singing with an accent

[duggyk]

how do people feel about singing with accents?

you hear a lot of 'british' people singing with pseudo 'american' accents. mainly, err, 'young people'

i play, listen to and (kind of) sing many 'american' old time and blues tunes.

at first i tried singing along with a kind of terrible 'american' accent. mainly beacuse thats how i could hear the tune in my head, and how i'd heard it sung before.

one day my missus asked my why i put on 'that silly affected accent', i was suitably embarrased and so since then i've made an effort to try and sing with my natural voice.

i've found that its a lot less effort than what i was trying before (whatever that was), and possibly a bit more tuneful (if a bit 'laaandun' well, thats where i'm from!).

anyone else had a similar experience, or a view on 'singing with your own voice' ?

(apologies for the number of 's in the post. i'm trying to cut down on !'s and seem to have substituted 'one habit' for 'another').

[Danny]

I don't sing (my singing voice is against the Geneva Convention, technically if I sing I'm commiting war crimes) But I agree it's very rare to find a british accent in any kind of music.

I blame rock and roll, ever since about '54 or '55 we've all been trying to sing like Elvis or Buddy Holly or whoever.

Right, I'm off to listen to 'Up The Junction' by Squeeze, 'laaandun' accent throughout ;-)

Danny

[plunknplinkntwang]

To be popular you must have an American accent - just like George Formby ;D


Here's a old folk song
www.we7.com/#/track/Yorkshire-Lass!trackId=56997

[ned]

Could not get the link to work -- may be just me being thick though

[banjorob]

It might sound a bit silly if you sang an American folk or country song in a clipped oxford English accent, I think there has to be a little bit of compromise.....

Rob

[duggyk]

"It might sound a bit silly if you sang an American folk or country song in a clipped oxford English accent, I think there has to be a little bit of compromise....."

I hear you and am backing away from the views of my original post... just singing is great - whatever the accent!

[raydaroriley]

That's the very reason Chas 'n' Dave started singing in their own accents, only it wasn't Chas' wife that told hom off, but himself. It bugs me no end when I catch myself singing in a fake American accent.

[Danny]

Every time I worry about singing in a fake American accent, I just listen to 'Up The Junction' by Squeeze, problem sorted.

Welcome aboard Raydar, do I detect another M*A*S*H fanatic hereabouts by any chance?

Danny

[raydaroriley]

You're the second person who's caught the reference. Although the forum took out the capitalisation - it should read Ray Daro Riley.

[Danny]

Well you're very welcome Ray Daro Riley (I suspect the 1st person was my dad Pete, AKA Ned, am I right?)

I figure your real name is either Ray Riley or Ray Daro (in which case you might be Irish) Right or wrong again?

I wanna watch M*A*S*H now, thank god I've got all 11 years of it on DVD

We might have to talk music soon mate, I don't wanna get thrown off of my own website for being off topic

Danny

[raydaroriley]

Wrong on both counts - the first person was my college friend. And my real name is Ash. I'm just a M.A.S.H fan, unfortunately without the DVD's. =[