Everything comes and singing well is not going to be less. As Julie Andrews said, it's simple: "When you read you start with A, B, C, and when you sing you start with Do, Re, Mi"
The voice is the most special and unique instrument that a person can possess. In addition, its power and capacity for evolution is so wide that it can reach unmatched ranges. It is not necessary to be born with a good voice to know how to sing, everything can improve when a good technique is practiced and a record of work is maintained.
TAI has recently launched the Singing Bootcamp, created for vocalists who want to get the most out of their voice and Immerse yourself in a journey of comprehensive vocal development, receiving top-level training in techniques and vocal care from a team of professionals who combine vast experience as artists with deep knowledge of the music industry.
The first step in learning to sing is to identify the type of voice you have. In its most basic form and depending on the tonal range of each one, voices are divided into two broad categories: female voices and male voices. Although, the reality is that it is often counterproductive to be pigeonholed in a single category or voice, since the objective is always to improve and reach the maximum potential.
female voices
Female voices are usually those that have the highest vocal range, that is, they arrive and start from higher notes on the scale, in addition, they are distinguished between light voices, with a higher register and less body, or dramatic, with less register. but more body and power. There are three types among them:
- Soprano: it is the highest voice within this classification, they are usually voices with high power that reach the highest notes on the piano scale, usually ranging from C4, the central area of the piano, to C6. In this category there are light, lyrical and dramatic voices, the latter being less harsh than the former. In popular culture, names like Christina Aguilera, Montserrat Caballé, Celine Dion, Ariana Grande, Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin, Kelly Clarkson or Julie Andrews stand out.
- Mezzosoprano: it is a voice with a little more play than the previous one, although it does not reach as high, when reaching lower notes, they have more capacity to vary the timbre. In this case, the light and dramatic voices resemble the dramatic sopranos, but with lower registers and more capacity for lyrical ornamentation in the case of the light ones, and much more power in the case of the dramatic ones. Voices like Whitney Houston, Dua Lipa, Barbra Streisand, Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus, Bonnie Tyler or Sara Bareilles stand out.
- Contralto: it is the least common voice in the female range, only 2% have this low voice. Among the best known are Amy Winehouse, Lana del Rey, Tina Turner, Cher, Diana Krall or Adele, who navigates between mezzo and contralto.
male voices
Male voices have a category than female ones, although the former is usually not named as it is very unusual. They move in the lower ranges of the scale and more gravity in their range.
- Contratenor: it is the voice that is most similar to the soprano, which makes it very rare. The countertenor can explore the chest voice, head or falsetto and being rare voices. Especially from the world of opera, Philippe Jaroussky, Andreas Scholl and Maisons-Laffitte stand out.
- Tenor: Not counting countertenors, tenors are the highest voices in the male range, typically moving from C3 to C4 and with greater power and body than the former. The best known voices are those of Plácido Domingo, Andrea Bocelli, Luciano Pavarotti, Freddy Mercury or Ed Sheeran.
- Baritone: it is the most common type of voice among men, they are voices with less range but brighter and with more body. They are not capable of reaching very high notes as easily as tenors or countertenors, but they do reach lower and darker notes with remarkable ease. Voices such as Michael Bublé, Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Frank Sinatra, Robbie William or Lewis Capaldi stand out.
- Bass: they are the lowest and darkest voices in the entire scale, often compared to the notes of a cello. They are rare and very hard to find at a young age. We are talking about voices like Johnny Cash, Barry White or Lee Marvin.
How to define a voice type
It is important to keep in mind that, although the types of voices are classified and examples of specific people are given, the categories are not absolute, but a voice or a singer can navigate between several characteristics or even be mixed. The categorization does not imply that one voice is better than another or that the voices are not variable or flexible, indeed, within each type of voice, there are multiple gradations, nuances and potentials.
To qualify a voice it is important to take into account the following characteristics:
- Range: all the notes of a scale that a voice is capable of producing.
- Tessitura: notes in which the voice is more comfortable, that is, they are easily reached.
- Weight: Depends on whether the voice is lighter, darker, heavier, or in other cases bright, snappy, supple, powerful, etc.
- Voice timbre – Being something a bit more expert, timbre refers to the quality and texture, what professionals call “the color” of the voice, something that makes it unique.
Vocal techniques to sing well
Diaphragmatic breathing
To sing it is essential to have control over the breath. At birth, human beings tend to breathe naturally and involuntarily from the diaphragm, but as we grow we lose that ability to breathe deeply and steadily and we start to breathe faster and more superficially, which becomes harmful in the long term. to health.
The diaphragm is one of the largest and strongest muscles in the body, and is located between the thoracic and abdominal cavities. It works in the following way: its natural shape is curved, so when taking a breath, the diaphragm, not the shoulders, shrinks and the air falls. Once we expel the air, the diaphragm swells, gradually returning to its natural shape.
It is necessary to have absolute control of this action, so the breath will be much deeper and, when the air comes out, the vocal cords will not suffer. To sing well, the breath is divided into three phases: inspiration, blocking and expiration; that is to say, air is taken in, maintained and expelled; the latter being the most difficult part and the key to controlling the air output, and therefore, the power and resistance of the voice.
In addition, in the case of singing and dancing at the same time, as occurs in the musical theatre, breath control is an essential factor that helps the artist maintain good diction and voice projection while performing the dance steps or movements marked in the script.
One of the most common exercises to practice diaphragmatic breathing is the following: place around the waist, just above the navel, a belt or elastic that surrounds the ribs and pit of the stomach. When taking a breath, the diaphragm contracts, but the ribs open to take a breath, which means that when you breathe in, the belt will have to be tightened, held while you hold your breath, and loosen when you exhale.
The exercise consists of inhaling deeply and holding for 5 or 8 seconds and then exhaling very smoothly and slowly, trying to keep the belt taut until you run out of air. The ideal is to repeat it every day from 3 to 5 times. As you practice, it will be easier and the air will hold longer and the exhalation will be longer.
Hydration and rest
One of the most important techniques to take care of your voice is to take care of yourself. That is why rest and hydration are key to having a good and healthy vocal quality. The vocal cords need hydration for their lubrication and better functioning and, of course, they must also rest, not only sleeping well, but maintaining routines of silence and vocal rest.
Body posture
The ideal posture to sing is standing with your legs shoulder-width apart, this allows you to maintain greater stability and helps support you to project your voice correctly.
vocal warm up
Warming up your voice is an essential step that should never be skipped. Starting to sing without warming up encourages vocal cord problems, it's like exercising without warming up first, you're much more likely to injure yourself. There is a huge variety of exercises, adapted to all types of voices, scales, power and position of the voice. you can find some here.
