.

And you're right about the necessity for really understanding a song in order to "know" it and therefore to present it adequately. There are songs I've known for decades that I understand quite deeply, but whose lengthy texts provide me with plenty of opportunities to "draw a blank," or at least to hesititate long enough to lose the beat and ruin the musical setting for the words. Better to work with a safety net, as long as I feel the need.

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: Don Firth
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 02:31 PM

I've given a lot of thought to this recently.

When I first got interested in folk music, everyone I knew who sang did so from memory. Singing out of a book or reading the words off song-sheets was something that just didn't occur to anyone. I agree with those who say that if you don't know the song, you can't really do it justice. But "knowing" a song goes beyond merely having the words committed to memory.

One of my voice teachers had me bring my guitar to the lessons. He said that he could have me working on art songs and operatic arias and such for vocal technique, but since I was already doing some performing at the time, he thought (bless his heart!) that the best thing to do was work on the songs I was actually singing. He would often stop me in mid-song and ask, "What does that line mean?" Now, he knew what it meant. But he wanted to make sure that I knew what it meant.

He had a point. A very important one. He had spotted the fact that even though I had committed a song to memory, sometimes I was merely singing it by rote. I knew the words. But—I didn't really know what the song was about. So he would have me explain it to him using my own words, rather than just reciting the words of the song.

So there is more to knowing a song than just having the words memorized.

When I was singing actively, four or five sets a night, two or three nights a week plus other gigs, my repertoire of songs was getting a pretty good workout. Keeping them fresh in my memory was not that much of a problem. The main thing I needed to do was make sure that I was with the song, not singing it half asleep.

But within recent years, I'm not singing anywhere near that much, and there are some songs that I used to do regularly that I haven't sung for years. I think it's more this than the fact that I'm in my mid-seventies (my memory is pretty tenacious; as good as it ever was, if not, in certain ways, better) that sometimes in the middle of a song that I've sung hundreds of times, I'll open my mouth for the next line and it just isn't there. It's certainly not that I don't know the song.

I watch the "Classic Arts Showcase" channel fairly frequently and I've watched such things as "The Three Tenors" on PBS, and I have noticed that in the case the three tenors and sometimes in a film-clip of a song recital on CAS, there is a music stand nearby, usually within eye-shot of the singer (Carreras, Domingo, and Pavarotti all had music stands in front of them). These folks certainly know their material and they are not reading from what's on the music stands. But you will occasionally see them glance quickly at it. This kind of insurance—assurance—is certainly better than possibly blowing a song on national television!

So I may appear to be back-pedaling on what I said in the first paragraph, but in a live performance, especially for a paying audience, I think it's better to work with a "safety net" and have a music stand unobtrusively nearby than it is to suffer the embarrassment of a lapse of memory in mid-song—and inflict that kind of uncomfortable moment on the audience.

Provided you know the song. And that doesn't mean merely knowing the words.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: SINSULL
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 02:30 PM

A Getaway moment:
A blind lady knew every single song from beginning to end. Never even a hesitation. And these were songs she had to dredge from her memory. I was suitably impressed and she suitably pleased at the compliments until someone who shall remain nameless pointed out the Braille song books she was lovingly caressing in her large satchel.
LOL

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: Deckman
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 02:29 PM

hopefully!

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: Santa
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 02:29 PM

re classical performers: I think it is fair to say that most folk music is rather simpler. Usually shorter, too, though it may not always feel that way.

My wife sings from memory. She feels it wouldn't be right any other way - that it would be being impolite to the audience. (I am reminded of the treatment of mime artists in Pratchett's Ankh-Morporka. Hung upside down in a viper pit with the mesage "Learn the words".) She can be quite entertaining on how non-folkies in her choir sessions first react to being expected to sing without their dots.

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 02:26 PM

Maybe I am just awkward but I always sing from memory when singing solo EXCEPT for Christmas carols which I always sing from written sheets. There is a vague rationale behind this ...

