Here are three tips to help get you started on making someone else’s great song yours.
1. Change the tempo
Make an uptempo song into a ballad, or a romantic song into a snappy dance number simply by speeding up or slowing down the beat. Don’t be random about the tempo change though… try to keep the integrity of the lyrics in mind when making tempo choices.
2. Change the melody
Who says you have to sing the exact same notes as the original singer? Of course, you must follow most of the melody but feel free to make slight changes (going up where the original singer went down on a note, for example). Add subtle ornamentation to impart the message that this is your personal take on the song, especially if you’re changing the style from pop to R&B.
3. Change the feel
Reggae anyone? Or take a dance song with a heavy disco beat and transform it into a sweet acoustic ballad. Transform a funk song into hard-hitting rock with stacks of guitars. Tickle the listener’s ear by starting the song with a familiar hook from the original. The goal is to lure the listener in and imagine them thinking “Hmmm. I think I recognize this song… what is it? …OH YEAH!” The joy of recognition is half the fun.
Here are links to four original songs and excellent cover versions. You may even like the covers better than the originals.
Sting & Eva Cassidy: Fields of Gold
Original: Sting’s beautiful original chugs along with a steady drumbeat-great for slow dancing.
Cover: Eva Cassidy’s version is much slower, features acoustic guitar and a free, non-rhythmic vocal. It’s heartbreaking from the very beginning.
Demi Lovato & James Bell: Cool for the Summer
Original: The Original has a mid-tempo dance beat and “let’s make it a hit” production.
Stevie Wonder & Red Hot Chili Peppers: Higher Ground
Original: Stevie’s 1973 version is funky, features wah-wah guitar and contrapuntal keyboard paths
Cover: RHCP keep the funk, speed up the groove, layer in the electric guitars, and churn it out!
Michael Jackson & Renata Flores Rivera: The Way You Make Me Feel
Lisa Popeil is one of LA’s top voice coaches with over 40 years of professional teaching experience. As a singer, she’s performed and recorded with Frank Zappa and ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic and her album ‘Lisa Popeil’ was a Billboard ‘Top Album Pick’. Lisa has an MFA in Voice, is the creator of the Voiceworks® Method, and is regularly featured in leading music magazines, journals, books and conferences.
