The Basic Idea

In Toast & Jam classes we use this as a group project, arranged by one student for a small ensemble to present. On your own, this is a fun exercise to try on long car rides, in the shower, or even more formally with a tape deck and/or instrumental back-up. Explore the structure that works best for you. With Genre Entendre (roughly translated as To Listen for Style), I ask you to examine the meaning conveyed by different musical styles. Singing a familiar song in a variety of musical genres gives you a chance to express (sometimes VERY -) different emotions with one song, and to bring your sense of humor, pathos, whimsy or angst right into your voice. It teaches you about your own singing flexibility (or lack thereof) and it reveals new meaning in the songs we're working on. Recording artists do this when they cover someone else's song. Often they just sing it the same way but with their distinct voice. I find it more exciting when they change it enough to breath new life into it. For those of us of a certain age... think of Joe Cocker's rendition of the Beatles' "Wth a Little Help from my Friends" . . . Yes?

For Individual Singers

1. Jot down a list of different singing styles you like to sing. List at least three (f'rinstance: Swing, Gospel, Doo-Wop, Broadway Torch Song, Blues) and test yourself by singing a snippet of a song you know in each of those styles, just to remind yourself of the differences between them. Make them clearly different from each other,  avoiding styles that come across as similar (Blues & Spirituals overlap a bit, y'know ?).

2. Pick one song you know very well. Keep it simple ... don't try Bohemian Rhapsody, Okay!? I often suggest using a Nursery Rhyme just to get the jist of this exercise and then branching off into one of your own favorite songs.

3. Without changing the melody too much, sing that song in each of your selected genres. It's a grand test of how well you know those other genres, and how convincingly you can "sell" that song in it's new clothes.

Tips for Groups and/or Partners

When working/playing with a partner, one of you picks the song and does the singing, the other one picks the genres, as if you're pushing a button on a radio or jukebox dial, but the song is stuck. Then you switch roles. You might also provide some back-up for each other, for instance, you might ask your partner to sing or hum a simple rhythm to keep you on track.

For larger groups, I usually assign this exercise as a special project with plenty of time to pull together. The leader selects the song and the new genre, assembles a group to sing it with, and then arranges what parts they'll sing to convey the new genre. In this formula a LOT of learning takes place. The leader has to really break down a variety of elements in their chosen new genre, translate them into simple vocal parts and teach it to a group of singers who might not even know the original song or the new genre. IT'S A GREAT LISTENING EXERCISE! It requires arranging, directing as well as singing skills.

We've had great fun together at Toast & Jam workshops singing Mary Had a Little Lamb as a Gilbert & Sullivan Light Opera Aria, Three Blind Mice as a rap (which extra lyrics, of course). One of my students pulled together a hot hip-hop dance mix version of The 12 Days of Christmas... "FIVE-fuh-fuh-FUH-fuh-fuh FIVE golden rings" and countless other wonderful re-makes. "Imagine" as a Reggae song..."as one, as one, the world can live as one".  John Denver's "Sunshine" as a rousing up-beat Gospel (wow!). I've heard heavy metal songs re-done as Doo-Wop numbers, Joni Mitchell songs (2 of 'em!) in Bluegrass Brother Duet styles that really worked, and more. GET INTO IT, GO FOR IT. NOBODY CARES, IT'S JUST AN EXERCISE!

My Own Experience . . .

I was revisiting my love for Bruce Springsteen songs a couple of weeks ago and did this exercise with "I'm on Fire". I sang it, in the car, as a children's lullabye in waltz time that wound up Swinging, as a Bluegrass song (the train, right?) and eventually as a low-down rocking Blues.

Of course the original is simply a perfect song, to my way of thinking, and belongs where it is, genre speaking. But singing it with extra Bluegrass style echo harmonies added a new flavor to the haunting train whistle idea; the 3/4 Children's Song was really wierd but it was fascinating how well this 4/4 song slid into 3/4 and then got itself syncopated along the way into a swing beat (who knew?); the lyrics received an additional dose of sexy in the slow Blues version, but lost some of the tension because it got loud and angst-y. I learned even more about the song than I'd known all these years by singing it in so many different styles.

NOW when I sing it, it has more flavor, more feeling, more meaning. That's what I want my students to experience from this exercise. That's what I want for you. It's fun, challenging and, ultimately, rewarding.

Do let me know how it's going: susanne@vocalimprov.com