How to choose songs

There are thousands upon thousands of songs in this world…

and yet, when it comes to choosing what to perform, the choice can be overwhelming.

Singers can find themselves reverting back to songs they’ve previously learned, or avoiding songs they deem ‘too challenging’ - neither approach is going to aid your improvement and help you reach your goals.

So, what can be done instead?

Here are a couple of things to consider when you are selecting your next songs to work on:

1. Do you love it?

It may seem simplistic, but this is the most important aspect of picking your repertoire.

Enjoying the songs you sing can massively impact the way you perform them, as well as your motivation to practice. It’s possible that you will be working on the songs for a long while, picking apart the melody, harmony, lyrics, technique (I’ve a post on how to practice songs here) so ensuring you’re likely to still want to perform the song after all that is pretty vital!

2. Can it do what you need it to do?

There are a number of reasons why we pick songs. Sometimes we use them as vehicles for practicing certain vocal techniques or for learning particular musical elements: improvisation, riffs, harmonic structures, for example.

Other times, we might be choosing songs for performance reasons: to express certain emotions or connect with an audience in a specific way ( - do you want them to dance? sing along? feel a certain emotion?)

Occasionally, you might be preparing for an assessed performance of some sort - an exam, an audition - and so elements such as demonstrating vocal prowess (for instance, range, agility, accuracy or characterisation) become even more important.

Therefore, being aware of the purpose of songs you’re working on and your personal singing goals are vital to help you whittle down your song choices.

For more singing practice tips you can follow me on social media @TessaSmithMusic, or explore thesingersguide.com where there are resources all about optimising your singing practice.