[Skill] Singing

[Orin Fenix]

Article: Singing Author(s): Orin Fenix Other development: N/A Additional Info: Discussion thread here Peer Review Thread: Founder Review Thread: Synopsis: : Singing is the art of using the human voice to make music by matching tonal pitches. While there is a certain aspect of an innate talent attached to it, truly skilled singers undergo years of formal training before reaching the pinnacle of their craft. While much of the basics of singing may be intuitive, there are quite a few nuances that those without formal vocal training cannot grasp. This article will be an overview of both how singing works, some formal and informal definitions and some techniques singers use. It's also likely that I will need to go into at least the basics of musical theory and the physics of music, particularly as it relates to pitch. There may also be a brief foray into biology and how sound waves are processed, the mind processes pitch and a description of vocal cords and how they produce sound. Outline: I. Synopsis II. Overview i. Voice Parts ii. Head Voice, Chest Voice, and Vocal Break iii. Pitch iv. Vowels v. Breath Support vi. Falsetto vii. Vocal Growl viii. Common Vocal Exercises ix. Ailments Related to Singing III. Religion i. Audius IV. Skill progression i. Novice ii. Competent iii. Expert iv. Master

[Sedge]

Proposal Accepted

Glad to see you taking this article on! The outline looks fine; however, be sure to account for the fact that not all characters which may be making use of this skill necessarily have typical biology. You will likely need to discuss some aspects of this article on a per-race basis, or at least highlight certain races. Also, Mizaharan knowledge of vocal cords and especially signal processing are not up to par with IRL knowledge; if you do discuss these in the final article, please keep that in mind.

[Orin Fenix]

