“You can’t copy anybody and end with anything. If you copy, it means you’re working without any real feeling. No two people on earth are alike, and it’s got to be that way in music or it isn’t music. ” –Bille Holiday
I came across this quote several months ago, and, even though I’ve heard many variations of it, this particular version really resonates with me because of how it reads like a statement — almost like a fact. Just to be clear, quotes such as these should generally be taken as opinion, even if they are something said by a musician of the caliber of Billie Holiday.
I believe certain aspects of this quote to be true. If you simply sing a pop cover or a Jazz standard like one of those by Whitney Houston or Ella Fitzgerald, you are singing music, but you are just copying what others have done before you. Other than the fact that you picked the song you are performing from hundreds of others, your performance might not be that unique. However, adding your own inflections, melismas, extra words, choosing to change the melody in an interesting way–these are things that make the song and the performance your own.
However, I don’t agree that copying someone else means that you don’t feel the music in some way, and that the results won’t amount to anything. In my experience, I’ve found that the way in which you learn something is through imitation. By listening and trying to copy that one run in a song over and over again, you pick up that singer’s musical phrasing, trying to anticipate what note to start or end on, where to place inflection in phrases, etc. I used to listen to a lot of Etta James’ music, trying to copy her performance style. Eventually, after I would learn a song in the style in which she sang it, I would start messing with the song, finding what was comfortable and what worked for me. After practicing and performing the song in this way, it was no longer just an Etta James’ song. It was my version of an Etta James’ song.
Why do I explain this process to you? Imitation, or copying, is part of the process of learning in music. Seriously. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard horn players go on and on about the number of hours they practiced BeBop lines from well-known BeBop horn players. It’s just something musicians do. Since imitation (or copying) is a step in the learning process, and therefore necessary, I could only agree with Billie Holiday’s quote if she were to say that if the music doesn’t in some form become your own, then it isn’t real music. Having your sound, your own unique voice is what makes music so substantial and memorable to begin with.
If you’re curious about who Billie Holiday was and what her life was like, be sure to check out this great article over at hubqueen.com!
What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with this quote? Leave a comment below!