It’s very tempting, when you reach the rockier choruses of songs like Metallica‘s Nothing Else Matters, to forget your good intentions, as far as enunciation and clarity are concerned. Some people give in to temptation and start SHOUTING incomprehensibly. Please don’t. Shouting isn’t singing. Your audience deserves more from you.
Every word is important to the song and to the songwriter. Listen to James Hetfield from Metallica. He wrote the song. He never loses control of his words, no matter how powerfully he uses his voice:
Here’s Lissie‘s famous cover of Nothing Else Matters. It’s easy to understand every word she sings, no matter how loudly she sings it:
If Lissie and James can do it, so can you. The words in the chorus are just as important as the words in the rest of the song. Sometimes they’re more important. Let your audience hear them clearly.
It’s crucial to focus on the clarity of your consonants when you sing the loud sections of any song. The power of your vocals lies in their precision and their passion. Volume alone is not a virtue. Don’t shout. Sing with intensity. Feel the difference.
There’s plenty more to say about Nothing Else Matters. It’s a popular choice for contests, so we’ll revisit it in the future.
P.S. It’s 2017. Just saw 15 year old Caroline Baran’s cover of Nothing else Matters for Postmodern Jukebox. Caroline has impressive vocal control and a real ability to vary volume, speed and style:
© Sing Better English, 2014
