Karaoke Forums

I'm going to be performing with a pianist downtown again next week.  I'm curious if anyone here has any great, attention-getting gesticulations, motions, movements, etc. they use to punctuate their performances--I realize, of course, I open myself up here to all manner of tawdry wisecracks so try to keep it legitimate.  One of the things I'd like to avoid is the "Floyd R. Turbo" style of gesturing...

or Joe Cocker for that matter

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"Be who you are and say what you feel... Because those that matter... Don't mind...And those that mind... Don't matter."

Tell the story of the song with your hands---if it talks about the sun in the sky--then make a sky movement--if it mentions rain then make rain coming down--if it talks about love--then clasp your hands over yoru heart---you get the picture--tell the story with your hands while singing. I do that all the time. thats why i HAVE TO HAVE a mic stand--cant do the hand motions effectivley trying to hold a mic to my face---i need both hands to tell the story.

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"You know that I sing the Blues and I do not suffer fools. When I'm on that silver mic, it's gonna cut ya, just like a knife"-The SWINGCAT

This isn't a lot of help, but whatever you do, feel comfortable doing it.  Forced gestures and manerisms are easy to spot and seem somewhat phony.

I remember seeing Sinatra on one of his final TV appearances making a rather neat move.  He walked on camera in profile then suddenly turned his head only toward the camera and pointed...it was very effective.  I'd ask my teacher about these things but she's on vacation this month.  I probably do an adequate job of this stuff naturally but just looking for some "tricks" of the trade...coming from New Jersey one learns how to talk with their hands quite nicely! One of my habits that makes people think I'm Italian at times...

Couldnt agree more Odie.
I know this sounds daft and you prolly havent got enuff time Michael but just as dancers have a mirror in their studio, it would help you to practise in front of a mirror until  gestures seem 2nd nature

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"Be who you are and say what you feel... Because those that matter... Don't mind...And those that mind... Don't matter."

Could I just poke my head out of a hole in the curtain?

Sounds kinky.






My question is, WHY do you need to make movements, etc, while singing? IF it isn't something you natrually do... won't it take your attention AWAY from singing, if you are making yourself THINK about doing it? I KNOW that I would feel really silly forcing some sort of gesture, or dramatic hand body thing on stage while singing. But, then again... i have NEVER even sang in public... so, what do I know?:) And, not JUST practicing in a mirror, but doing little recordings, so you could watch yourself, and see how you look to other people, and how it all connects might be good for ya:)

Joe Cocker has a terrible back and neck.  Might even have fused vertabrate.  That's his story.  He does feel what he sings,  is an emotional singer, but the poor guy looks like he has distonia.

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Taylor Hicks of American Idol seemed to have achieved a perfect distillation of Cocker's all time worsts "moves".  Watching him perform (and I am seeing him and the rest of them tomorrow night in St. Paul) made me think at times I was watching the Tinman's specialty number in "The Wizard of Oz"....he moves about like he just came out from under the anesthesia or had been suddenly revived from the dead after many years of being deceased.

   He did have that "knack" for appearing more clutzy.   Just a natural I suppose.  A nuance, or gift    -of sorts

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

I agree with Gilly that you don't want to force something that isn't there. If
you feel the music it should show. If you think about the words of the song and feel the emotion it portrays it will come across in your singing.

Have you ever seen Jessica simpson sing? Yuck! She is such a beautiful girl, but when you see her sing all you do is notice her odd mouth movements and head flipping.

There are singers who are known for bringing great emotion to their singing. They don't really move that much. Look at  Julio Iglesias.

If you are looking to get the audiences attention that is a different story. You can do that by looking at them when you sing or pull a young lady up on stage and sing to her. Use their city name or state in the song.

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[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

MichaelJayKlein:

I just can't help but ask..... What does your sig mean?:



Is that a line in a broadway play or something? Cause I've been sitting here pondering it, and just don't get it.... so I figured it would be easier to just... ask. Simple curiosity.

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♥ Laugh your heart out, dance in the rain. Cherish the memories, ignore the pain. Love and learn, forget and forgive. Because you only have one life to live. ♥

Put a bag over that singers face.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

Hey michaeljayklein, I know this will sound stereotypical but, I have some Jewish ancestors.


That part of my family uses hand gestures the most. A lof of people think of us as being part Italian unless they've seen my mom's nose. Mine starting to go that way too, I might as well convert back to the old ways.

Seriously, I think the whole "hand gesturing" part came into being when people coming to America were a bit shakey with the language (or never felt comfortable in what they were saying).  I can remember my father telling me when he came to this country with his father, his old man would smack the boys if he heard them speaking Yiddish--it was English all the way, or "American".  A point of pride.  I used to have an Italian barber growing up--now that guy made hand gestures and movements a work of art.  Ironically he gave me my first haircut and I got his last haircut before he passed away.

Good point about English michaeljayklein. All of my ancestors that spoke another language learned English immediately. When My family moved to Texas it was part of Mexico, so they started learning Spanish. If I were to move to a country that did not speak English as their main language, I would learn their language. It's what you do. I guarantee I would be gesturing with my hands a lot but I already do.

This is my second biggest problem with typing. My primary typing problem is that someone keeps moving my keys.

Maybe this can give you a way of thinking about hand gestures.

I type with my fists---somehow it is easier...

This is a good subject to bring up, and one I have often reflected on. I don't mean in the sense of adding gesticulations or motions, but just 'stage presence'. Usually at Karaoke contests stage presence is one of the things you are graded at. Some people seem (edit: I meant 'sing') like crap, but are funny and take the show because they are clowns. I always have the opposite approach and try and sing well, but I don't move or do anything at all usually. Now, I used to dance quite a bit and know how to generally - but I always feel really weird trying to dance while I am singing. Even just moving to the music sometimes feels weird. I know stage presence is important though. Imagine American Idol with people just standing around and not doing anything. Ok, maybe I sometimes move a bit to the music, the beat - tap my foot or something, but probably this is one arena where I could improve.

How about the rest of you? What do you do on stage?