Showing posts with label 3 octaves. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 3 octaves. Show all posts

Friday 30 December 2011

JoJo Vocal Profile /Range



Vocal Type: Mezzo Soprano
Vocal Range: 4 Octaves 1 Note and a semitone (B2-C#7)
Whistle Register: Yes
Vocal Pluses: Light and agile voice that has a nimble dexterity that allows it to accomplish complex vocal runs effortlessly. The voice also has the strength and stamina to hold notes for lengths of time without wavering in pitch.

The low range is the heaviest part of the voice, and is of medium weight. As the voice passes into the midrange the voice begins to lighten and brighten significantly. The chest voice has an elasticity and flexibility that allows it to stretch, without much impact on the tone, up into the fifth octave. The head voice is soft and light, with a warm and breathy timbre, whereas her whistle register is piercing and solid.

Vocal Negatives: The tone, particularly in belting range, is weak and lacking character. The head voice also needs to be improved on to strengthen its tone and connection to the lower range.

Tuesday 20 December 2011

Shakira Vocal Range /Profile


Shakira



Vocal Type: Coloratura contralto
Vocal Range: 3 Octaves 1 note E3-D6
Whistle Register:No
Vocal Pluses: Unique and versatile vocal styling that incorporates a yodelling like technique as well Arabic influences. The voice has a heaviness pervading throughout, though surprisingly it seems to be most prevalent in the midrange and low belting range.  This weight can be removed, revealing a contrasting crisper, lighter and more youthful sounding timbre. Her head voice is strong and bright, becoming more piercing the higher it becomes, but isn't often used. She is capable of complex meslisma, usually built on a middle eastern musical scale, as well as able to hold sustained notes with or without vibrato. The vibrato itself, is quick but controlled.
Vocal Negatives: Her voice sounds as if it's artificially gaining its weight via her larynx being forced down, as her talking voice is light. Her vocal styling and intonation can also make comprehending her lyrics hard to do.

Monday 19 December 2011

Diana Ross Vocal Range /Profile:



Vocal Type: Light lyric soprano
Vocal Range: 3 Octaves C3-C#6
Whistle Register:No
Vocal Pluses: Smoky lower range, which is dark and heavy. Her midrange is lighter, softer and has a warm timbre that carries through the to the top of the range. There is an intrinsic sweetness and youthfulness to the voice that is accentuated by her excellent phrasing. The chest voice is clear and light, effortlessly extending up to an A5 with the help of her excellent technique and clever mixing of the chest and head voice. The head voice is bright and robust, with great dynamics.
Vocal Negatives: The voice's lightness is often interpreted as it lacking power as whole, with the term "weak" sometimes being applied to the voice's tone.

Wednesday 7 December 2011

Janis Joplin Vocal Range/Profile


Vocal Type: Mezzo-soprano
Vocal Range: 3 Octaves 2 note E3-G6
Whistle Register: No
Vocal Strengths: Unique and prominent coarseness to the voice, with a throaty and guttural chest voice. Despite the heavier weight of the voice the belting range could extend high up into the fifth octave by mixing while retained this characterful rasp. The head voice was bright and full, with a smoother, delicate contrasting texture to the lower half of the voice. Her control in this part of the register was surprisingly strong and deft. Though her voice is remembered for its passionate rasp, it was also capable of a softer and smoother timbre, demonstrating the skill and ability she had as a vocalist. Interestingly, the frayed edges of the notes sang with this textured timbre sometimes allowed for harmonic chords to be created as two or more tones were produced by the voice at the same time.
Vocal Weaknesses: The coarsness of the voice could be found abrasive by some.
Recommended Listening: Maybe [demonstrates the softer texture of Joplin's voice, as well as her head voice ], Piece of my heart  [Shows the coarser side of the voice, as well as its passion]

Friday 4 November 2011

Jewel- Vocal range/ Profile


Vocal Type: Lyric-Soprano
Vocal Range: 3 Octaves   (E3-E6)
Whistle Register: No
Vocal Strengths: A versatile instrument that be smoky and light or sold and clear depending on what the song calls for. The voice is strongest and healthiest in it's midrange and it includes where she belts best. This is the characterful part of the voice where it finds its consistency, weight and power. Her fifth octave chest register isn't as strong as the midrange but its still capable of producing bright, clear notes with deft mixing of registers. Her head voice is a beautiful addition and harmonises brilliantly, providing textural depth to the vocal depending on how she chooses to implement it: airy and light, or fuller and rounder with an operatic-like tone to it.Though not keen to show it off, Jewel is capable of complex melisma and her excellent breath control means she is capable of holding long sustained notes.
Vocal Weaknesses: Her lower range can sound unhealthy, and pushed.
Must Hear: Amen

