What is the CORE of the singer?

A new year first weekend musing...

What are we after as singers?

I speak often of building and achieving CORE...there are so many levels to this,  and perhaps the consciousness of many of them allows us to be clearer in our intention.

There is core of the body;  core of the sound;  core of the intention;  core of the spirit;  core of the psyche;

What is this?  Does it relate from one part to the other?

I believe it does.  Basically,  building and/or revealing CORE is finding the basis of what everything else is built on.

Core, be it physical, acoustic, or metaphysical - needs strength, balance and flexibility.

Perhaps I can even ask - what is AT the core of a singer?

If the core is not strong or even built correctly, or at all (!) -  all we do is superficial.

We can fake it for awhile, and then suddenly,  the fakeness is revealed for what it is.  Sometimes, we are the last to see it - which is always sad.

"Fake it til you make it"  has never made sense to me.  This is a frivolous sayings that means absolutely nothing.

Be in process - yes, but fake it? NO WAY.

Faking requires hiding, and frankly, that takes WAY too much effort.  It is much easier to claim where you are,  and just be there.  Knowing you are in process means you have nothing to hide nor make excuses for.

If CORE is strength,  then faking is lack of it.  Faking is weakness.

A singer must find physical and athletic CORE STRENGTH.  The physicality of a singer determines how the sound develops and how it is supported and contained!  You CANNOT, as a singer,  dismiss your physicality.   The knowledge,  development and continued renewal of its intricacies are key to a complete instrument.

A singer must find vocal CORE strength.  This is an ongoing process too.  The voice is never in stasis.  Voice by nature is vibration and in motion!  The "ABC" of core vocal strength relies on the physical strength and intrinsic balances and elasticities that we must work on daily.  We are constantly finding and reworking the ABC of the voice core.  You don't say "got it" and never address it again!  Too many variables can cause an imbalance.

Weaving a strong, vibrant, flexible and penetrating vocal CORE takes time, patience, willingness to discover and re-discover and focus focus focus of intention!!

CORE of spirit for a singer is a tough one but necessary too.  Do you REALLY want to sing?  Do you REALLY want an instrument that will deliver a totality of you?

You must not just want to sing - you must be PREPARED TO DO THE WORK.  And, you must be prepared to truly be honest with what the work reveals to you.

I may want to dance,  and be prepared to take ballet classes and work hard, but I also must be prepared to understand that due to my age, my body type,  my limitations - I will NEVER be a ballerina.  EVER.
But my willingness to WORK and discover all of what my physicality CAN do, will reveal what I can do with that instrument for me.

If you want to sing - you must claim the core of that intensity you have.  If you do not have it - then acknowledge it.  Develop it.  Discover it and see what it discovers FOR you.

Many of us are told we cannot;  we should not;  we will not.  Sometimes it's correct.  Sometimes it's not.

Do you have a core of spirit that is hard-wired to pursue and still be honest?  Core of spirit doesn't need to be stubborn.  It needs to have a strength and flexibility to shift gears and re-adjust in order for the development to be real.

"I wish" needs to translate into "I will" into "I do" into "I am".

The CORE of your physicality, of your voice, of your spirit is unlike anyone else.  It is crucial that you discover that uniqueness and develop it uniquely.

How does your core respond?  What does it respond to?  How is it innately woven to create a more vibrant and integrated YOU?

The CORE of the singer - is the GUT - the TRUTH - physical, acoustic and spiritual.

The CORE of the singer needs to be recognized for what it can BECOME.  You, the singer, are responsible to find that and find those around you who can often see you better than you see yourself in order to help you, guide you,  and encourage you to pursue and build, and claim.

However,  that core is YOURS.  If you choose to claim, it is yours.  If you choose to fake and walk away, it's still yours.

I don't know about you - but claiming what I can is worth the work, sweat, sacrifice and challenge.