Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical
sounds with the
voice, which is often contrasted with
speech. Air is expelled with the
diaphragm as with ordinary
breathing, and the
pitch is altered with the
vocal cords. With the lips closed, this is called
humming. A piece of
music with a singing part, either
a cappella or accompanied, is called a
song; someone who sings is called a
singer.
Most singing involves shaping the voice to form
words, but types of
voice instrumental music which use open sounds or nonsense
syllables ("vocables") also exist, for instance,
scat singing and
yodeling.
Solfege assigns certain syllables to
notes in the
scale.
Nearly anyone who can speak can sing, since in many respects singing is merely sustained speech. It can be informal and just for pleasure, for example, singing in the shower; or it can be very formal, such as singing done professionally as a
performance or in a
recording studio. Singing at a high amateur or professional level usually requires a great deal of regular practice, and/or instruction. Top-quality singers will have instruction and training from coachs throughout their career
Singing is often done in a group, such as a
choir, and may be accompanied by
musical instruments, a full
orchestra, or a band. Singing with no pitched instrumental accompaniment is called
a cappella.
Show choir is a combination of singing and dancing. Many schools and colleges offer show choir groups for students to participate in. Not only must participants be able to sing well and blend in with a group, but they must be able to dance at the same time. This requires endurance, flexibility, and strong vocals, which can all be acquired through practice.
It is also imperative that singers continuously practice with drills, voice exercises and strengthening activities. Without constant practice, a singer's range can be significantly decreased, requiring extra rehearsal to regain the voice's previous capability.
In
hardcore punk, hoarse shouting takes the place of singing, while in
screamo, some bands scream rather than sing. In metal, particularly the sub-genre of
death metal, low growls called
death grunts are favoured over standard singing. In modern
Metalcore, a hybrid of screaming and
death grunts generally take the place of singing.
The human voice is usually considered to have at least three
voice registers; ranging from lowest to highest, they are the
chest register,
head register, and
falsetto. (The
whistle register, comprising the highest notes that a human voice can reach, is also often considered a "full" register, though the ability to use it well is fairly rare.) Some singers remain in a single range (usually the chest register) throughout their songs, but many will switch between these different ranges in order to produce a wide range of pitches, or even simply for effect.
Yodelling is a technique that requires rapidly switching between at least two different registers many times in the same phrase, producing a distinct high-low-high-low sound.
Vibrato is a technique used by singers (and many instrumentalists, for instance,
string instruments that are played with a bow can produce vibrato tones) in which a sustained note actually wavers very quickly and consistently between a very slightly higher and a lower tone, giving the note a slight quaver.
Melisma occurs when a singer switches pitch while singing the same syllable. It is used heavily in
operatic singing, as well as to a somewhat lesser extent in
popular music.
*
Vocal belting*
Rapping*
Recitative*
Sprechgesang*
Throat singing*
Vocoder*
Voice projection*
Voice registers*
A Brief History of Singing*
Singing is one of lifes great medicines*
Vocal Warmups*
Learn To Sing Guide
