The Artistry Of Vocals

Title page

The artistry of vocals

Outline / Proposed structure for the body of the report:

INTRODUCTION

Music is considered to be the food for the soul. Just like the real food consists of various ingredients and a number of tasteful elements combine together to bring the best of taste in a dish, similarly, various elements come together to create a masterpiece in the form of a song or a musical symphony. These elements include variations of different instruments, inclusions of various sounds and the regulation of different frequencies (Hughes, 2014). But the most important element that matters in a song, especially which includes a singer as well, is the Artistry of Vocals. Here, the question arises that “What exactly is Vocal Artistry and how it contributes to creating a perfect masterpiece in the form of musical symphony or a song?” The Artistry of Vocals refers to the use and regulation of the voice within a specific genre or outside the genre (Hughes, 2012, July). Composers and singers use different kinds of tools and technologies in order to create the right mix of sound that they exactly want. Sometimes, the original singer of the song and the vocal artist, both are different (Radhakrishnan, 2012). A vocal artist uses a number of notes and melodies to create the right blend of sounds and get the perfect symphony or song that was desired (Hughes, 2013). A natural singer is usually a good vocal artist as well.

Heading 1: The Voice

What is the voice?

Voice is one of the most visible elements in music and impacts the quality of song. A good voice is iconic for leading singers like Beyoncé, Jenifer Hudson and Chris Brown. The elements that make a voice attractive for the listeners include resonance, relaxation, rhythm and pacing. Every singer has a unique voice such as Beyoncé’s voice is different from Chris Hudson. The smoothness of her vocals adds a charismatic charm to her songs. She uses her rich vocalism and polished tone for communicating lyrics to the audience that adds glamour and attraction from the audience. Her beautiful voice has also allowed her to differentiate from others. Hudson has specialized in outstanding vocals that allow him to add unique experience for the listeners. Voice quality of singers varies because they use different combination of each of these elements.

How can a voice be trained?

Singers learn to train their voice by practicing and controlling the resonance and pacing. Most of the singers that plan to pursue singing acquire formal trainings. Chris Brown started training himself at very young age. He practiced with alone and received no training throughout his growing years. He also chose music as his career and practices a lot him to study music and learn how he could make best use of his voice. During his childhood he used to sing at the church and performed at local talent shows. He didn’t receive any training but experience and his early programs allowed him to learn signing techniques. Beyoncé also mentioned in her interviews that she had received formal singing training from her coach David Lee Brewer since her childhood and until she reached her twentieth birthday. She practices dinging and used to take four lessons in a week. This allowed her to make best use of her voice before entering the music industry. Jenifer Hudson has acquired formal training in singing and used to sing in church during her childhood. She graduated from Dunbar Vocational Career Academy in 1999 and was the finalist of Fox American Idol 2004. The experiences of these famous singers depicts that voice can be trained through continuous practice. Trainings allow them to develop certain pitch, voice and resonance that polish their singing.

The different Vocal accents.

The vocal accents of singers also vary depending on their ability of controlling their pitch. Voice is produced by vibration of the vocal chords and vocal accent varies due to one’s background. An African-American singers like Chris Brown, Beyoncé and Jenifer Hudson produce a different vocal accent compared to the white singers. All these singers have African roots that impact their vocal accent. British vocalists sound entirely different from the African-American singers CITATION Jos19 \l 1033 (Josh, 2019). This is due to the fact that regional dialects have significant impacts on the accents. The vocal accent of the white American singers is distinct from the African-American singers. Research studies have revealed that the accents of indigenous singers of those having roots in African backgrounds are different. Ethnicities and cultural backgrounds have profound impacts in formation of these vocal accents.

HEADING 2: Vocal Characteristics

Periodic Variation

In depth explanation of range, and pitch

Range and pitch are two prominent elements of periodic variations. The pitch of Beyoncé is different from other singers. The texture and theme of the song impacts the pitch and range. A sad song will use a low-pitch and low-range compared to an energetic song.

“Pitchy” and it’s examples

Beyoncé’s song “If I was a boy” is a slow pop song that uses low pitch and low range for transmitting the feelings of sadness and dissatisfaction. Compared to her the pitch of Chris brown s high. In his songs like ‘Loyal’ and “Kiss Kiss” he used pitch correction software. The pitch of Jenifer depicts that she has used her larynx for producing high note. In her song “If this isn’t love” she has used high range and pitch.

Belting

What is belting?

Belting is another common techniques used by singers for mixing upper and lower resonances. It allow singers to control their voice and yelling.

How is “belting” used to convey emotion?

By choosing lower resonance the singers manage to convey feelings of sadness and guilt. While a high resonance transmits feelings of excitement and happiness.

HEADING III: Vocal Technicality

Vibrato

What is a vibrato?

Vibrato is a musical effect that s used for changing the pitch.

How is vibrato used?

The pulsating tone is managed by using wavers by making the pitch low or high over the original pitch. Instruments are used for adding more emotions to the song.

The purpose of a vibrato

The purpose is to enhance the voice of singer by transmitting the right emotions.

When should a vibrato be used?

Singers that face difficulty in managing their pitch must use vibrato.

Runs and Riffs

What are Runs and Riffs?

Runs and riffs are used for enhancing singing by using flexibility exercises.

What is Melisma?

Melisma means when several notes are sung together they produce a syllable.

How are Runs and Riffs done?

Riffs and runs are done by controlling emotions and managing emotional intensity. By controlling melodic notes singers do runs and riffs.

The effects of Runs and Riffs

This allow singers to control their emotions and deepen their expressions.

When should/ shouldn’t Runs and Riffs be used?

Runs and riffs must be used sad songs because this provides true meaning to expression. They must be avoided in rock songs.

IV: CONCLUSION

Vocal quality of singers varies depending on their trainings and singing capabilities. Composers and singers use different kinds of tools and technologies in order to create the right mix of sound that they exactly want. Voice accent of singers varies due to their cultural backgrounds and ethnic connections. Managing pitch and using runs and riffs enhances the voice quality.

References

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Hughes, D. (2014). Contemporary vocal artistry in popular culture musics: Perceptions, observations and lived experiences. In Teaching singing in the 21st century (pp. 287-301). Springer, Dordrecht.

Hughes, D. (2013). 'OK, great sound, what are you experiencing as you're singing that?': Facilitating or impeding the flow of vocal artistry. In Shifting Sounds: Musical Flow: A Collection of Papers from the 2012 IASPM Australia/New Zealand Conference (p. 80). International Association for the Study of Popular Music.

Radhakrishnan, M. (2012). Musicolinguistic artistry of niraval in carnatic vocal music.

Hughes, D. (2010). Developing vocal artistry in popular culture musics. In Perspectives on teaching singing: Australian vocal pedagogues sing their stories (pp. 244-258). Australian Academic Press.

Hughes, D. (2012, July). Mediocrity to artistry: Technology and the singing voice. In Educating professional musicians in a global context, proceedings of the 19th international seminar of the Commission for the Education of the Professional Musician (CEPROM) International Society for Music Education, Athens, Greece (pp. 60-64).