IF you do a word search on musical style, you will find loads of information about genres. This makes for great reading. However, when I refer to style in this article, I am not speaking solely about musical genres, but about certain interesting add ons to your song that add flair. These include, for example,
* improvisation or the use of spontaneous creativity when singing. Some musical genres seem to be particularly suited for improvisation, for example, jazz, gospel music. Improvisation can be a spur of the moment event, although one can find many books dedicated to teaching the art of improvisation. The singer has to feel the mood of the song, a shift in the mood of the song, a flow of the new words, tune or rhythm and go with the flow. Hopefully, you have a group of musicians who will follow where you lead.
* Change from one musical genre into another in the same song. I have heard songs in which the musicians and singer smoothly flowed from a ballad into a reggae beat, thus adding lightness and new feel to the song. My brother and his team were particularly gifted at this. The possibilities are endless. Caribbean people are particularly guilty of changing the tempo of many North American songs and singing them to either a calypso or reggae beat. We can’t help! It’s in the blood
These are only two examples, but I believe there is much more to be said. I will add as time progresses. See you soon!