Singing Write Up Quote: Priestess of Rhaus: "Singing is the soul's way of speaking" Synopsis: Singing is the art of using the human voice to make music by matching tonal pitches. Either accompanied or unaccompanied, singing is one of the most common art forms and is practiced widely by almost every culture. Singing can either be an innate gift or a learned ability. Typically, at least some natural talent is required, but even those without any can still improve their singing. Even when there is a beautiful voice present, it still takes years of vocal training and a lifelong dedication to the art to reach the pinnacle of one’s vocal abilities. Also, keep in mind that singing has a time limit on it. One must start learning early in life to reach full potential. And as one reaches old age the singing voice typically declines. Prerequisites and Related Skills: There are no prerequisites for singing. Some related skills are Music Composition, Play Musical Instrument, and Busking. Also, to further enhance their performance, skilled singers learn a little about Acting, Dance, Flirting, and even Seduction. Overview: Voice parts: Typically voice parts are divided between men and women. These are designated by someone’s vocal range, the term used to refer to the notes that person can comfortably sing. The most common, starting from the highest and ending with the lowest, are Soprano and Alto, the female vocal parts, and Tenor and Bass, the male vocal parts. In a choir these parts may be broken down even further into Soprano One and Soprano Two, Alto One and Alto Two, Tenor One and Tenor Two, and Bass One and Bass Two (or alternatively, Baritone and Bass). Usually, but not always, the first part sings the upper vocal line on a piece of music. This is an informal classification system. The more classic and formal system divides the voice slightly differently. The list, from highest to lowest, is soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, contralto, tenor, baritone and bass. There are seven musical notes. A series of eight notes is an octave. The notes are A, B, C, D, E, F, G. When the eighth note is reached you have gone up or down an octave depending on which direction you are traveling along the scale. In typical musical notation, the lowest possible note is C1, determined as the lowest note playable on an organ. Assigning C4 as Middle C, the common breakdown for these vocal parts is as follows: Soprano C6-C4 Mezzo-Soprano A3-A5 Alto G3-G5 Contralto F3-F5 Tenor C3-C5 Baritone G2-G4 Bass E2-E4 These numbers should only be taken as guidelines. It is rare to find vocal ranges that fit neatly into these categories, but it is helpful. Some of the best singers either have ranges that don’t correspond to these parts, or are able to sing well above or below what their voice part normally would be. Also, vocal range is completely unrelated to a singer’s tone or musicality. Just because someone can hit a note does not mean that they will sound attractive while doing so. There are also some more unusual voice parts. Treble is commonly assigned to children whose voices are usually in the soprano range. Countertenor is a man whose voice would be considered to fit in a female voice part. Many countertenors are actually castrati, men who were castrated so they would not lose their high voice after puberty. In general, after puberty it takes a few years for both men and women’s voices to settle into their adult ranges. Also, keep in mind that these divisions apply mostly to the human and human derived races. Certain races have special attributes when it comes to singing. Zith’s have a naturally larger voice range. In addition, they can hit notes well outside the hearing of other ranges, in the subsonic and ultrasonic ranges. Pycons, with their malleable nature can shape themselves to alter their voices as well as produce sounds that no other race can. One race in particular that has a completely unique method of singing is the Charoda. They have adopted their language and their vocals to be heard underwater. Sound travels much differently underwater, moving slower, but traveling much greater distances. The songs of the Charoda have adapted to their environment. In the water, their melodies are often one of the most beautiful in the world. Outside it, however, they lose any semblance of musicality. Therefore, Charoda often have trouble learning to sing on the surface. Head Voice, Chest Voice, and Vocal Breaks: Typically voice ranges are not completely smooth and are separated by vocal breaks. These vocal breaks are different for each individual. When a singer reaches their vocal break, either coming up or heading down, they simply cannot hit that note, no matter how hard they try. This is only if they try to hit that note and sustain it without switching from head voice to chest voice. Their voice breaks and either no sound comes out or there is an undignified squawk. With proper training, vocal breaks can be either corrected or worked around. One method is called sliding. Instead of actually trying to hit the break, the singer can slide from the one above it to the one below or vice versa. At high enough skill levels vocal breaks can disappear or be seamlessly merged with the rest of the voice. Head voice and chest voice are the two parts of a singer’s voice. They are so named because of where the voice resonates inside the singer’s body. Chest voice is the lower part of a singer’s register. It resonates in the chest cavity. As the voice rises, it hits the break. Above that the notes are part of the head voice, so named because the sound resonates in the singer’s nasal cavities. Pitch: Pitch is simply a fancy word for the notes a singer hits. It also happens to be a measure of accuracy and purity. When a singer is said to be singing on pitch, they are hitting the proper intervals between notes. Pitches are usually divided between half steps and whole steps. There are twelve distinct tones in a scale. A whole step usually is the distance between two major notes, such as C and D. Half-steps are split into flats and sharps. A flat is one half step below a major note and a sharp is one half step above it. For example, one half step above D is D sharp and one half step below is D flat. The only exceptions to this rule are that between B and C and E and F there is a only a half-step. Distances between notes are denoted by intervals. There is a fairly simply system for classifying intervals, based on the number of half-steps between the initial pitch and the one the singer is trying to reach. A minor second is one half step, a major second is two half steps or one whole, a