IES ANTARES.

MUSIC DEPARTMENT 2ºESO

THE HUMAN VOICE.

The voice is the first musical instrument that ever existed on Earth.

we cannot see it because it is inside us.It is subject to our joys,sadness

and emotions, it is our way of expresión and communication since
ancient times.

Every musician knows how their instrument works to play music on it. In
the same way, it is important to understand how our voice works to sing
and even talk properly.

The different parts of our body that produce the voice are known as the
VOCAL APPARATUS. There are 3 processes involved:

1.- BREATHING or RESPIRATION.

2.- SOUND PRODUCTION

3.- AMPLIFICATION OF THE SOUND IN THE RESONATORS &

ARTICULATORS.

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1.-BREATHING or RESPIRATION (POWER SOURCE):

Breathing is necessary not only for respiration, but also for speaking and
singing

Breathing is the process of inhalation (taking air in ) and

exhalation(pushing air out).Between the lungs and the digestive system
there is a muscle called DIAPHRAGM that plays an important role in
singing due to the fact that it helps to push the air out when we exhale.

Although breathing is an unconscious process, humans can control the

respiratory muscles in order to improve our breathing, as we do while
practicing a sport or singing.

Singers and actors must control their breathing well and do a complete
breathing , they must try to fill the entire lung space , the lower and the
upper part. Notice that usually we tend to fill only the upper part of the
lungs.

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2.-VOICE PRODUCTION:

A violin produces sound, the bow makes the strings vibrate, the same
thing happens with your voice. The LARYNX houses 2 elastic tendons
called VOCAL CORDS. The pressure of the air leaving the lungs causes
them to vibrate.

The stronger the airstream, the higher the intensity of the sound
produced; The greater is the tightness or tension applied to the vocal
cords, the higher the pitch of the sound. When the vocal cords are pulled
tighter, they vibrate faster and create a higher pitch. When the vocal
cords are relaxed, they vibrate slower and create a lower pitch.

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3.-RESONATORS or AMPLIFICATION OF SOUND &

ARTICULATORS:

Our body acts as a resonating chamber amplifying the sound. The rib
cage, trachea, larynx,nose, mouth, forehead and skull are some of
the resonators we use to achieve different sound effects, the high notes
produced . Put your hand on your forehead and the other on your chest.
Now sing a high note then a low sound. Notices how the high note
produces a greater vibration in the hand on your forehead and when you
sing a low note, the vibration is stronger in the hand on your chest.

RESONATORS ARTICULATORS

The Vocal articulators are the tongue, soft palate, and lips and
they modify the sound shapes as they leave your mouth.In other
words, the articulators produce recognizable words.

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VOCAL TRAINING:

The range of notes or tessitura can increase by practising exercises.

Singers and actors use the vocal apparatus, resonators and articulators
to the best of their abilities to PROJECT their voices as much as
possible. You can hear their voices well in a theatre in many cases
without microphones amplifying the sound because they have a good
vocal technique.

In some musical genres as opera and classical music, singers require

very powerful voices and a wide tessitura or range. In other genres such
as pop or jazz, singers use a more natural voice and it is more important
to have a specific type of timbre.

Which version do you prefer? Why?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRenWLlRHx4 (hijo de la luna by

Montserrat caballé)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwGG5fX7bxY (Hijo de la luna by

Mecano)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwGG5fX7bxY ( Barcelona by
Mercury & Caballé)

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TYPES OF VOICES, CLASSIFYING VOICES:

Voices are traditionally classified according to their TESSITURA ( set of
notes a person's voice can emit without difficulty and timbrical quality)
and gender (male/female)

FEMALE SINGERS:

1. SOPRANO, high female voice. The main female parts in operas are
sung by sopranos. . (Ex. Ariana Grande, Beyonce, Whitney Houston,
Mariah Carey, María Callas, Montserrat Caballé)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgzGwKwLmgM Ariana Grande.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuBeBjqKSGQ The magic flute. The

Queen of the night aria(Mozart)

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2. MEZZO-SOPRANO: intermediate female voice,sing in the top part of

the alto and the bottom part of the soprano range. Ex. Madonna, Lady
Gaga, Bette Midler, Adele,Miley Cyrus, Selena Gómez, Dolores O´Riordan)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2qgadSvNyU Dua Lipa New Rules.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYEDA3JcQqw Adele Rolling in the

deep

3. CONTRALTO or ALTO: lower female voice. Ex. Amy Winehouse,Annie

Lenox, Nina Simone, Lalah Hathaway)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJAfLE39ZZ8 Amy winehouse Back

to black.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeMFqkcPYcg Annie Lennox

(Eurythmics)

MALE VOICES:

1. TENOR: higher male voice(Ex. Freddie Mercury, Sam Smith, Jason Mraz,
Michael Jackson, Plácido Domingo, Pavarotti)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgzGwK LmgM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ9rUzIMcZQ Freddie Mercury.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeMFqkcPYcg The 3 Tenors

(Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo y José Carreras) Brindisi from The
Traviata.

