Singing is good for you. Study after study tells us so: from reducing the risk of heart disease, to fighting Alzheimer’s, to boosting the immune system…singing is clearly giving laughter a run for its money as the proverbial best medicine.
And yet, most people rarely sing. Or worse, they actively avoid it. They make jokes about what a terrible voice they have. They shy away from any sort of public singing by saying things like, “you don’t want to hear me sing, trust me!” or “I only sing in the shower.”
Okay, fine, singing in front of people is different from singing alone. (Unless you’re an elf.) But there are plenty of ways, beyond the classic shower-singing, that you can add singing to your day. Some suggestions:
- Try humming. It’s more covert than all-out singing, so you can get away with it in crowded places without people noticing. It’s like tip-toeing with your voice.
- Karaoke: Find the closest bar that does it. Find three friends. Enjoy.
- Caraoke: Roll up the windows. Turn up the volume. Enjoy.
- Sing what you see. Sometimes when I’ve got the house to myself, I narrate what I’m doing by singing it. “I’m going to boil some water, soooo I’m filling up the kettle…” Making coffee is way more exciting when it’s a musical.
And if you’re not so good with lyrics, just imagine that you and two imaginary friends are backup singers on this great track by Frank Eddie.
What makes this a beautiful song:
1. The plucked guitar. If the laid-back atmosphere reminds you of Lemon Jelly, that’s because Frank Eddie is the anagrammatic alter-ego of Lemon Jelly co-founder Fred Deakin.
2. The percussion is understated. Rather than using a big crash cymbal every few bars, he throws in a triangle instead.
3. The vocals. I’m not sure where Deakin found the sample, but this lady sounds like the type who’ll sing her way up and down the aisles of the grocery store, regardless of how many stares she gets.
Recommended listening activity:
Practising your diva hand movements.