Bad Voice?

Sometimes people point out that some people who sing "wrong" have managed to build successful careers. Well yes of course... Talent as a singer should not be confused with good voice production, and there are many abused voices making good livings for their owners. In many of these instances, the very style of the abuse is what the public go for. Very often it is the aura of vulerability that a cracked broken or strained sound gives to a singer that appeals.

Thre are a few caveats:

• Abused voices are often unhealthy and prone to infection & strain-related problems
• Without good technique it can be hard for singers to sing high or low notes comfortably, if at all
• To achieve wide ranging and versatile expression the singer needs access to a variety of tones and dynamic levels, which are usually only gained by in-depth technical work.

Singing Voice Part 1 - What's "good" singing?

Let's be clear on the distiction between good voice and good singing. Anyone can learn to use their vice correctly, and end up with a great sound. But not everyone can carry a song well... That is a matter of personality and that indefinable X-factor.

So with a voice teacher you are working on you voice. Sure a good voice teacherf will address some performance issues, but will be mainly concerned to improve vocal function.

Now that we have distinguished between voice and singing skills, we can again ask "What's good voice?"

First a word about what good voice is NOT: it is not a style or a sound, a limitation or a loss of individuality.

Good voice enables:

• A large vocal range compassing around 3 octaves
• An even, clear sound over the whole vocal range, with no gaps, breaks or changes of quality.
  The ability to sing from very quiet to very lound at any point in the range, with clear, even sustain and vibrato as desired.
• The ability to use a wide variety of timbres from hard to soft evenly throughout the range.
• A voice that is healthy and easily produced allowing the singer to undertake extended rehearsal and performance without strain.