Wednesday 28 September 2011

Maria Callas- Vocal Range/Profile



Vocal TypeSoprano
Vocal Range: 3 Octaves  F3-E6 (though the E6's vibrato touches an F6, so will count as 3 octaves)
Whistle Register: No
Vocal Pluses:Callas's voice was noted for its three distinct registers: Her low or chest register was extremely dark and almost baritonal in power, and she used this part of her voice for dramatic effect, often going into this register much higher on the scale than most sopranos. Her middle register had a peculiar and highly personal sound—"part oboe, part clarinet", as Claudia Cassidy described it—and was noted for its veiled or "bottled" sound, as if she were singing into a jug. Legge adds, "Even in the most difficult fioriture there were no musical or technical difficulties in this part of the voice which she could not execute with astonishing, unostentatious ease. Her chromatic runs, particularly downwards, were beautifully smooth and staccatos almost unfailingly accurate, even in the trickiest intervals. There is hardly a bar in the whole range of nineteenth century music for high soprano that seriously tested her powers."

Vocal Negatives: Rodolfo Celletti states, "In certain areas of her range her voice also possessed a guttural quality. This would occur in the most delicate and troublesome areas of a soprano's voice—for instance where the lower and middle registers merge, between G and A. I would go so far as to say that here her voice had such resonances as to make one think at times of a ventriloquist. . .or else the voice could sound as though it were resonating in a rubber tube. There was another troublesome spot. . . between the middle and upper registers. Here, too, around the treble F and G, there was often something in the sound itself which was not quite right, as though the voice were not functioning properly."

Note:I am in no position to be a judging a voice like this- you need college degrees and schooling to do that- so I pinched the positives and negatives from Wikipdiea. I am forever in your debt! Read the article here, its fascinating stuff.

Thursday 22 September 2011

Erykah Badu- Vocal Range/ Profile




Vocal Type: Mezzo-Soprano
Vocal Range: 3 Octaves  5 notes D3-B6
Whistle Register: No
Vocal Pluses: The voice has a distinctive character that is audible throughout the range. Incredibly elastic, clear chest voice that can reach high up into the fifth octave via deft mixing with the head voice. The narrow vibrato she can apply gives the voice a jazzy, soulful colour.
Vocal Negatives: The voice can be biting at times, in it's extreme, due to its clarity.

Monday 19 September 2011

Solange- Vocal profile/range



Vocal TypeSoprano
Vocal Range: 3 Octaves 1 note D3-E6
Whistle Register: No
Vocal Pluses: Her lower range has a smoky timbre that is pleasant to the ear. Her chest voice is clear, bright and light. While her head voice is strong and wide, extending past the soprano high C.
Vocal Negatives: The chest voice lacks power, and the tone starts to sound constricted and pushed above a C5.

Wednesday 31 August 2011

Marsha Ambrosius- Vocal Profile/ Range



Vocal Type: Mezzo-Soprano
Vocal Range: 3 Octaves 1 semitone F3-Eb6
Whistle Register: Yes
Vocal Pluses: Thick, weighty, low/mid range, a clear, light chest voice, with a strong, bright, substantial head voice. The voice is incredibly dexterous, and as such is able to sing complex melisma effortlessly.
Vocal Negatives: Sometimes the chest and head notes can sound slightly pushed.

Thursday 25 August 2011

Eva Cassidy- Vocal Profile/ Range



Vocal TypeSoprano
Vocal Range: 3 Octaves 3 notes B2-E6
Whistle Register: No
Vocal Pluses: Incredible control, and technique, means all parts of her range sound healthy and effortlessly accessed. Her chest voice is piercing and robust, with a slight smokiness to it that gives way to a clarity as it ascends. The head voice is large with it extending up to E6, which is usually whistle note territory.
Vocal Negatives: Suggestions?.

Wednesday 20 July 2011

[Vocal Profile] Ellie Goulding

Ellie Goulding

Vocal Type: Light Lyric Soprano
Vocal Range: 3 Octaves 4 Notes and a semi-tone (A2-F#6)
Whistle Register: No
Vocal Pluses:Ellie Goulding owns an extremely distinctive and unique voice. She possesses a wide range of colours and tones within the entirety of said range and quality of the voice has been described as wispy, airy and light in tone and timbre. Her ability to infuse notes with a trademark piercing vibrato, particularly in the upper registers, has also been commented upon, along with her vocal dexterity.

