Going to the Source
Andrew Hitz
No matter which instrument we play, we are all trying to imitate the same thing: the human voice. While it is imperative that we all listen to great examples of people playing our own instrument, it is equally important to listen to great vocalists. Whether it is a classical singer like Dawn Upshaw or a more pop oriented singer like Lisa Hannigan, analyzing their performances is like a master class. Everything just sounds so natural. There is so much there to emulate.
Making music sound natural is the key to everything. In fact, the folks in this business who make tubas or clarinets sound as natural as the Upshaws and Hannigans of this world almost always end up making a lot of money doing it.