minor third is three half steps, a major third is four half steps, a perfect fourth is five half steps, a perfect fifth is seven half steps, a minor sixth is eight half steps, a major sixth is nine half steps, a minor seventh is ten half steps, a major seventh is eleven half steps and an octave is twelve half steps, which brings a singer back to the same note. Typically, an untrained singer will have trouble hitting their intervals perfectly without accompaniment. However, when a singer gains proficiency, as long as they have a starting pitch they can hit the proper notes. While some cultures use smaller deviations in pitches, especially for religious ceremonies, the half tone has been widely accepted as the most prominent musical notation. However, quarter-tones and even smaller deviations of pitch are still used, particularly in more traditional culture. Two terms that might come up for a singer, or any musician are relative pitch or perfect pitch. Relative pitch is simply the ability to match a pitch after it has been played or sung for you. It may also be used in a case where a musician is given one pitch, then asked to sing a specific interval above or below it. Perfect pitch is an innate trait that certain individuals have. It simply means that they have an inherent understanding of even the smallest nuances of pitch and when hearing a sound, know exactly what pitch they are listening to. This doesn’t grant them a singing voice. Vowels and Consonants: When singing, vowels and consonants require specific shaping in a singer’s mouth, using both the corners of the mouth and the singer’s tongue. The most basic of these is Ah, and it is created when the mouth is fully open. The next is Oh and created by bringing in the corners of the mouth just slightly. Creating the smallest opening possible by bringing the corners of the mouth almost all the way together produces Oo. Eh requires the singer to raise the back of the tongue just slightly off the bottom of the mouth. By raising the back of the tongue all the way to the top of the mouth a singer can make the Ee sound. While singing, it is typical when sustaining a note to stay on the vowel sound until the end as the more open the mouth is, the purer the sound is. It allows sound to escape the singer’s mouth more easily. To sing a consonant, a singer needs to close the mouth either partially or fully so singers try to put this moment off until necessary. If a word ends in a vowel, singers stop themselves from singing by sucking in a quick and small amount of air. When a word ends with a consonant, all the singer has to do is makes the consonant sound to stop their voice. As always, there are exceptions to this rule. L, M, N and NG are all consonants that a singer is capable of sustaining a note on. In addition, there are further breakdowns and definitions. A voiced consonant is a consonant that uses the singer’s vocal cords to make a sound, while an unvoiced consonant is a consonant that doesn’t need the vocal cords to sound. Semi-vowels are consonants that are sung similarly to vowels. Glottal is the term used to describe the sound a singer makes when starting a word with a vowel. A breakdown of these different consonants is below. Finally, diphthong is the official term used when two vowel sounds are sung next to each and one is stressed more than the other, while dissyllable is the term for when two vowel sound are sung and receive equal stress. Voiced Unvoiced Semi-Vowel Liquids (b) b (p) (w) wait (l) l (d) d (t) t (j) you (m) m (g) g (k) c (n) n (k) c (ng) sing (k) k (k) q (z) z (s) s (v) v (f) f (r) r (dg) Judge (tS) Church (Z) Vision (S) Sheet (D) That (T) Think (ks) x (j) you (h) h (?) glottal (vowel attack) Belting A belter is a singer, almost always a woman, who deliberately inserts roughness into their voice to create a unique sound. This is a very dangerous technique. While most voices naturally have a rasp to them, belters usually have learned to sing without it, but choose to use it in small quantities. Tightening the muscles of your throaty creates this growling sound. This is why singers who use this technique are often said to have throaty voices. The problem inherent in this is that it is extremely easy to go overboard and damage your throat and your voice permanently. Only experienced singers should belt. Inexperienced singers will likely just injure themselves. Breath Support: One of the most important parts of any singer’s training is how to properly support the voice. This breath support is designed to take pressure off of the throat while singing. Otherwise, it is much easier for singers to cause themselves minor to severe vocal strain. Typically, on truly experienced singers have mastered their breath control and support, although typically the first task any teacher sets out to do is to begin their student in learning how to utilize their breath. The basic idea behind breath support is to sing by tightening the abdominal muscles around the diaphragm. Singers are told to imagine their voice coming up from their stomach instead of residing in their throat. Pycons are the only exception to this rule. However, Pycons have the related issue of learning how to shape their body accordingly to enable them to sing. Falsetto: Falsetto is a technique only utilized by male singers. It allows men to hit notes much higher than their normal vocal ranges. Typically, the head voice is the top of the range, but male singers can switch into falsetto for notes above this. It is a rather thin and breathy sound, until men receive training. At this point it can become much clearer and more filled out, as well as easier to switch into and out of. Also, a few more notes may become accessible at the top of the falsetto range. Vocal Exercises, Warm-ups & Scales: Like any other discipline, singing requires an extensive warm-up before a singer can access the full potential of their voice. Also, warming up can help prevent vocal injuries, so singers that skip out or skimp on their exercises run a much higher risk of developing serious vocal problems or destroying their singing and occasionally speaking voice completely. Typically, warm-ups and common have two components. The first is a warm up of the singer’s notes. They will typically begin in the middle of their range and work their way up and down. This is accomplished through repeating patterns of scales or intervals that ascend or descend the same pitch with each cycle. Once the bottom or top of the register is hit, singers typically stop. The next type of exercise is mouth warm-ups. Singers will sing a variety of vowel and consonant sounds, again in repeating