The lower extremities of the range (From A2 - C4) possess a worn, scratchy and almost tired feeling; however this area is used with an adept technique making the notes themselves sound healthy- if somewhat more dulled than the rest of the range. Her enunciation and general tone here displays a genuine, expressive and earthy feel. This area of the range sounds slightly disconnected and differing from the sound of the voice overall.

Goulding's mid-range retains some of the qualities of the lower range but sounds far more audible and cleaner in tone due to the low mid-range retaining a raspy quality. The lower and mid sound well connected despite the differing sounds of the lower and upper ranges. This area is easily accessible for Goulding who manages to traverse through the registers, right up to the top, ornamenting notes and using swift melisma in the process.

The head voice is where Goulding comes into her own. In this area, she displays a more fulsome, piercing, and agile tone. The upper head voice belts sound well supported and incisive in nature yet retain a sweet and warm colouring without ever becoming overbearing or strained (See Dead in the Water). Goulding is also extremely adept at using her trademark coloratura within the upper soprano range, displaying a great sense of physical ability as well as musicality, managing to use ornamentation without gratuitous over singing.

Overall, despite Goulding having only ever obtained lessons in breath control before becoming a professional singer she displays a strong sense of artistry with not only her vocal abilities but with the material for which she writes to fit her voice. This is all whilst seemingly sitting within a healthy technique for the majority of the time. Her voice is very light yet full and clean in tone placing her as a light lyric type due to her extensive versatility and flexibility.

Vocal Negatives: The nature of Goulding's voice can be off-putting to some, as the timbre and colouring of her voice can be somewhat childlike and thus somewhat of an acquired taste. Also the voice can display a strong nasal quality which can permeate the entirety of the range at times. Criticism has also been noted for her live performances, which can be of an erratic and inconsistent quality compared to her studio work, resulting in Goulding being labelled a 'studio' artist. Vocal stamina has also been an issue during the live shows as she often runs out of breath and pushes notes out to create sound by means of incorrect technique.

Many Thanks  Stuey and Spark For updating this!

Wednesday 15 June 2011

Cyndi Lauper- Vocal Profile/ Range




Vocal Type: Lyric- Soprano
Vocal Range: 3 Octaves 4 notes F3-C7
Whistle Register: Yes
Vocal Pluses: Expressive, versatile voice, that can switch from sounding innocent and sweet like a child to coarse and throaty like a rock star to crystal clear and dramatic like a diva extraordinaire all within the space of a lyric. The voice sounds most impressive when belting clearly with her dramatic vibrato applied.
Vocal Negatives: Lauper's deployment of the child like singing style is an acquired taste and can quickly turn off a listener.

Friday 27 May 2011

[Vocal Profile] Florence Welch


Vocal Type: Mezzo-soprano
Vocal Range: 3 Octaves 1 note D3-E6
Whistle Register: No
Longest Note:24 Seconds (see end of final video below)
Vocal Strengths: Emotive voice that can go from warm cooing whispers to solid and defined in a heartbeat [How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful]. Florence Welch is capable of singing complex vocal runs, through the registers, and hold notes for periods of time without wavering in pitch or tone [Pearls and Noizies]. Ultimately, she is in possession of a strong individual vocal styling that has been called "soulful" "bluesy" and "powerful".

Monday 16 May 2011

Charice Pempengco- Vocal Profile/ Range




Vocal Type:Mezzo Soprano
Vocal Range: 3 Octaves 2 note C3-E6
Vocal Pluses: Charice Pempengco’s lower register is powerful and darker than the other parts of her range and is relatively easily accessed, except at the lower extremes. The mid range is solid, rounded, and smooth and she is capable of complex melisma from this point upwards.

Charice Pempengco has a strong, expansive chest voice that can reach up into the fifth octave (G5). Even at higher frequencies the belting range maintains a similar, powerful resonance to that of the lower part of the range.

She has the skill and stamina to hold upper notes for long periods of time with or without her impressively emotive vibrato.

Vocal Negatives: Charice Pempengco sometimes uses bad technique in order to retain her fuller tone at the lower and higher parts of her range; pushing her larynx down, when attempting the lower notes and pulling it up, creating a strained tone, to hit higher notes

After her debut album, Charice reverted to singing in a way that was more in line with her natural range, creating a more healthy sound.

