Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Free pdf download below.
"Sing it like you mean it." If you've had a lesson with me, you'll have heard me say this a lot (probably more than once in the same lesson, ha!)
Your voice already knows how to laugh, cry, sigh, call and groan. It's been doing it since before you could talk. When you sing with a clear feeling or intention behind each line, you can tap into those natural set-ups and let them shape your sound without you having to enter overthinking territory.
Below you'll find a list of feelings and a list of actions to choose from. Use them in your practice to help you play with what your voice can do, and to help make every line mean something.
Want a handy version of these lists to print and keep on your music stand? Download the free PDF here.
Why this helps
• It lets your voice organise itself. Feelings and intentions bring in the shapes your voice already knows: the tilt of a cry, the lift of a laugh, the release of a sigh. You can get connected, interesting and efficient sounds without having to micromanage every muscle.
• It connects mind, body and voice. Emotions are felt in the body, and the voice is part of the body. When you sing with a clear feeling or intention, they work together.
• It gives your attention a job. Focusing on who you're singing to, and why, leaves less room for overthinking and pesky self-judgement.
• It makes your performance more expressive and more varied. No more singing every line the same way - more fun for you, more engaging for the listener.
• It can make singing feel easier. Sometimes, for example, a choice like ‘sarcastic’ or ‘cheeky’ brings in a brighter, more tilted set-up that helps with high notes, and ‘tender’ can soften a heavy approach. Voices are all different, so experiment and see what works for yours.
• It works in every genre: Wherever there are words, there's a story to tell.
Feelings
A feeling is how you feel as you sing a thought. Choose one for each thought and let it colour your sound. Each family comes with some primal sounds your voice already knows. Choose one before you sing, feel it - embody it - then go straight into the line.
Joy, love and pride
joyful · elated · giddy · gleeful · triumphant · proud · confident · grateful · hopeful · inspired · loving · adoring · smitten · blissful · free
Primal sounds: laugh, giggle, cheer, whoop, "mmm"
Calm, tender and neutral
peaceful · content · serene · tender · gentle · trusting · reassured · wistful · nostalgic · dreamy · reflective · pensive · matter-of-fact · resigned · detached
Primal sounds: sigh, hum, coo, yawn-sigh, "aww"
Playful, surprised and curious
playful · cheeky · mischievous · flirtatious · sassy · sarcastic · wry · curious · intrigued · eager · excited · amazed · astonished · awestruck · startled
Primal sounds: gasp, "ooh!", giggle, squeal, call ("hey!")
Anger and contempt
annoyed · frustrated · exasperated · indignant · defiant · bitter · resentful · jealous · furious · disgusted · scornful · smug · haughty · dismissive · sulky
Primal sounds: groan, huff, "ugh", tut, scoff
Sadness and fear
lonely · hurt · heartbroken · longing · yearning · desperate · regretful · vulnerable · anxious · nervous · scared · panicked · overwhelmed · embarrassed · sheepish
Primal sounds: cry, sob, whimper, whine, wail, moan
Actions
An action is something you do to someone. Test it with "I ___ you": I reassure you, I tease you, I warn you.
Draw closer
welcome · reassure · comfort · soothe · cherish · embrace · lull · cradle · serenade · woo · charm · enchant
Lift up
inspire · uplift · encourage · rally · energise · galvanise · celebrate · cheer · empower · awaken · stir · delight
Play
tease · tickle · amuse · dare · bait · coax · cajole · wheedle · entice · tempt · dazzle · flatter
Persuade
convince · persuade · urge · implore · beg · beseech · plead with · challenge · insist · demand · command · warn
Push away
mock · ridicule · taunt · needle · goad · belittle · scold · accuse · snub · dismiss · reject · crush
Protect
shield · guard · deflect · dodge · evade · conceal · placate · appease · pacify · calm · deny · resist
What a feeling can change in your voice
You might notice changes in:
• your tone: may breathier, clearer, rougher, warmer
• vibrato, and little shakes or wobbles in the sound
• which words you stress, and your timing
• little bursts of feeling: a breath, a laugh, a cry, the way a note starts or ends
• resonance, where you feel your voice in your body
• the balance between vowels and consonants
• volume
• which register you sing in
How to use it
1. Break the lyrics into thoughts. A new thought usually starts where something changes: a new idea, a new person, a new question. Mark each one on your music.
2. Choose one feeling or one action for each thought. Write it in pencil above the lyric. Feelings describe how you feel ("wistful"). Actions describe what you're doing to the person you're singing to ("I tease you"). Try both and see which helps you more.
3. Sing it, and let the choice drive the sound. Try and embody it rather than trying to ‘show’ the feeling. Direct your actions towards someone in your mind.
4. Notice what happens. What changed in your tone, your timing, your breath? Did any high notes or tricky phrases feel different?
5. Play with it. Sing the same line several times with different choices. Then be subversive: try a sad or angry choice on a happy line, and a joyful one on a sad line. You might find something surprising and more interesting.
6. Keep what works best, for your voice and for the story and the vibe you’re going for. Then practice, bed your choices in, and then trust them to drop in each time you sing, as if the thoughts are happening for the first time.
A few tips
• Start gently. These prompts don't need to be big or loud in your voice to work. Build the intensity gradually and stay comfortable. If anything hurts, stop.
• There are no wrong choices. Some will feel right and some won't. It's all useful information!
• Make up your own. These lists are a starting point, so add any words that work for you.
• Use it with Session Notes. The lyric and text work page has a column for your active verbs.
Want these lists on one handy printable sheet? Download the free PDF here (no sign-up needed).
Happy singing!
Laura x
