Musical Solo

In musicals, a character begins to sing when spoken words can no longer convey their emotional state. Whether performing a solo piece for an audition, a revue, or a full production, the work of the actor begins with character analysis and development. Singing technique and skill are also vital, but must ultimately support the characterization and storytelling.

This guide will explain the process for developing both vocal technique as well as characterization to successfully perform a musical solo.

Terminology

• Analysis: Process of examining the pieces of the text in order to better understand it.
• Blocking: The movement and gestures used in staging.
• Characterization: The development of the character through tactics and moment-to-moment choices in the piece.
• Expectation: The character’s desired outcome that motivates the song.
• Given Circumstances: The information provided by the playwright about the character and situation.
• G.O.T.E.: An acronym for Goal-Obstacle-Tactic-Expectation, developed by Robert Cohen.
• Key Signature: The notation of the musical key, including sharps (raising the pitch) and flats (lowering the pitch).
• Moment Before: The event or idea that prompts the song.
• Notation: The notes made on the text, including analysis, beats, and blocking.
• Objective: The desired goal of the character.
• Obstacle: The person or thing standing in the way of a character achieving their objective.
• “Other”: Related to obstacle, the person or thing a character struggles against.
• Phrase: A complete musical “unit” (such as a verse) that finishes a thought and provides structure for the actor’s analysis.
• Scansion: The process of determining the rhythm of a line, usually a line in verse.
• Tactic: The methods a character uses to achieve their objective, identified as actable verbs.
• Time Signature: The notation of the beats per measure and which note gets the beat.
• Vocal Technique: The skills of pitch, breath control, projection, and articulation that follow the musical score.
• Vocal Expression: The style and emotional impact presented through singing that develop the character and subtext of the piece.