How to Use Perfectionism to Improve Your Singing Voice
Most singers who identify as perfectionists would like to get rid of what they perceive as a curse.
But perfectionism can be wielded as an ally in your singing practice if you know how to focus its gift.
You have brilliant attention to detail. Now you want to learn how to harness that for good (progress) instead of evil (beating yourself up).
1️⃣ WHAT (specifically) was it about that note or that phrase that made me cringe or that didn’t feel right?
Most of us start out with wincing or an eye roll or hearing our inner critic chastising us for how awful that note was.
And that will likely still be your initial reaction. But we want to move on from that towards curious questions.
The first being what about that specific sound or feeling did I not like?
“Wrong” or “bad” or “terrible” doesn’t get you on your way to a solution, instead it stops you in your tracks and makes you want to walk away from singing altogether.
2️⃣ WHY might that have happened?
Answering this question is certainly easier if you have a vocal coach who has highlighted the relationship between certain sounds and feelings and challenges, but getting clear on the WHAT will give you something to research if you’re not working with a teacher and feeling a little lost.
The WHY will often be something in your approach such as tension you’re bringing in or some way you’re holding back or trying to do two opposite things at once.
I give some examples in the video.
3️⃣ HOW can I work on fixing the WHY?
The solution will often involve a combination of a technique, tool or approach change AND diligent focus.
And the HOW is where you want to focus on EXPERIMENTATION.
You want to try things until you land on what I like to call a GREEN LIGHT.
When you notice the problem is no longer there.
Then you have a formula or approach that you can use to rewire the old habit into something more efficient, freer or more to your taste.
A NOTE ON AMBER/ORANGE LIGHTS
In your pursuit of green lights, you will continue to encounter AMBER lights. Attempts that just aren’t quite as good as the initial fix you discovered.
This is a NORMAL (and important) part of the learning process.
It doesn’t mean you “got it wrong” or “you suck”, it simply means something is calling your attention.
Especially when you take the training wheels (the tool or helpful exercise) away, you will hit amber lights, which is letting you know that the green light approach has not become automatic yet.
Try to remind yourself that it takes time and give yourself grace, patience and self-compassion as you develop the new habit. ❤️