Washington Vocal Consortium

My husband and I just saw some rare video footage of the singer-song writer Don McLean performing his early 1970’s hit, “Bye, Bye, Miss American Pie.” It was recorded live, just him and his acoustic guitar and a single microphone in a coffee house setting. The simple, live version was brilliantly more honest and full of energy than the recorded classic. It was, as they say, REAL.

It made me think of a recent Time Magazine article called “Singer’s Little Helper,” which was about the use of “Auto-Tune” in the recording industry. Auto-tune is a computer program used to make pop vocals sound perfect (or imperfect! as the case may be) and is now standard practice, and has been for awhile. This is nothing new, but it seems to be catching the general public by surprise and has caused much tongue-clucking among many singers and voice teachers. The magazine article also stated that one concern in the industry is that singers are getting lazy and not doing their homework. “Perfect” singing is manipulated in recordings just like Ideal Bodies and Faces can be achieved by air brushing and computer-imaging. It is the illusion that SELLS. And let’s face it, where would we be without Illusion and Fantasy. But as my brother, Jim, a recording producer in Nashville, has said to me over and over, “I can tune-up a singer and put great instrumentalists and arrangements behind them, but I CAN NOT MAKE THE SONG SING. That is up to the singer.”

What I want to discern as a teacher of singing is how Auto-Tune may influence my work with students in all styles of music, both in and out of the recording studio. We can’t underestimate how these recordings shape our self-concept and therefore, self-worth, unless we also look at the way the Beauty myth affects both men and women in this culture. The roots are deep and insidious: We understand on an intellectual level what the issues are, but at the feeling level we are constantly judging ourselves against these so-called “perfect’ products and coming up short. It is either that or the seemingly effortless sound of a good recording deludes a singer into thinking little effort is required and they can produce the same product. Especially with their families and friends telling them that they sound as good as the recording!

Please bear in mind that I am not judging the merit of Auto-Tune–it’s use, and other effects, including reverb, adjusting wet-dry mix, etc., actually turn recording into a whole other art form FROM live performance. There will be some who read this who wonder why I state the obvious, but there are many voice teachers and singers who don’t understand this distinction. I am also not talking about the individual emotional experience of listening to our favorite recordings. What I am talking about is that what we listen to often needs to be distinguished from live performance in the same way that the models in the Sports Illustrated Swim Suit Issue be differentiated from the real, in-flesh person you have chosen to be close with–friend, spouse, lover. Illusion and Reality each have their place. It can be amazing when they do come together and I think THAT is what artists are called to do.

In Part II of “Live vs. Auto Tune…” I will share some observations of how computer-generated Perfect Recordings affect some of the singers with whom I work.

Cate Frazier-Neely

www.catefrazierneely.com

Tags: auto-tune, choir, choral, choral music education, computer-generated effects, Don McLean, recording studio, singing lessons, singing workshops, teaching singing, team teaching, technologically-enhanced recordings, vocal music education, vocal technique, voice lessons

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 24th, 2009 at 5:39 am and is filed under WVC. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.