Songs Worth Listening To - Martin Swinger - Blog http://martinswinger.com/blog.html Martin Swinger: Blog Jannis' PHPRss class - http://www.jannis.to/ Fri, 11 Feb 2011 10:48:52 -0800 M O O N on the horizon! http://martinswinger.com/blog.html/m_o_o_n_on_the_horizon After some years of setback (PESKY Economy!) I am finally moving forward again on my upcoming CD, M O O N. I am recording with Ed Desjardins and Jud Caswell and have to say I am very excited about the results we are getting in the studio! 


I'm recording songs JUST RECENTLY FINISHED  (Consider the Oyster! - the gruesome truth about our favorite bi-valve,  Stay With Me - a love song to the Sun, Wooden Boy - portrait of a young man with autism,  Gravity -  exploring the outer limits of remorse)  and several songs around for a while (Little Plastic Part, Betty Boop and Buddha) plus a few lost gems from my former lives (Home to You - journey to self - more to come!! 

]]> http://martinswinger.com/blog.html/m_o_o_n_on_the_horizon Sun, 07 Nov 2010 10:48:52 -0800 Songs Worth Listening To - Martin Swinger - Blog Kapo and the Voice http://martinswinger.com/blog.html/kapo_and_the_voice
Recently I was loaned a small mixer board (THANKS, ED!) which has many sound effects. I noticed using the effects on guitar and voice drastically changed how I played and sang. Effects amplified the subtleties of my voice and suddenly, whispering a song became possible and in some cases, a better interpretation of the song - mostly on intimate songs.

Further, on a self-dare, I slapped the kapo Waaaaayyyyyyy up the neck to explore what might happen. What happened was I found myself in a place where my voice was NOT the theatre voice at all, but a more vulnerable sound - literally forcing my voice into sounding more emotionally engaged and believable. I was forced to sing some parts of the song in a lower register, sounding more like a personal conversation rather than a public broadcast, and other parts forced into my upper register bringing more emotional content to the sweeter tenor register.

In a couple cases I now am re-learning the song in a new arrangement which brings it more to life, makes the message that much more powerful, and actually showcases a broader range of vocal expression.

I'm finally discovering the power of vulnerability. Lean closer, let me whisper in your ear...]]> http://martinswinger.com/blog.html/kapo_and_the_voice Sat, 16 Jan 2010 10:38:04 -0800 Songs Worth Listening To - Martin Swinger - Blog