21
votes
How to dare to whistle or to hum in public?
I think it’s important that you should not in any way feel like you have to be able to do this. Singing, whistling and humming should be a means of expressing yourself because you are in the mood for ...
- 12.6k
20
votes
Accepted
What do you call it when someone sings a melody and simultaneously plays the exact same melody?
It's called doubling. The term is correctly used in the OP: in the intro to "Crosstown Traffic", Jimi doubles the vocal melody on guitar (or the guitar melody on voice).
For example:
When ...
- 71.2k
19
votes
What do opera and musical singers do in order to feel the pulse of the music?
SOMEONE has to feel the pulse! Often the conductor of an orchestra or a piano accompanist. Why shouldn't it be the singer?
Admittedly, musical lore does joke about singers' inability to count (...
- 85.3k
15
votes
Should one transcribe granular 16th information in sung melodies?
Whether you transcribe literally or not depends on your purpose. If you want to communicate as precisely as possible how the melody is sung, then use the greatest granularity manageable. However, if ...
- 71.2k
13
votes
Can smoking allow a singer to sing in a way a non smoker couldn't?
Late edit:
Paul McCartney smokes. At 80, & after his gig at Glastonbury this year, where he's still doing everything in the original key, that rather lends more weight to my argument that smoking ...
- 25.2k
13
votes
Can smoking allow a singer to sing in a way a non smoker couldn't?
Smoking affects singing in indirect ways negatively. Smoking reduces the lungs capabilites and CO will reduce the bloods abilities to bind oxygen, which most likely means that smoking will reduce the ...
- 12.6k
11
votes
What can a modern DAW do with analog sounds?
All the sounds in a DAW are digital, not analog. What you're working with is a digital recording of your analog sound source (guitar, voice, whatever). Every digital effect can be used on every ...
- 6,014
11
votes
Accepted
How should I indicate variable capo position in a score?
The key that a piece of music is performed in is often determined by the singer — their part being the most important, and the best part of their range often the least flexible. The rest of the ...
- 10.9k
10
votes
What is the best way to notate an arrangement and melody for a low singing voice?
The standard way to do this is to notate the voice part on a separate staff. This clearly delineates the vocal part and accompaniment part(s).
However, if it's necessary to notate on two staves, then ...
- 71.2k
9
votes
Accepted
Solfege - why don't I just sing the numbers?
Regarding "Is there a benefit to using the Solfege names vs just singing the numbers?":
There is: the solfege note names are monosyllabic, while the numbers aren't always. If you need to ...
- 12.9k
9
votes
Can smoking allow a singer to sing in a way a non smoker couldn't?
I don't think anyone would argue against the fact that smoking can change the voice. And that the change could sometimes be artistically attractive.
And I don't think anyone would argue against the ...
- 85.3k
9
votes
Female singing a song written for a male vocalist
Am I singing the melody an octave above the male melody of the song?
Based on your description, most likely yes.
This is called transposition, you transpose the melody an octave up. In common ...
- 13.9k
9
votes
Learning to sing a song: sheet music vs. by ear
There isn't really any one "right" way to learn to sing a song, honestly.
Experienced solo singers tend to listen to a song and sing from what they hear, or occasionally in some more ...
- 12.3k
8
votes
What are inner and outer voices in music of late 20th century and 21st century?
how do I determine the inner and outer voice in complex real-world music, like orchestral music with dozens of instruments?
For most traditional orchestral works, this will be clear. The dozens of ...
- 17.2k
8
votes
Solfege - why don't I just sing the numbers?
Solfege syllables are, in a sense, arbitrary. One can sing "do-ri-mi" or "1-2-3" or "a-b-c" or, really, anything else that helps one keep track of the musical information,...
- 71.2k
8
votes
What do opera and musical singers do in order to feel the pulse of the music?
It's the job of the conductor to make sure the singer knows exactly where they are in the music. If the singer has trouble singing in time then the conductor has to follow them.
For musicals there are ...
- 16.8k
8
votes
Do I need to know every note I am going to sing?
It may happen unconsciously, and having absolute pitch would make it happen regardless.
However, it's not guaranteed. I remember playing in a band where one number started with just the singer, no ...
- 183k
7
votes
Accepted
when you only sing in F#
The joke is that he sings in F#, even though it sounds bad, just because he prefers singing in F#.
He does not sing the whole song in F# while playing in F*. That would be very difficult to do, but ...
- 6,014
7
votes
Does the human voice qualify as noise?
Sounds produced by the human voice are too varied to fit into a single category. Rather that "the human voice qualifies as noise", it would be best to say "the human voice is capable of ...
- 71.2k
7
votes
How to dare to whistle or to hum in public?
I'm also 27 with autism, and please don't pick up humming/whistling (especially whistling) in public as a default habit! I'll give advice for being able to hum in public in a second if you need it for ...
- 171
7
votes
What do you call it when someone sings a melody and simultaneously plays the exact same melody?
Unison is another term - singing (or playing) the same melody as another. Doubling is more often used to describe the same instrument (or voice) playing/singing the same line. George Benson is a great ...
- 183k
6
votes
Accepted
Is there a word for when you scoop to the same note?
Simple question, simple answer.
It is called a scoop. Adele, John Legend use the technique. I used to wonder if it was because they couldn't hit the note directly. Still do...
- 183k
6
votes
Can smoking allow a singer to sing in a way a non smoker couldn't?
I will not talk about the dangers of smoking - enough has been said about this. I have heard enough about the fact that there are a lot of great singers and singers who did not part with a cigarette ...
- 71
6
votes
Accepted
What Causes the Changes in Singer Voices Like Mick Jagger's?
Is it smoking and drinking, vocal abuse/overuse or other forms of injury that can happen over decades?
In part, yes, but it's also just age. Epithelial and connective tissue loses elasticity. ...
- 17.2k
6
votes
Does the human voice qualify as noise?
"...mixing up terminology of different fields..."
I was thinking you might be. When you mention "consonants", "voiced", it sounds like linguistics. On a music forum &...
- 53.5k
6
votes
Learning to sing a song: sheet music vs. by ear
Both approaches are fine according to how the individual learns best.
A person learning by ear can also know the intervals, chords, and reference pitches, because they can hear them.
One can learn to ...
- 71.2k
6
votes
When is the "d" in "Goldfinger" sung?
Decisions like this one are interpretive and left to the discretion of the performer.
My first instinct, like yours, is to place the "d" on beat 2. While in literal terms, this can have the ...
- 71.2k
5
votes
Accepted
As a singer to playback music, does the quality of the playback affect intonation?
No, mp3 compression doesn't affect pitch of the recording, and shouldn't mater for the performer. Of course very strong compression which introduces audible artifacts might cause some discomfort, but ...
- 13.9k
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