With this creative endeavor it is my goal (always has been) to highlight good things and celebrate them in hopes of amusing/inspiring/titillating you, the person who takes the time to read this. Today is one that I have been wanting to write for a long time. Today is special. Today we highlight "Trill."
Trill is loosely defined by Google as:
This is when someone really just goes for it and sings with gusto. Their voice is their instrument and trill is the vocal equivalent of a guitar solo. The vibrato (whether natural or forced) makes the journey from the note that the singer started on to the note that they end on feel exciting and even soulful. Trill can be utilized in a short or long fashion. For instance, most Jazz or R&B singers are barely able to sing without a little trill, so those genres often produces soulful, sexy, intentional compositions dripping with trill. This is short trill. A good example of long trill is Mariah Carey's song "Emotions," a song with a particularly memorable line of trill which she uses to LAUNCH HER VOICE INTO OUTER-FREAKING SPACE. Now, that's what I call trill...volume 2. When done properly, a singer can highlight multiple notes in a run and isolate/boost the best ones with power and control.
Good Trill
Singing clear notes without vibrato is great, but trill lets the listener know that you really mean it. It punches up whatever is sung. The closest non-musical thing that I can compare trill to is a basketball dunk.
So, imagine that there are some basketball teams playing. The conflict has gone back and forth all night with both teams scoring points by way of layups and conventional three pointers...really Larry Bird-esque play. Nothing flashy, just fundamentals. But, the game clock is running down and people have to get points and make statements. You are intently observing as Player A, we will call him Michael Jordan or Lebron James or Muggsy Bogues or James Blake, leaps from what feels like mid-court and comes down with a real strong dunk move, running right into Player B and knocking him down with the sheer force of his dunkitude. These are the hot basketball plays that they make posters out of for children to hang in their rooms. The game has been changed. The statement has been made. The dunk has been executed. The other team knows that they are done for. This is the dunk...slam dunk for the layman.
To me, this is what trill is like. It is a move that you make when/if you can and it has the possibility to change the musical composition and make a statement. Sure, it can be silly. But, it can also be beautiful and that is why it is What's Good....Scott...for today.
The title for this blog post was conceived by Marshal Blessing who would just say "all glory to God" if I thanked him for it publicly, so he doesn't really need this, but I feel compelled to credit him.
