Singing in different languages

manonmurphy

Hey guys, I am a singer and for my Senior project am learning the culture behind music in different languages and going to sing/learn a song in French and Spanish. I would love so much if you guys could give me advice on that? Is it hard to sing in another language? Will I have to practice more then I would with an english song? And is it tough to get the accents with the words correct?

highmtn

@manonmurphy,

You would need help from someone who speaks and sings in that language to help you with the accents part. Otherwise, you will sound like a foreigner with an accent to those whose native language you are singing in. Do you have any students or teachers from a French-speaking or Spanish-speaking country? Like France or French-speaking Canada, Mexico, or Spain? They could help you with the proper pronunciation.

Singing the notes is the same in any language. The words, however, are another story. I would think that you will have to practice learning the new words a lot more than you would have to practice English-language lyrics, simply because you don't yet know what those words will be, what they mean, or just how to sing and say them. Then, as you said, are you using the correct accent, or are you really sounding like an English-speaking person just going through the motions of the words instead of really communicating the meaning?

You have an interesting project.

Bob

JenniferCampion

Just listen to the peice with dedication and then try to imagine the way they feel when they physically produce the sounds, then next time try it as you sing along and keep a check on how close you are to the pronunciation. I did that with Nessun Dorma. Worked a treat. Good luck and best wishes.

Jenny.

viniciusoliveira

I agree. Having some help from native speakers would be good,even if you have some remarkable knowledge of the language you're going to sing in.

Also,be extra careful with homonyms

Alyona

I think vowels are harder to recreate then other sounds. So when I sing a french or spanish song I just listen to the original very carefully - and all my attention on the vowels. And try to recreate it. And it starts sounding close ))