How Do You Make a Song Your Own?
- Diana Mascari
- Jul 7
- 5 min read
Welcome to my 100th blog post! When I realized I had reached this milestone, I found myself reflecting not only on the journey of writing these articles but also on one of the musical ideas that has stayed with me throughout my career: how we gradually make a song our own. I hope you'll enjoy the story.
Have you ever wondered why two musicians can play the same song and sound completely different?
Years ago, composer John Harbison made an observation that has stayed with me. He suggested that for the past several decades, many listeners have come to associate songs with their original recordings. In other words, for many people, the song becomes the record. Songs from the Great American Songbook, however, have traditionally had identities of their own, independent of any single performance or recording.
I was reminded of this years ago while watching Saturday Night Live. The show presented a montage of several solo pianists, each performing a portion of Misty. Every rendition was completely different, yet the identity of the song remained unmistakable. That is exactly what I love about playing the standards. I can perform the same song in different styles, and each version can still sound authentically like me.
For many years I've enjoyed performing and teaching Yesterdays by Jerome Kern. Interestingly, The Real Book classifies it as a ballad. Trumpeter Wynton Marsalis recorded a beautiful ballad version that is absolutely stunning. Personally, however, I've always been drawn to it as either a medium swing tune or in a medium Latin rhythm. In fact, I've performed it both ways over the years.
A couple of weeks ago, something unexpected happened. YouTube often creates playlists based on recent listening habits. I happened to be near my wife's computer when my own recording of Yesterdays suddenly began to play. I found myself sitting down and listening to the entire performance.
We recorded it about four years ago in my Hudson studio. The building was completely quiet. Marci was filming, and the stillness created an unusual intimacy. My guitarist friend John Dougherty used to say, "The tape doesn't lie," and he was absolutely right.
But how did I arrive at that particular rendition?
Everything began with respecting the melody.
The wonderful solo pianist Dave McKenna often described himself as "a melody player rather than a jazz pianist." Listening to him night after night at Boston's Copley Plaza Hotel taught me that the melody isn't something to get past on the way to improvisation—it is the heart of the song.
Yesterdays is unusual because it is only sixteen measures long. Most standards from the Great American Songbook contain thirty-two measures with a contrasting bridge. Instead,
Yesterdays unfolds in two complementary musical thoughts. The opening phrases present an idea, while the closing phrases answer it and bring the music to rest.
This kind of musical architecture appears throughout jazz standards and classical music alike. Think of it as two connected thoughts:
"When we turn the clocks ahead, the days get longer."
"When we need to buy food, we go to the grocery store."
Understanding a song's structure is just as important as learning its melody.
The harmony matters just as much. In the third phrase of Yesterdays, Jerome Kern writes four dominant seventh chords in succession. Because each contains a tritone, there are many fascinating harmonic possibilities for improvisation. (If you're interested, I discuss this in my earlier blog on tritones.)
Once I've chosen the rhythmic feel for a song, the real work begins.
Whether I'm playing swing or Latin, I spend time improvising within that style until it feels completely natural. Only after I've lived with that version for a while do I begin exploring another interpretation.
Years ago, while I was playing solo piano during my fourteen-year engagement at the Sheraton Milford Hotel, a band working in the lounge described an interesting exercise. They played every tune in The Real Book in order, rotating styles with each song—swing, Latin, jazz waltz, ballad, rock, and so on. Whatever song came next had to fit the next style, whether it suited the music or not.
While I admired the discipline of the exercise, it never appealed to me.
I prefer to discover the style that best expresses the character of a song, then spend the time necessary to make that interpretation truly my own. That's why a song continues to evolve over the years.
A couple of years ago, I was selecting and preparing two selections for each month's Musicale. Every day I practiced those two pieces for fifteen focused minutes. It was this steady process of living with the music—through harmony, rhythm, improvisation, listening, and thoughtful practice—that gradually transformed those songs into something personal.
That's how I make a song my own.
And you can do exactly the same with the music you love.
A Personal Note
This article marks my 100th blog post.
When I began writing these articles, my hope was simply to encourage adults to continue growing as musicians—through piano, composition, improvisation, or simply by discovering new joy in making music.
Writing this 100th blog has reminded me that learning and teaching are really part of the same journey. Every article has encouraged me to think more deeply about music, and I hope each one has inspired you to continue exploring your own creativity and musical voice.
Whether you've read one blog or all one hundred, thank you for allowing me to be part of your musical journey. It has been a privilege to share these ideas with you, and I look forward to many more conversations through music in the years ahead. One hundred blogs later, I remain just as curious about music as when I wrote the first one—and I look forward to continuing the journey with you.
Thank you for reading!
This is my 100th blog post. Whether you've been here since the beginning or have just discovered these articles, I'm grateful you've joined me on this musical journey.
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About Diana Mascari
Composer, Author, Jazz Pianist
and Teacher of Piano and Composition
Diana Mascari is a composer, pianist, educator, and author whose work bridges classical, jazz, and contemporary music, with a deep commitment to creativity as personal expression. With decades of experience as a performer and teacher, she is passionate about helping musicians reconnect with curiosity, confidence, and their own creative voice.
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