Technique vs Style

In this post, I wanted to explore the importance of learning a good technique and how it can apply to singing style. We all know that there are different styles or genres in singing. From pop to classical/operatic, rock to R&B, country to gospel, and all variations in between.

There is a myth that singing training or technique only applies to the classical or operatic singers, and singers from other styles and genres won’t benefit from learning how to sing correctly. Well, today I want to bust this myth, so let’s get started.

What’s So Important About Technique

Personally, I think the best thing a singer can do, especially if they are professional or aspire to be professional one day, is to get a good, solid grounding in proper singing technique. This is especially important if the singer wants to enjoy a long career.

I wrote another article that talked about how to get better at singing by likening voice training to any other kind of discipline, for example athletics.

I have read several articles about famous singers going under the knife and needing vocal surgery to fix issues such as nodules, and some of these singers are still in their twenties.

As I have mentioned in other posts, there is really only one correct way to close the vocal chords in order to sing, and that is by using correct support. As my singing teacher says, once you are supporting the voice correctly, the style you sing shouldn’t matter. You can read the article on how to improve your voice using support to gain an understanding of this concept.

Even if you learned how to support properly by training classically, singing pop or rock should then just be a matter of style and interpretation, but the underlying technique should remain the same.

An interesting thing happens to me when I sing classically, the position of my larynx is very low, almost touching the top of my shirt.

But when I sing rock and pop, even though I am still using the same technique, my larynx sits in a higher position than it does for classical singing, even though it is still lowering when I start to sing.

The important thing to note, is that it is not rising. If it were, then I would be singing using my swallowing muscles.

In a nutshell, my larynx is free from interference and makes its own adjustments depending on the style that I am singing. Really, the only difference, is the vowels I use and the shape of my mouth, the technique is exactly the same.

Elements of Style

When it comes to style, other than the vowels and the basic tone of the voice, there are some other attributes that come into play, and the main one I want too discuss is vibrato.

For classical singing, vibrato is considered natural and necessary to make the voice beautiful, and when a note is held, the audience should be able to hear a nice, clear vibrato.

For pop/rock, vibrato is less popular and lots of singers opt for a “flatter” sound, especially when holding longer notes.

My personal preference is to leave my vibrato as is, because it makes the voice sound fatter and bigger.

If you don’t believe, watch a blues guitarist when they hold a long note, and they will move the string up and down when holding a long note to simulate vibrato as it makes the note sound so much better.

If you don’t like too much vibrato, you can sing a flatter note at the start and bring the vibrato in at the end, but there can be a real danger in tightening the jaw to achieve this, so you will need to be watchful of getting into bad habits.

Well, I hoped you have found this post informative and as always, i wish you success in all your singing endeavors.

Andy

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