Principles Of Good Singing Pt. 7: Dynamic Intensity

Dynamic intensity is related to tonal coloration, but in this case the singer
is modulating emotional energy rather than vocal color. The compass for dynamic intensity in the voice is immense: a singing voice could swell with emotions and project heated sensual desire or it could be devoid of strong feelings all together, and meander casually through a song. A good singer not only can control which emotion is being expressed in her voice, but also the degree to which it’s expressed.

Furthermore, different styles of music have different ideas of what dynamic intensity means. Rock, pop, and opera, for example, often demand highly flamboyant singing with vocal gestures that exercise the singer’s emotional palate. Country music, by contrast, usually requires more emotional constraint. Because of its general emphasis on traditional American values (despite the many songs about drinking, “hell-raising,” and womanizing), there is often a conservative streak that runs though country music that guides and strictly limits the emotional contours of the singer’s interpretation. Willie Nelson’s interpretations are a great example of conservative constraint in county music. Good singers are always cognizant of the natural limitations of the style of music that they sing. Without betraying these guiding themes, good singers must forge their own creative ways through their songs, and bring to bear their own self-stylized expressions of emotional intensity.

In rap music we also hear vocalists manipulating emotional intensity to great
effect. Because rap is a form of poetic/rhythmic speech that is not produced in a
musical melody line, it is not singing, as we normally understand it. Nonetheless,
the effects that rap has on the listener could be similar. Like singers, rap artists
require athletic, emotional, and understandable voices to tell their stories. It’s also
important to note that a rapper’s voice, like that of the singer, is his instrument.
It should not be surprising to hear that all the rap artists that I have trained had a
singer-like relationship to their voices, and their art has always benefited greatly by
having their voices become stronger, more flexible, and expressive.

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