What makes a singer good?

brummytom · 25-10-2009 8:55pm #1

Can I just say before anyone says "Music Forum tbh/that way --->" why I've put it here.. basically I want the opinions of normal, joe public people, not just muso's. Mod's, if you think I'm wrong, then sorry, feel free to move it.

Anyway, my uncle's asked me to sing at this open mic thing he does. I normally play the banjo their, last time I played the bouzouki. But there's a part of me that always wanted to sing there.
So I recorded myself. I thought, you know.. I want to check what I sound like before I commit myself to singing. Played it back, yep, all the notes in the right place, stayed in tune/key... so technically I'm a good singer - but there's something about it that just doesn't sound 'good'.

So what does make a good singer? This is something I've been trying to work out.

I like James Taylor because he has such a soft, welcoming voice.
I like Ronnie Drew because he has such a coarse, harsh-sounding voice
I like people with voices in between these two.

Why?

What makes a singer for you, it's more than just hitting the right notes - what would make you take notice and listen to their voice?

liah · 25-10-2009 8:57pm

You gotta have soul, baby.

jumpguy · 25-10-2009 8:59pm

Nowadays you need to have an awesome synthesiser and you're set.

3hn2givr7mx1sc · 25-10-2009 8:59pm

The reason it doesn't sound good is because it's a Brum accent that's singing.:pac:

Seriously, ya need to have the "X Factor".

Mmcd · 25-10-2009 9:00pm

Audio or GTFO!

brummytom · 25-10-2009 9:00pm

baz2009 wrote: »

The reason it doesn't sound good is because it's a Brum accent that's singing.:pac:

Seriously, ya need to have the "X Factor".

I never sing in a Brummy accent :pac:

jumpguy wrote: »

Nowadays you need to have an awesome synthesiser and you're set.

Fair point... it's a shame

Pyr0 · 25-10-2009 9:02pm

Post the clip and I'll decide if yer good or not.

3hn2givr7mx1sc · 25-10-2009 9:02pm

brummytom wrote: »

I never sing in a Brummy accent :pac:

Touché.:o

+1 on the audio or GTFO.:D

liah · 25-10-2009 9:02pm

brummytom wrote: »

I never sing in a Brummy accent :pac:

Just reminded me. Why do so many singers never sing in their natural accent? I have a thing for listening to music where people actually sing in their real accents just because it's so rare. Hate hearing Americanized accents all the time, it's nice to have a bit of change.

Is there a particular reason for it?

Warfi · 25-10-2009 9:03pm

brummytom wrote: »

Can I just say before anyone says "Music Forum tbh/that way --->" why I've put it here.. basically I want the opinions of normal, joe public people, not just muso's. Mod's, if you think I'm wrong, then sorry, feel free to move it.

Anyway, my uncle's asked me to sing at this open mic thing he does. I normally play the banjo their, last time I played the bouzouki. But there's a part of me that always wanted to sing there.
So I recorded myself. I thought, you know.. I want to check what I sound like before I commit myself to singing. Played it back, yep, all the notes in the right place, stayed in tune/key... so technically I'm a good singer - but there's something about it that just doesn't sound 'good'.

So what does make a good singer? This is something I've been trying to work out.

I like James Taylor because he has such a soft, welcoming voice.
I like Ronnie Drew because he has such a coarse, harsh-sounding voice
I like people with voices in between these two.

Why?

What makes a singer for you, it's more than just hitting the right notes - what would make you take notice and listen to their voice?

If you have to make a big effort to keep in tune, and hold the notes, you'll hear it in the song and won't translate well. I'm speaking from my own singing experiences

.

Good singers sing effortlessly, in my opinion. Sharleen Spiteri has an effortless voice, with a nice deep ring to it too. Don't normally like female singers, I don't find their voices as soothing as male singers voices. I love Kelsey Grammer's voice whether he's singing or talking.

25-10-2009 9:04pm

Without trying to be that post that tries to go against the grain and desperately try to thanked, etc....

brummytom wrote: »

So what does make a good singer?

In a commercial sense? I'd imagine the answer is big tits. someone who is marketable. Have you heard many female 'singers' these days? Abysmal stuff altogether.

I'm sure theres a particular appearance that males are expected to qualify for, too.

Personally, for actual singing ability, I think it's really down to the person. I listen to a band called finger eleven a lot, and on one of their songs "Slow Chemical", the singer goes from melancholy singing, to an aggressive shouting-but-still-singing kinda deal. Captures the emotion of the song very well in my opinion (though I'm not much of an informed music person, so I can only talk about what I appreciate, i'm sure there are many who think the song is crap).

So pretty much, a good singer to me is someone who can alter their voice to assign an array of emotions to various pieces of music (without losing their voice or 'cracking' in the process).

