Narrative And Conversational Singing

Singers recite lyrics that tell a story. This means that the craft of
storytelling is fundamental to the art of singing, regardless of musical genre. However, the storytelling that occurs in singing is very different from that of written storytelling. We can read a story and pause whenever we choose to think about the nuanced meanings that the storywriter is trying to convey through his words. When we listen to the singer as a storyteller, by contrast, he must work quickly and artfully—and with tonal nuance, musical acumen, charming phrasing, and heightened emotional persuasion—to communicate the story of the musical piece.

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Principles Of Good Singing Pt. 13: Phrasing

We now come to that all-important skill of phrasing. Technically, singers
don’t sing isolated words; rather they sing in phrases. A phrase is like a sentence in speech in that the words that make up the phrase must say something that makes sense.

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Sinatra And Singing From The Heart

Singing from the heart is the most sublime expression of the singer’s artistic spirit, because it’s in these moments that the artist is giving his best to fulfill his duty as an intimate communicator. Part-and-parcel of this spirit are personal qualities—both masculine and feminine—that make up human emotional life.

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Principles Of Good Singing Pt. 12: Vibrato

Another important aspect of good singing is the vibrato. Vibrato is a
regular and repeating—above and below—deviation from pitch. The speed
of a healthy vibrato is between 6 and 8 fluctuations per second. From western standards, a vibrato that oscillates with fewer or greater fluctuations per second is considered unmusical. Vibrato is important for contributing intensity to a singer’s interpretation if used effectively—that is, if it is not used too much.

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Principles Of Good Singing Pt. 11: Range

Another vital principle of good singing addresses the need for a sufficient vocal range. A good singer should have at his command at least two octaves.

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