what does confidence mean, vocal wise?

[rich2k4]

i've heard this told to me in the past, and i've heard it said to other singers. what does it mean exactly?

i usually hear it said when a singer sings softly. so to me it seems like confidence = being louder?

what if the song calls for singing softly?

[Steven Fraser]

i've heard this told to me in the past, and i've heard it said to other singers. what does it mean exactly?

i usually hear it said when a singer sings softly. so to me it seems like confidence = being louder?

what if the song calls for singing softly?

rich2k4: Its very much an impression on the part of a listener. if a singer is singing tentatively, uncertainly... a listener can interpret this as a lack of confidence. The level of confidence in performance is also visible, expressed in body posture and gesture.

Soft singing can be done very confidently. Its not about volume.

[rich2k4]

hmm, because sometimes i know exactly what im doing, yet someone still comes and says "it needs more confidence" sometimes i'm not sure what i have to do to fix that.

[Robert Lunte]

"confidence" in singing may be something you feel internally or not, but the issue really is more about how you are percieved gy the audience or listener.

[joshual]

For me singing with confidence is when you forget about all the technical things, you just express yourself and "fit" the song. It's really not a matter of skills but more a state of mind.

[Matt]

maybe they think youre holding back when you should let loose more?

[ronws]

Confidence is assuredness in what you are doing. But, for me, it can be a double-edged sword. There are times I have been confidently wrong. There are even times, here, where I recorded something and I was confident when I recorded it, only to find later that it was problematic.

I think confidence is important. I would say it is more important than the highest note you can sing. Singing with confidence tells the audience that you have something to say and they should listen.

[Nathan]

One thing that improves my singing confidence is preparation. I over prepare the material, repeatedly, until it comes to performance. This sounds basic, but many singers overlook this. When I'm onstage I have to know that there is nobody else in the world who knows the material better than I do.

You ever go to one of those gigs where the singer is holding a lyric sheet, examining it like it were the small print in a contract? There is nothing worse...

Of course that is just one aspect.

Maybe for you it is a wobbly tone or incorrect pitching? People can perceive this as a lack of confidence. Volume definitely does not equal confidence.

Is your tone often shakey? How is your pitching?

I had both of these and occasionally was asked if I was nervous or something... Sometimes just told I suck.

[Steven Fraser]

hmm, because sometimes i know exactly what im doing, yet someone still comes and says "it needs more confidence" sometimes i'm not sure what i have to do to fix that.

rich2k4: Here's the deal about other people's opinions of your singing... if they offer a comment like that, they may want something about the performance to be different, that is, they think it would be better if 'so and so' was added or removed.

You will never know what they individually mean about 'confidence' unless you engage them in conversation about it. 'Confidence' is just a word, a token. Thank them for the comment, and then ask the person who said this a follow-on question, for example, 'What to you mean'? or, 'Could you be more specific?' or 'What do you suggest I add or change'?

If this is coming from a teacher or singing professional, you can go quite a bit farther in your discussion.

[tubagod]

PPPPP - 5 p's

Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performace...

[Matt]

Preparation is huge. I once did 'run to you' by bryan adams live with some friends who had a houseband at a club and I practiced the tune for several weeks beforehand. Back then, what I thought was correct singing was completely wrong and I couldnt sing the song at all (it gets a little high occasionally) so I was practicing the song word by word, vowel by vowel, line by line for a couple of weeks, trying to nail it. Ive never sung a song as easily as I did when I finally got up on stage and sang it, it was almost engrained in me even though my basic technique was awful.

[ronws]

Steven, of course, has the best advice. Be prepared if you ask a person who is not a voice professional who has made this comment to you what they meant by that comment that what may follow from them may be caca del Toro. Because now, they have to explain themselves and such people are incapable of admitting when they are wrong or full of crap. They may even try to change the subject away from it. Then you have them on the run. I call it "calling the bluff" just like in the game of poker. I have found that 95 percent of the people are bluffing or stating something that reflects from their own personal viewpoint and has nothing to do with objective reality. Even better, yet, tell them to try it. They have a choice of putting their money where their mouth is or shutting the hell up. At which point, if they can do neither, I lose respect for them and start to ignore them.

I know I went on a run, there, but I can't stand a bully. I stand up to bullies and they back down, every single time.

[VideoHere]

For me singing with confidence is when you forget about all the technical things, you just express yourself and "fit" the song. It's really not a matter of skills but more a state of mind.

i agree. if you're confident you're likely really "in the moment" it can be very intuitive and extempor....can't spell this one, you know, that big word that means without thought or preperation...lol!!!

personally, i don't believe you can effectively move an audience without it, but it needs to be understated rather than a blatant display of confidence which can be perceived as cockiness and potentially offputting.