Dear Students,
Happy new year! I hope that everyone had an enjoyable winter break. I am happy to get back into our genre series to discuss resonance and pronunciation in singing multiple genres.
Resonance
First, a little background on resonance. Resonance can be defined as the tendency for an empty space to amplify certain frequencies that are brought into it, as determined by the size and shape of that space. A simple example of this is that if you sing in the shower, you will find that overall the sound is louder and more ringing, but that certain specific notes REALLY ring out. These are the frequencies resonated by the specific size and shape of the shower. As singers, the most important space we sing into is our mouth and throat, called the vocal tract. The sound produced by our vocal folds, without a vocal tract to resonate it, would sound quiet, buzzy, and not at all appealing. When pitches are properly resonated, however, they become loud, vibrant, ringing, and beautiful. Our job as a singer is to make certain changes so that every single note we sing is resonant. We can control this somewhat by choosing songs or keys that fit our voice; that is, that happen to correspond with the frequencies that the size and shape of our individual vocal tract naturally resonate. But, we can also control resonance by changing the shape of our vocal tract, so that the tract matches whatever pitch we are singing! We do this by changing the shape of our mouth or by controlling the position of our tongue or larynx. This is why in voice lessons I will encourage you to open your mouth to a different size, depending on where you are in your range. In general, a tall shape resonates higher notes better, and a small shape resonates lower notes better!
There are two factors to consider when determining resonance quality in singing. The first is demands for projection and the second is vocal aesthetic or tone quality. Projection demands depend entirely on the kind of room the singer is in, whether the singer is a soloist, and if so, whether the singer is amplified or not. This determines whether the singer must use specific resonance strategies to self-amplify the voice enough to fill a room. Many theaters are designed to naturally resonate with and amplify the human voice – opera houses were designed to allow the operatic singing voice to be heard above a full orchestra. If a singer is in a space not designed that way, such as a football stadium, then regardless of technique, they will need external amplification. If the singer is singing with a group, such as in a choir, they likely will not need amplification as the combined voices will be sufficiently loud. If the singer is a soloist, need for amplification depends on the genre. Classical singing was developed before microphones were invented, and so many of the techniques you hear, such as vibrato, a round tone, strong vocal fold closure, and powerful breath pressure, were developed as the most effective way to get the most volume with the least amount of effort. Gospel and folk singing were also developed independently from the microphone, and so their techniques tend to resonate well too. Many other genres, especially within the pop/rock genre, were developed alongside the microphone and so projection that is independent from external amplification is not a priority. Certain genres, such as breathy pop or heavy metal growl require amplification for any public performance to prevent vocal strain.
Those genres that developed with microphone use in mind often use microphone distortion to create a certain aesthetic – which nicely segues into our next point: vocal aesthetic or tone quality. While the tone quality for classical singing had a very functional purpose, it was also indicative of the aesthetic trends of the 1700s-1900s, specifically bel canto or beautiful singing. Bel canto prioritizes an even, round tone – the chiaroscuro trend of the art world translated into a vocal tone that prioritized a bright, ringing quality and a dark warmth in the same sound. Singers achieve this with tall vowels and a raised soft palate to direct all the sound through the mouth. In contrast, in pop or rock singing, a unique and interesting sound is the highest priority. This is the result of the less polished, “folk” origins of pop and rock music, in contrast with the more trained, “elite” origins of classical singing. Singers with less resonant voices, such as those with raspy or twangy voices, achieve commercial success through the recognizability and rawness of their sound. Use of technology, such as microphone distortion, or autotune can help with manipulating the vocal quality for a more or less unique sound, depending on the subgenre. Mainstream pop and mainstream country tend to highlight singers with cleaner sounds, often achieved through technology such as autotune, while more raw genres, such as rock, grunge, heavy metal, and outlaw country value an unpolished sound. Musical theater singers, while honoring the aesthetic of whatever particular genre the musical happens to be, prioritize emotional communication over beauty of sound, yet the individually of pop/rock is less important than the ability of a singer to emulate a specific character.
Pronunciation
Pronunciation in singing is closely related to aesthetic and theatrical demands. In classical singing, singers must be able to pronounce many different languages, such as Latin, Italian, German, and French. When singing in English, the pronunciation is modified to better serve legato resonant singing, so vowels may be taller and consonants more crisp. In Musical Theater, being able to be understood the words that are being sung is a high priority, so diction is often overpronounced for clarity. Musical Theater singers, however, may have to practice different accents and dialects to be able to play various characters. In pop/rock, clear pronunciation is not a priority at all – just try understanding what is being said in a Pearl Jam song! Vowel distortion, such as the use of a southern accent for country music, is common. Pronunciation tends to be in service of a unique tone quality or conveying strong emotion.
In summary, resonance and pronunciation vary by genre for both practical and aesthetic reasons that have developed from the historical origins of each genre. For further reading, I recommend “Practical Vocal Acoustics” by Ken Bozeman, “Bel Canto” by James Stark, “So You Want to Sing Rock and Roll” by Dr. Matthew Edwards, and “A History of Singing” by Potter and Sorrell.
Next month, we will conclude this series with a discussion on performance strategies/ acting across genres and some tips on how to practice moving between genres. Have you noticed any differences in resonance and pronunciation when you’ve sung in different genres? What questions do you have regarding cross-training singing genres? Leave a comment or shoot me an email, I’d love to hear from you!
Warmly,
Dr. Jane
コメント