On Singing.

December 13, 2005, 04:21 pm

Nickie and I have been singing the Sam Cooke duet with Lou Rawls Bring It On Home To Me. I listened to the song on repeat all day and figured out Lou's part (lower (thank God) and kindof weird to me, but interesting). I was going to figure out the guitar part to surprise Nickie, but she started singing the song and I just joined in. So we figured out the rest and started singing it all the time and it's so fun.

My relationship with singing is a little weird. My mom told Nickie that when I was little, I'd sit in my room and sing to myself, making up little songs. And my mom would sit at the top of the stairs just outside my door and listen.

My sister and I sang in the church choir (when we still went to church). I don't remember much about it except at the end of choir practice we'd sing this jazzed up version of the Lord's Prayer that had accents in weird places.

Then when I was in elementary school, I was in choir in 5th and 6th grade. I was one of two boys that were in the soprano section. We thought we were cool because we got to sit by all the girls.

I have no idea how our teachers went about teaching us to sing. How do you do that, by rote? I don't remember singing different parts or harmonies or anything. I guess we did, else why separate me and the other boy in the soprano section?

Then in middle school, it was pretty much you were either in choir or band, and I was definitely going to be in band. It was also around this time that I became ridiculously self-conscious and stopped singing.

I remember one incident in particular where I was supposed to have gone to bed, but was listening to the soundtrack to the Phantom of the Opera and I was singing all of Christine's parts in falsetto. I had my headphones on and didn't realize how loud I was, as suddenly my mom appeared at my door with the hall light on wondering if I was alright. She'd heard the singing and thought I was crying or having a nightmare or something. How embarassing!

I think I started singing again when I got my driver's license and my 1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon was a safehaven where I could sing without anyone hearing. It was also around the same time that I started playing guitar, as I was faced with the dilemma that it's quite difficult to serenade girls with drums. (Ah, the ultimate motivation. And it worked, didn't it?!)

Anyway, so then I played guitar and sang a lot, and did so at UK when I was a freshman. And then I sang some with the Audio/Video Club and I was writing my first songs. I never really liked the sound of my voice. I still don't think it's great for a main vocal. I like it for backgrounds, but I haven't found "my voice".

Like Sam Beam should only sing the way he sings on the Creek Drank the Cradle. And Jason Lytle should only sing like he does with Grandaddy. And I like Thom Yorke so much better when he sings on OK Computer and The Bends than the way he sings like Bono on Pablo Honey.

One of my many goals in life is to find my voice. I think it'll happen someday, but I'm not holding my breath.

So after the A/V Club, I started recording demos of covers and writing songs with everything minus the main vocal. And I started figuring out harmony parts and singing along in harmony to my favorite albums. And so when I was asked to join the Merediths, I thought I'd try to really do background vocals and harmony parts.

I have very little experience singing with people. The majority of my singing has been done in the car or in my bedroom/closet/vocal booth. So sitting on the living room floor and singing with Nickie is ridiculously fun. Sometimes while we're in the middle of a song, I start smiling and I try to fight it and I can barely sing my part and not bust out laughing.

I think we're going to do the Beatles If I Fell next. I listened to it on repeat last night while I was waiting for her to get home, figuring out the guitar parts, the words, and John's part (although I consider myself closer to Paul). So then we'll have If I Fell, Bring It On Home To Me, and a pretty killer Thunder Road (even if I am a bit wishy-washy on some of the chords in the bridge).

I'm looking forward to Nickie and I finding our voices together and singing for the sake of singing.