patterns. Usually they employ some sort of tongue twister element or the singer will sing related consonants or vowels, such as b and p, to try and train themselves to create a larger distinction between similar sounds. Usually, to save time, singers will combine these two types. These exercises are often used as warm-ups, but they are also the way singers train to access their full potential. Also, it is rare for any two singers to have identical warm-up routines unless the same teacher trained them, and even then, deviations occur based on the peculiarities of a singer’s voice. Illnesses and Injuries: Obviously, singers who continue to sing without proper training, force their voice to sing pitches or sounds that are outside their normal vocabulary, or simply sing too much or too often, will run into vocal strain. The most common form is simply irritation of the throat. Resting the voice and drinking soothing teas or other medicines designed to help throat problems can usually solve this. However, if a singer chooses to ignore the warning signs or sings while they are sick, they run the risk of permanently damaging their vocal cords or voice. This might simply apply to their singing voice but in rare cases extends to the speaking voice as well. They may develop a rasp or a permanent pain when they try to speak or sing. In the most extreme scenarios they might lose their voice altogether. So not overusing the voice and taking care of your body are two of a singer’s most important duties. Religion: Music likely had its origins in primitive rituals although it is impossible to know this for sure. Regardless, singing and chanting play an incredibly important role in many religious ceremonies, even to this day. Often priests and priestess will be accomplished vocalists themselves or they will employ members of their faith as cantors to sing the more complicated chants or songs if they themselves cannot. Also, some of the more well to do churches and chapels may have entire choirs sing, although this is incredibly rare as it requires a steady flow of income. The god of music, Rhaus often takes notice of budding singers and will occasionally mark them with his gnosis, Audius if he feel their talent and dedication to their craft warrants it. Skill Progression: Novice: Novice singers have just started discovering their voice. Unless the song is incredibly simple such as a lullaby or a commonly known folk song they will run into difficulties. They have trouble staying on the proper pitch. They have access to smallest parts of their vocal register. They will usually require the assistance of sheet music or an accompanist to sing. And it takes them numerous passes through the song before they learn all the notes and words to a song. In addition they are not comfortable enough with their voice to sing in harmony. Any attempt to do so will make them lose their pitch completely. They also have no knowledge or understanding of breath support, Competent: A competent singer has mastered the basics of singing. They pick up music more quickly and can occasionally sing without the aid of music or accompaniment, although their attempts are not always beautiful. They have also managed to work out the limits of their vocal range, although any note sung at the top or the bottom is far from pleasant to hear. Singers at this level can also sing basic harmony parts with another singer, usually one of the other major notes of the chord, either a third or a fifth. They have to learn the harmony part extremely well on their own before trying to put it together with the melody. In addition, a competent singer has just begun putting together a repertoire of songs. A competent singer has just begun learning how to properly use breath support. They also have gotten much better at staying on the right pitch although they still stray. Expert: Expert singers have unlocked their entire vocal range, although the extremes may sing be a bit rough. They pick up music with only one or two attempts. They have almost mastered breath support, and can sing more complicated harmonies. Also, they have a fairly sizeable amount of solos, duets, and other pieces under their belts. They have begun experimenting with vocal styles outside their training, be it classical or folk. While their voice may still contain imperfections they are well aware of them and have learned exactly how to work around them. They rarely miss their pitch and have gotten pretty good at being able to sing intervals properly. They also have started working on the more advanced singing techniques, such as falsetto or belting. Master: A master singer is rare to find and they are highly sought after by the wealthiest individuals. From the first note out of their mouth audience members can tell that this is going to be a once in a lifetime experience. Master singers can have their pick of venues and can choose to perform exclusively for individuals, or give huge concerts to the masses. In short, however a master singer wants to perform is usually allowed. Master singers have perfect control over every single aspect of their voice. Any problems have been completely smoothed over, are so minor as to be nonexistent, or are readily employed and turned into assets to make the singers voice unique. They have no problem hitting any note within their register, and even the highest and lowest notes can sound sweet or dark, depending on the style of the music. Master singers have no problem with controlling their breath. Harmonies are no problem, and they can often make them up on the spot and weave them together with either another singers voice or an instrumentalist. The more difficult techniques come easily and without thought. Master singers have almost an encyclopedic memory for music and potentially can have hundreds of songs stored simply in their memory. They can pick up new songs practically on the spot and are always on pitch and note and lyric perfect on the first run through, though they still require a starting pitch. And they are a master of numerous different singing disciplines. In short, master singers can do whatever they want with their voices and are able to evoke complex emotions in anyone who hears them. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_type#Intermediate_voice_types http://www.become-a-singing-master.com/head-voice-and-falsetto.html http://www.bandnotes.info/tidbits/scales/half-whl.htm http://www.bandnotes.info/tidbits/scales/half-whl.htm http://www.tsmp.org/choir/djones/pdf/diction%20for%20singing.pdf http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/style-and-usage/descriptive-rds-for-music.html