Book Review: "So You Want to Sing Country: A Guide for Performers," by Kelly K. Garner
2017; Routledge; Volume: 74; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
2769-4046
Autores Tópico(s)Music History and Culture
ResumoGarner, Kelly K. So You Want to Sing Country: A Guide for Performers. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2017. A Project of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Paper, xvii, 238 pp., $37.00. ISBN 9781-4422-4640-9 www.rowman.comSo You Want to Sing is a series of books produced under the auspices of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), and is comprised of volumes devoted to a particular genre. first, So You Want to Sing Music Theater by Karen Hall, was published in 2014 (reviewed in JOS 71, no. 2 [November/December 2014]: 254-256). Other volumes in the series include So You Want to Sing Rock V Roll by Matthew Edwards (2014; reviewed in JOS 71, no. 5 [May/June 2015] and So You Want to Sing Jazz by Jan Shapiro (2015; reviewed JOS 73, no. 1 [September/October 2016]). focus of the fourth title in the series is country music, authored by Kelly Garner, a singer-songwriter who has worked in Nashville for the past twenty-five years and who teaches commercial voice at Belmont University.Garner begins with an overview of the evolution of country music. Its origins can be traced to the 1920s, and it is rooted in the hillbilly music of the rural South. development of country music was influenced by myriad styles, including jazz, vaudeville, cowboy songs, traditional ballads, gospel, blues, and minstrel shows. Salient characteristics and artists of each decade are identified, as well as technical and cultural events that affected the genre. Garner points out the impact of recording and radio; most recently, televised talent searches such as American Idol and Nashville Star have identified and publicized new artists. author wends her way through nearly a century of music, illuminating interesting facts along the way. For instance, in the 1930s and 1940s, drums were not used by country musicians because they were too loud and not considered a pure instrument. This emphasis on purity was also apparent in the 1970s; when Olivia NewtonJohn crossed over from the pop charts to win Best Female Country Vocal Performance and Female Vocalist of the Year awards from the Country Music Association, several country artists in the traditional style expressed their indignation by forming their own association. Correlated musical examples are available on the NATS website, allowing readers to sample selections from luminaries such as Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Marty Robbins, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Buck Owens, Garth Brooks, and Taylor Swift, to mention only a few.In the discussion of voice pedagogy, Garner stresses the benefits of classical training in becoming a commercial singer. She underlines that the foundational concepts of breathing and are the same for both commercial and classical singing. Good breathing is good breathing regardless of style, she writes. There are, however, important differences in delivery; country singing requires a flatter, more horizontal mouth shape, and diction that is speech-like. author maintains that placement pertains not to a specific place, but to a sensation. Dynamic contrasts and color are discussed, as well as style techniques such as the hitch, the vocal flip, dip and push, and fall off. Finally, Garner underlines the necessity of developing a healthy belt voice.In the chapter entitled The Country Song, Garner identifies the structures of songs (for instance, ballad and AABA, respectively) commonly used by country performers, as well as how regional influences often dictate song forms. Fascinating details about the industry are interspersed throughout the text; for instance, the radio single- which is the notable song on an artist's album that is sent to stations seeking airplay-has specific characteristics. …
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