Studio Recording v Live Performance

Studio recording is an entirely different art to performing live. When performing live one can engage with an audience, and can change the performance according to the audience's reaction. Hand movements and facial expressions enhance certain parts of the music, as well as adding to the meaning of lyrics.

Therefore, without the help of hand movements, facial expressions, and the live 'buzz,' a recording session must somehow capture the magic of performance whilst being as musically perfect as possible (this is, after all, an immortalisation of one's songs). It's difficult!

Another problem that a singer must overcome is to listen to themselves on record and accept its sound. There aren't many singers, particularly in jazz, who will tell you that they prefer listening to their recordings than singing live. Somehow, a live performance is always 'easier,' and a recorded session needs 100 more percent effort to come across with the same intensity of delivery. One thing that has made me realise this particularly is that when watching videos of myself on YouTube (for learning purposes, not as a vain hobby!!), my perception of the performance is far less when listening to audio only. It seems that, when watching the picture, one can forgive any mishaps in the music, but when the picture is taken away, the ear is not so forgiving.

So, in time, I will learn to enjoy listening to myself on recording - either by accepting that that's just how I sound on tape, or by striving to achieve a 'live' sound in a recording studio.