Being that I am a vocal performance major, I think it is time that I write a blog or two about singing. In this blog, I will explain a little of the basics involved in singing and give some examples of artists that I look up to in my field. So, to start off, there are four main vocal classifications. These are bass and tenor for men, and alto and soprano for women. These four classifications can be broken down further into categories like baritone, bass 1 or 2, tenor 1 or 2, mezzo-soprano, coloratura soprano, counter tenor, and many more. These ranges give people an idea of how high or low that singer can sing comfortably and what notes sound best for them. I am a tenor, but voices can changes so I may be a different classification in a few years. For someone to produce sound, air moves through their vocal cords, which lie in the larynx at the top of the trachea and vibrate with air. The air then bounces off parts such as the skull and nasal bones to become amplified. This air comes from inhalation into the lungs. Breathing is a very important part of singing and has to be constantly worked on to train muscles such as the intercostal muscles which lie between the ribs. These muscles help to allow the diaphram to give the right amount of air needed for what is being sung. Putting all of this together with the relaxation of most of the rest of the body is what allows one to sing. In the next blog, I will give examples of performers who do all of this well. To be continued...
-Emilio
I feel the same way about breathing when I play the saxophone. Breathing is very important in order to keep a fast air stream. A fast airstream is very important when playing the saxophone because the reed needs air to make it vibrate. The reed vibrates very much the same way that people’s vocal chords vibrate. Taking in huge breath from the diaphragm becomes super important to musicians who use air to make music. People often say that you should make your instrument sing. Playing that way requires air which makes breathing very important. It’s pretty cool having other music majors in the class.
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