Creating “Emotional Moments”

The best singers organize their phrasing around what I call the “emotional moments” of a song. These interpretative focal points are produced when words, phrases, melody lines, rhythms, or tempos are sung in such a way that emotional messages are delivered to the listener with exceptional directness and poignancy. Well-written songs contain natural places where a singer should produce emotional moments; these usually occur in a song’s chorus—when there is one. But the most expert singers create their own emotional moments at different points in a song.

And how do singers achieve this effect? Here are a few examples: a singer may soften or color the sound of a particular word or phrase by producing them in a more breathy manner; he may use his vibrato in an especially tender or exciting way; he may slow down or alter the tempo (timing) of a vocal line to reflect the importance of a crucial lyric. Frank Sinatra, to give the best example, used all these techniques (and more) as a key aspect of his art. But every excellent singer has mastered this principle, and the rule in this respect is quite simple: great song interpretation is grounded in the singer’s art of creating compelling emotional moments.

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