Episode 8. How to Cut Your Pop Song to Show Range & Tell a Story

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In this episode, I talk about the specific song forms that are common to pop music and the most common ways to cut your pop song to get all the juicy vocal stuff AND the storytelling pieces you want for theatre.

At first, it can seem like there are infinite options and how do you figure out the best one for your audition.

But, once you know the song forms, you’ll discover that there are really just a few options to pick from and the whole process is really quite simple.

In this show, I’ll dissect the 4 basic song sections - Verse, Chorus, Bridge, and Prechorus – and tell you how they function lyrically and musically in the song.

I’ll also tell you how you can implement them for a 16 bar cut and a 32 bar cut, and we’ll look at specific song examples to illustrate it in action.

 My goal for you is that you’d to be able to make your own cut of your pop song WITHOUT an accompanist, creating a storytelling arc that features range and hits the bigger vocal moments of the song that listeners expect. 

You’ll save loads of coaching hours and money, if you’re able to do this BEFORE your coaching sessions.  Then, you can use your time together to double check the cut and finesse any transitions.  And then actually WORK on singing the song!

Press play and let’s start creating your ideal pop audition cut!

Xo,

Korrie

ps- Join the mailing list for weekly resources about auditions and all things vocal styling!

TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE

  1. Map out the song first, label each section.  This will help you understand the story you’re telling and the emotional journey you’re taking the listeners on.

  2. Zero in on the moments the listener expects to hear – the chorus! The verse with flashier vocals! An iconic key change!

  3. Add sections before the chorus to develop the story lyrically and musically, while paying attention to the total length of your cut.  V C, or V P C , or B C

  4. Add your intro and an outro – if your song has tag, you can use that.

  5. Sing through and explore the various elements of range, especially VOCAL COLORS, you can show.Thank you so much for listening!

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Mentioned In This Episode

Songs referenced in today’s show:

“Eye of the Tiger” – Survivor

“Soulmate” – Natasha Bedingfield

“I Have Nothing” – Whitney Houston

“Firework” – Katy Perry