2. BARITONES: intermediate male voice, sing in the top part of the

bass range and the bottom part of the tenor range. Ex. John Legend,
Hozier,Elvis Presley,David Bowie, Frank Sinatra, Kurt Cobain, Michael
Buble)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=450p7goxZqg John Legend

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwAERaRUsp0 Frank Sinatra.

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3. BASS: low male voice Ex. Johnny Cash, Barry White, Bing Crosby,
Leonard Cohen).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1rB_XvrM5Q Leonard Cohen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ONubQ0SI4k Barry White.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzlT80jQ3lo Geoff Castelluci.

COUNTER-TENOR: men who sing in the female vocal range in opera

genre.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeTnde6hmL8 Carlos
Mena,Stabat mater Vivaldi.

Some tenors, baritones and bases can push their voices higher to sing
the same notes as a soprano. This is called FALSETTO
singing.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv7-ZLRMPMI Top ten male
falsettos.

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CHILDREN'S VOICES are either TREBLE (same range as a soprano)

or ALTO (same range as an adult alto).

Girls´voices don't change much as they get older (3-4 notes lower) but
boys´voices drop to a lower range when they hit puberty (an octave= 8
notes) because the vocal cords become longer in boys than in girls.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEs1wtsw_IA&list=PL635284B0E8B0
0164 Les Choristes, Caresse sur l´océan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUQheX3PSnY Imagine dragons,

Believer . One voice children´s choir

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_t7b9qtMFI Chorister of the

Canterbury Cathedral.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTFG_nvreoI King's college.

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VOCAL GROUPING
How are vocal ensembles categorized or classified?

Vocal ensembles or vocal groups are usually classified by three main

factors:

1-Number of vocalists/singers

2-Types of voices (age or gender)

3 -Musical style and/or genre

1.- Number:

-Solo – 1 person https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32d1bq-kG5c

Rosalía, Me quedo contigo.

-Duo/Duet – 2 people https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pkh8UtuejGw

Havanna Shawn Mendes& Camila cabello

-Trio – 3 people https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STYvEoTkzNI Vocal

trio harmony.

-Quartet – 4 people https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5_X-95YaWU

Proper sound Barbershop quarter.

-Quintet – 5 people https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJO3ROT-A4E

One direction.

- A CHOIR is a group of singers. Each part is performed by more than

one Singer ( Chamber choir – small group. Choir – large group )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhYCaQkbkyw Lacrimosa Mozart

Requiem.

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2.- Types of voices:

-Men’s choir – usually made up of adult male singers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyxXGdG3-Io BYU choir.

-Women’s choir – usually made up of adult female singers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHASQg8fR0s Oh María Sister
Act.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOTtCjGqXYo Pitch perfect
movie.

-Children’s choir – made up of adolescent

singers.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XB6yjGVuzVo Memories
Maroon5

-Mixed choir – made up of a mixture of male and female singers (adult

or children)A MIXED CHOIR has sopranos, altos, tenor and bases.
These are called SATB for short.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAtU9PXvmYo Hallelujah de
Haendell.

3 -Musical style and/or genre:

-Classical choir (traditional)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxh1Y0q4lT8&t=89s (5´)Hymn of
Joy Beethoven.

-Gospel choir https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXPoRnY3r10 Oh

happy day Sister act.

- chorus line or also Show choi (sing and dance in a Musical, Ex.The
Lion king)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrLcbi68R_A One scene

- Jazz choir, Church choir, Pop choir, etc...

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- A CAPELLA (only voices without any others instruments)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MteSlpxCpo Pentatonix

CURIOSITIES:

CASTRATI
A castrato (Italian, plural: castrati) is a male opera singer castrated in
boyhood to retain a soprano, mezzo soprano or alto voice..

Castration before puberty prevents a boy's larynx from being

transformed by the normal physiological changes of puberty. As a result,
the vocal range of prepubescent (shared by both sexes) is largely
retained and the boy remains with a high register voice.

This practice was used mainly in the 17th and 18 th centuries and was
banned in 1903, although the last castrato Alessandro Moreschi died en
Roma in 1922.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjvfqnD0ws

OTHER USES:

Beatboxing is a form of vocal percussion involving the art of

producing drum beats, rhythm, and musical sounds using one's mouth,
lips, tongue, and voice. It may also involve singing, vocal imitation and
the simulation of horns, strings, and other musical
instruments.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNZBSZD16cY

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