Friday five: singing traditional hymns versus gospel

I loved my experience in hospice. I'm not one that knew much about spiritual music when I went in, but I sure know a lot about it now. In fact, I really love some of the songs my patients enjoyed. One of the biggest challenges in hospice was understanding how to sing in a style that was authentic to the music your patient preferred. Here, I discuss singing in a traditional church style versus singing in a gospel style (which can be difficult to master).

Traditional hymns use a classical, church-singing voice. Everything you see on the sheet music is taken very literally.
1. No note embellishments. Straight-forward melody line. Limited vocal range.
2. Solemn, majestic tempo.
3. Use a very smooth voice, sing notes cleanly and exactly as they are on the page.
4. Play rhythm as it is written.
5. When playing guitar, finger pick or use a straight strum.

There are many different styles of gospel music, so I will speak very generally.
1. Notes can be embellished, repeated, etcetera, etcetera. Do almost whatever you want to make the melody "flashy." Uses a wide vocal range.
2. Songs are animated and enthusiastic!
3. Again, you are free to do almost anything you want with the melody. Add some "whoa's" and "oh yeah's" anywhere you see fit. Repeat, repeat, repeat words from the melody when you can. Many families that listen to gospel even create their own verses that are unique to that family. Learn them or create some of your own. Good opportunity for song-writing, p.s.!
4. Rhythms can be lengthened, shortened, widened, flattened, etcetera, etcetera.
5. Use mostly down-strums on the guitar.

Theses examples are extremes: either very traditional, or very gospel-like. Remember that different religions can be anything in-between. The best thing you can do is listen as your patients sing along. Take clues from them as to how they prefer to hear their spiritual music sung.

Friday Five: Getting the early country sound

As music therapists, we know that patient preferred music yields the biggest results over time. Our work is based on what we know our clients enjoy. It engages them, encourages participation, and helps to cultivate a healthy therapeutic relationship.

When we prepare music for a client, we put so much time into learning the chords and learning the lyrics. Usually we'll go as far as to memorize a song, even for use in a one-time session. If we are working this hard to please our patients, shouldn't we take it one step further by making our voices sound just as authentic as our music?

When a music therapist has a great handle on sounding like an artist in both music and voice, it is most undeniably apparent in early country music. It is hard to imagine a performance of "Your Cheatin' Heart" or "Coal Miner's Daughter" without an exaggerated country twang. Below, I am listing five techniques for getting that true country sound. These were all things I learned in a guitar repertoire class.

1) Mouth and throat are relaxed.
2) The melody has lots of embellishments and slides between the notes.
3) Voice has a bright, nasally sound ("twang").
4) Guitar plays an alternating bass strum and dotted rhythms.
5) Guitar plays a "boom-chick" or down-down-up-down-up-down strum.

To practice, listen carefully to early country recordings. Record yourself to see how closely you can authenticate artists like Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, and Patsy Cline.