Clare_Guy · 25-10-2009 9:04pm

whatever it is, cheryl cole has it! ;-)

DancingQueen:) · 25-10-2009 9:05pm

I don't know what it is but i just love people who can sing! Maybe it's cause i can't

I'm sure it's just because your hearing yourself back, ask someone else for another opinion - it's like hearing your own voice talking when you've recorded it, just sounds odd.
By the way, playing the banjo is awesome! Heard the best banjo player on Friday! i'm so jealous lol

brummytom · 25-10-2009 9:05pm

liah wrote: »

Just reminded me. Why do so many singers never sing in their natural accent? I have a thing for listening to music where people actually sing in their real accents just because it's so rare. Hate hearing Americanized accents all the time, it's nice to have a bit of change.

Is there a particular reason for it?

I don't know what accent I sing in tbh.. a weird kind of Irishy/English amalgamation.. just a general kind of 'folk' accent I picked up from my uncle's singing.

+1 For hating American accents. Every singer now seems to sing in one, no matter where they're from. And don't get me started on John and Edward...

An old folkie, who some people, might have heard of, Ewan Maccoll (Dad of Kirsty, writer of many great songs, probably most famously Dirty Old Town) had a real thing that 'every man must sing in his native voice'. While I can't say I do this myself, I agree with you, it's nice to hear it.

liah · 25-10-2009 9:06pm

Warfi wrote: »

Good singers sing effortlessly, in my opinion.

+1 to that. Some people just have "it" naturally, and they're the most pleasant to listen to. Roy Orbison, for example, naturally had a 4-octave range and it just belted out of him with no effort at all. It's beautiful to hear something like that. Gives you shivers.

brummytom · 25-10-2009 9:08pm

Warfi wrote: »

If you have to make a big effort to keep in tune, and hold the notes, you'll hear it in the song and won't translate well. I'm speaking from my own singing experiences .

Good singers sing effortlessly, in my opinion. Sharleen Spiteri has an effortless voice, with a nice deep ring to it too. Don't normally like female singers, I don't find their voices as soothing as male singers voices. I love Kelsey Grammer's voice whether he's singing or talking.

Oh no, it's not an effort at all.. I'm just saying that in listening to it I didn't hear it being out of tune at all, but yet it didn't sound good.

Never heard of Sharleen Spiteri, I'll check her out. Kelsey Grammer's voice is amazing, it was always a treat to hear him sing in Frasier :P

citizen_p · 25-10-2009 9:08pm

the ability to lip sync

MrMatisse · 25-10-2009 9:09pm

Big jugs.

Call Me Jimmy · 25-10-2009 9:11pm

Obviously if you have an ear for music, controlling your breathing is one of the most important things. The best singers don't even have to think about it I'd say it comes naturally but it's the same for Kevin Spacey delivering a class line in a film, the reason he sounds so cool is he has complete control over his breathing. Sounds sorta basic but I think it's a big part of any vocal performance.

liah · 25-10-2009 9:14pm

Deleted User wrote: »

In a commercial sense? I'd imagine the answer is big tits. someone who is marketable. Have you heard many female 'singers' these days? Abysmal stuff altogether.

I'm sure theres a particular appearance that males are expected to qualify for, too.

I agree and I don't. Some of those female singers, even doing the generic soulless pop stuff, do genuinely have great voices. It just gets overshadowed by the fact that they are marketable so people just say they get their publicity because they're hot. Which is true, but I wouldn't underestimate their talent, either. Remember Christina Aguilera? She has a brilliant voice on her but nobody really cared because she was hot, and she only really did some generic pop shíte.

It's kind of a shame, to be honest. I'd say a lot of female singers do for the most part sing well, I'd attribute it more to the songs and genres and styles of singing themselves than anything else that don't do the voices proper justice.

There's not that kind of struggle when it comes to men, at least not to the same degree. But that's just a mirror of general life; women are counted on to be attractive and everything else about them gets left in the dust whereas men are more recognized for what they are.

Sea Sharp · 25-10-2009 9:19pm

I'll try and give a proper answer for this.

I think it's all about the prosody of the singers voice (mono-tone is bad, but singing in the right pitch isn't enough).
The human voice is essentially, a far more flexible, musical instrument.

Also I hate people who say a song is crap because the lyrics are crap. If I want to appreciate cleverly put together words with deep hidden meaning I'll go out and buy a poetry book, thank-you very much.
I don't care if you're singing about the injustices in the world or if you 'got a feeling that tonight's gonna be a good night' it's how you sing it that determines whether or not it's good.

Dudess · 25-10-2009 9:22pm

Vocal gymnastics can be boring too - one of my favourite voices is that of Hope Sandoval, and her voice is a very soft, gentle, low one that tends to stay within the range of five or six notes.

There are lots of different types of good voice really.

brummytom · 25-10-2009 9:22pm

DancingQueen:) wrote: »

I don't know what it is but i just love people who can sing! Maybe it's cause i can't

Sorry for sounding stupid but I've never understood this.. it's always amazed me people who say they can't sing, it's not like it takes effort.
Obviously not everyone's voice will sound amazing, but surely everyone can stick a few words in a tune and sing it?

