What elements besides being on-pitch make a voice good?

Posted in Category Open Discussion
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    Edward Cornish 4 years ago

    My friends and I can sing on pitch (we think), but our voices don't necessarily sound pleasant.

    So I'm curious about what aspects of voice other than correct pitch make a voice sound pleasant, and to what extent these aspects are trainable.

    Thank you!

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    Camille van Niekerk 4 years ago

    Great question, Edward! There are a lot of elements I can think of (range, agility, support, clarity, emotion, stylization) - but the one that comes up most often is "tone", or the characteristic quality of your voice. I believe all aspects of good singing, including tone, are trainable. But what makes tone a little trickier is the fact that aside from techniques to "shape" your tone, much of your tone is determined by your anatomy, and your singing tone specifically is heavily influenced by the singers you listen to (and those you grew up listening to, when first learning to imitate singing). 

    I recommend checking out this tutorial on tone: https://www.30daysinger.com/tutorial/getting-better-tone/1

    Additionally, consider who your tonal models are: which singers do you enjoy listening to, and can you (somewhat easily) do an impression of them? A singer like that for me is Sara Bareilles - I can imitate her sound without too much trouble, so I think of her as a tonal model. I can't easily imitate Tori Kelly, so I don't listen to her for learning purposes (just for fun). Imitating singers you like can teach you how to shape your tone, using just your ear. 

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    Edward Cornish 4 years ago

    Thanks Camille. I think I have a range/sound similar to David Archuleta. I'll try listening to more of his albums and other singers with a similar sound. I'll also definitely check out the lesson you recommended. Appreciate the response!

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    Camille van Niekerk 4 years ago

    Great idea! Sure thing, Edward!

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