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: The Sandman
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 02:26 PM

Jim,you said you dont do it any more.why dont youstart again?Dick Miles

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: Micca
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 02:23 PM

As I have said before I am Much more embarrassed at forgetting the words than of having "the book" in front of me, and if you want embarrassement at its maximum, it is in forgetting a song YOU WROTE!!!,(this also applies to songs where you know more than one version i.e. Spanish Ladies and Girls of Tachuano) the trouble often is your brain switches back to an earlier revision (or version) before the "Final" draft and you go down a blind alley that you later rejected and get hopelessley lost!!! But, in the end, it is personal taste and it is the act of Singing that counts, and if more are encouraged to sing by using "the book" then that has my vote. Personally, I prefer to sing from memory but it is not always possible for a variety of reasons (lousy memory, singing too infrequently etc) or a "New song". but I would rather sing, book and all, than not.
"Let every man so bend his song
to help his neighbour sing along
let each and all contentment bring
when Old Men sing"

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: GUEST,Jim Carroll
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 02:15 PM

"Do you sing from Memory?"
Is there any other way?
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: dwditty
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 02:11 PM

I think if the audience takes the trouble to come out to see me, I owe them the courtesy of learning the songs they will hear as well my full attention. Having my head down, reading off a music sheet, does not, in my opion, do that. When I do see performers with a music stand, try as I might, I just don't believe them. As Captain Birdseye said, if you forget the words, make something up. Rarely will anyone notice.

dw

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: GUEST, Mikefule
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 02:03 PM

OK, so I'm early in my singing career, and only have a dozen or so songs, but I never sing a song unless I can do it from memory. That's not to say I never make a mistake, but I do like to feel I "own" a song and can do it on autopilot. Then I can "turn it up" a bit for a public performance. I'm lucky - I have the time to practise.

I remember in my previous incarnation as a regular folk club goer (3 or more nights a week, 20+ years ago) that no one ever sang from the written words. I have returned to folk clubs over the last two or three years and I see quite a few people with song books, used as crib sheets during performance.

But I also note that most of them don't sing the words that are written down!

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: Rasener
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 02:00 PM

I don't give a toss with or without, as long as its good.

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: NormanD
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 01:56 PM

Or, sadly, there'd be a lengthy and cruel Mudcat thread discussing your fall from grace.

I honestly fail to understand why it seems to be acceptable for classical performers - musicians as well as many singers - to play from written scores? Are they "not doing the audience justice" or performing without feeling?

Norman

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: Tradsinger
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 01:51 PM

Like the other contributors to this thread, I would strongly advocate singing from memory as a) it gives a better impression that you really know the song and b) IMHO it leads to a better performance.

That said, none of us is getting any younger and it is more of an issue (so I have heard), but there are all sorts of 'tricks' for remembering words. Usually you only have to get going on a verse or a line to remember the complete verse or line. Try to picture the opening line, or even think of a nemonic (spelling?) to get you going. For example, if the verse starts "Three long steps I stepped up to her", then while you are singing the previous verse, picture '3LS' in your mind or even picture yourself striding out with long steps - that should get you going on the verse. And of course, keep singing the song over and over again to yourself so that the words become a sort of habit and you don't have to think about them.

Failing that, have a 'plant' in the audience with the words who can prompt you!

But above all, keep singing.

Tradsinger

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: Marje
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 01:37 PM

If you did that now, Dick, you'd probably find that someone had indeed recorded it, transcribed it, and sent it in to Mudcat as an alternative version of the song! It'd be on YouTube in no time.

Marje

Subject: RE: Do you sing from Memory?
From: The Sandman
Date: 16 Nov 07 - 01:11 PM

I always sing from memory,I find songs with stories easy to remember.
Many years ago, 1977,I did a gig at Highgate folkclub,I sang Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy,forgot a verse, so just made it up,Nobody noticed[including my fiddling accompanist],I wish I had a recording of what it was I sang.
just keep your cool and think of the story.Dick Miles