By the way, playing the banjo is awesome! Heard the best banjo player on Friday! i'm so jealous lol

Ah I love it.. it's my favourite instrument at the moment. People don't ignore it when I play it, it's an instrument with presence.. it's like myself, loud, ugly and obnoxious but some people still like it :pac:

liah · 25-10-2009 9:23pm

GaNjaHaN wrote: »

Also I hate people who say a song is crap because the lyrics are crap. If I want to appreciate cleverly put together words with deep hidden meaning I'll go out and buy a poetry book, thank-you very much.
I don't care if you're singing about the injustices in the world or if you 'got a feeling that tonight's gonna be a good night' it's how you sing it that determines whether or not it's good.

Agreed. Albeit somewhat ironically, considering Bob Dylan is my favourite overall artist.. :pac:

Wish people could just enjoy a song for how it sounds instead of trying to break it down into why it sucks all the time. Who cares if a song lacks talent if it's catchy and it sounds nice? Take it for what it is and stop overthinking it.

DublinWriter · 25-10-2009 9:24pm

brummytom wrote: »

So what does make a good singer? This is something I've been trying to work out.

LSD - Lead Singer Disease.

They must have an ego bigger than God's and a talent to match.

See Christy Dignam, Roger Daltry, Robert Plant et al.

Diabhal Beag · 25-10-2009 9:28pm

This thread has a lot of words :P To be a "good singer" nowadays you have to look attractive

Sea Sharp · 25-10-2009 9:30pm

Agreed. Albeit somewhat ironically, considering Bob Dylan is my favourite overall artist..

He know's how to throw his voice around, albeit to a very limited range.

kenon · 25-10-2009 9:31pm

I like originality in a singer. To enable them to stand out from a crowd. This seems to be done by using synths nowadays (Lady GaGa). But there are a rare group that can stand out vocally. E.g. Amy Winehouse can stand out from the crowd (in a singing sense) as she can sing quite low for a girl and she's sings kind of bluesy or soulfully.

Florence out of Florence and the Machine would be another young-one who I'd consider a great singer. Shes kind of quirky due to the song content but shes got great power in her voice and it can allow her to be very intense. Also shes got great range and timing which I think helps her stand out too.

Freddie Mercury is my favorite all time singer, I think very little needs to be said about his singing prowess.

Darlughda · 25-10-2009 9:32pm

It can be hard to say what makes one singer 'good' above another, it does seem to come down to personal taste, subjectivity and what appeals to you at a particular moment in time.

Personally, I go for a voice that may not be the most 'beautiful' in the way a person who goes for a 'miss beautiful' contest is not appealing, yet has raw emotion and meaning with a strong beat or rhythm behind their words or message. If you are not expecting multi-media imagery to illustrate your point or message, then the sheer presence of the singer/performer should be sufficient.

However, if its just an atmosphere or a party vibe you want to get going, then I would turn to a good d.j.

DancingQueen:) · 25-10-2009 9:32pm

brummytom wrote: »

Sorry for sounding stupid but I've never understood this.. it's always amazed me people who say they can't sing, it's not like it takes effort.
Obviously not everyone's voice will sound amazing, but surely everyone can stick a few words in a tune and sing it?

Ah I love it.. it's my favourite instrument at the moment. People don't ignore it when I play it, it's an instrument with presence.. it's like myself, loud, ugly and obnoxious but some people still like it :pac:

Sorry probably should have said that a bit different, I can sing but not very well! and that's understating it but i have other talents

I do sing all the time though, i'm always singing something and i love listening to people who can sing with a good voice, just something about it.

Sounds strange but I havn't heard a lot of people playing the banjo. I was at this charity thing on Friday and this band played irish music (also obsessed with irish music - i'm not crazy just have things i like

) and it was amazing. Then i youtubed the banjo and i now love it too.

liah · 25-10-2009 9:33pm

Actually, I think I'll put in an honest, full answer for this, but it does relate to my first comment.

You gotta have soul.

It's just that thing. You need to have confidence in your voice, you gotta be able to translate the emotion of the song and send it out through your vocal chords. You have to capture the spirit of the meaning and convey it perfectly. You know how you can always tell when a singer is smiling? It's kinda like that. It's something subtle, but you just know it's there. It's an attitude, a personality. It's nearly an entity of its own. It makes you feel how it wants you to feel and doesn't leave you any other choice.

Loreena McKennit has one of those voices. Roy Orbison, as I mentioned earlier. Regina Spektor in her song "Samson," christ, it's all over that song. It's such a simple little song but there's just so much soul in it, it's effortless and it's believable. 4 Non Blondes' "What's Going On." Cowboy Junkies' "Sweet Jane." Eisley's "Golly Sandra." Obadiah Parker's "Hey Ya." Joan Baez's "Diamonds and Rust." Cat Steven's "Father and Son." Johnny Cash's cover of "Hurt."

If you force it, people can tell. It's just not the same. Real, proper singers put their whole heart and soul into their songs, and that's what's attractive about it.

What makes a singer good?

Comments