Sheli Cryderman shares her process as a musician when it comes to singing.
As a musician, I struggle with audience connection. There are so many aspects of notation, inflection, tone and lyrics to get right. Coming from an instrumental background, I am trained to portray passion through black dotted notes never having to worry about words. When I switched to singing, the problem caught up to me quickly.
For example, leading church hymns broadcasting simultaneously in person and online, I have received feedback. “Fields” have been misplaced with “friends”, “our rights” with “our fight.” At least the slips of wordage fit in context, but I do remember thinking, this constitutes the sole reason I am glad my parents never allowed me to swear, as the stakes of lazy diction would be higher in the parochial setting.
And then it happened. The word “luck” rhymed in John Mayer’s “Last Train Home” composition. Thankfully, we were in a public park, two guitar friends, strumming songs. Whether the error fits in context, you can look up the lyrics and decide. Feeling immediately guilty, I apologized. To my surprise, my friend starts laughing “Oh yeah, How did it feel?” It did feel good to get out an expression to this day I struggle to use comfortably in society.
But just as important, my friend’s reaction reminds me, to error is human, the outcomes of which often make lasting connections. Together, we started envisioning the next concert, laughing at the absurdity of what could happen. Still, I am cautious. Prior to church, open mikes and coffee shop gigs, I engage in diction warm ups, meditative breathing; drinking enough water to pee constantly for the rest of the week. But recently, I have added a new exercise.