Saturday 14 May 2011

Amy Lee (Evanescence singer)- Vocal Profile [3 Octaves/ Lyric-Mezzo]




Vocal Type: Lyric Mezzo Soprano
Vocal Range: 3 octaves and 1 semi tone (Eb3-E6)
Vocal Pluses: Instantly recognizable voice, with its smooth and sweet colouring, that is well supported and technically good. This helps Amy Lee hold belted notes for periods of time, without wavering in pitch, and produce a consistent tone.

Amy Lee's midrange is delicate, and with a smoky timbre and sensitive disposition- My Immortal.

Belted notes are resonant, rounded, and mixed well when pitched at the upper extremes of this part of the range. The tone produced is impressively darker than the rest of the range and has a piercing quality that can be softened by the addition of her pleasant and quick vibrato.

The head voice is warm, powerful and resonant until E6, where, at this point, they become shrill and sharp.

Vocal Negatives: Higher belting, which forgoes mixing with the head voice, begins to strip the voice of character. Also Amy Lee's lower register can be weak and lack resonance if reached with improper technique.

Monday 9 May 2011

Monica- Vocal Profile/ Range



Vocal Type: Contralto
Vocal Range: 3 octaves B2- B5
Vocal Pluses: Voices strength comes from it's dark, thick low to mid range.
Vocal Negatives: Vibrato sounds unnatural and forced on the higher chest notes, and her head voice is somewhat limited.


Monday 18 April 2011

[Vocal Profile ] Kylie Minogue


Vocal Type: Soprano
Vocal Range: 3 Octaves 2 notes and a semitone (D3- F#6)
Whistle Register: No
Vocal Pluses: An overall nasal quality is prevalent throughout much of Kylie Minogue's catalogue and as such, most see it to be a trademark of the Australian Diva's voice. It's not present in her lower notes, due to her placement, and here the voice is rounded with a warm sound and a seductive ease [All The Lovers]. But this changes quickly as Kylie climbs the octaves.

The nasal twang, as mentioned above, is what most have come to associate with the singer [Can't Get You Out Of My Head , Fever]. However, she can mitigate, or choose to forgo it entirely in her midrange; demonstrating its use being a stylistic choice rather than due to any limitations of the voice. To eliminate it, Kylie often lightens the voice, giving it a breathier and sweeter timbre [as heard in the verses of Come Into My World and All The Lovers]. As well being able to remove it, Kylie can include it to varying degrees: modifying it to being faintly present [Aphrodite], or making it so strong that the voice gains a metallic, almost computerised effect to it[Speakerphone]. This versatility and control allows for Kylie to create interesting and compelling harmonies, with the contrasting textures layering well upon one another.

Kylie's technique means she can belt into the fifth octave without any issue, all whilst retaining the character of her voice. She has  produced some surprisingly resonant notes in this part of the range [Here] that show that the voice has a power that isn't often (if ever) illustrated by her choice of singles. Kylie can also vary the quality of the notes here depending on how she mixes her chest and head-voice [Here], which once again illustrates just how technically capable a singer she is.

The head-voice is strong and robust and can be operatic and dramatic [Sound Of Music Intro, Your Disco Needs You ] or soft and breezy [Confide In Me]. Her voice seems to have no problem switching to this register, or singing notes here, which further points to her placing in the soprano fach.

Vocal Negatives: The nasal tone is where most find fault in Kylie's voice and though it is clear from a wider listen to her catalouge that this is more an artistic choice than anything else, it still remains that most of her biggest hits are recorded using this tone.

Saturday 16 April 2011

Beverly Knight - Vocal Profile/ Range



Vocal Type: Mezzo-Soprano
Vocal Range: 3 octaves 1 note 1 semitone C#3- E6
Vocal Pluses: Natural singer, with a good technique and powerful, clear belt.
Vocal Negatives: Weak lower register.


Friday 1 April 2011

[Vocal Range] Jessie J



Vocal Type: Lyric Soprano
Vocal Range: 3 octaves and 5 notes C3- A6
Whistle Register: Yes
Vocal Pluses: Jessie J has the ability to sing quick and complex melisma through the range without issue, a feat often noted as being a signature of her style. Along with this ability, she has the control to sing trills, staccatissimo through complex melodies with pinpoint accuracy [Stay With Me], and add texture to vocal lines via grunts and growls.

Her control, in regards to vocal dexterity, is mirrored in her breath control. As a result she can hold notes for lengths of time without loss of quality to the sound [I Will Always Love You (Live)], and sing complex and lengthy vocal lines in a single breath [Domino (live)].

Saturday 12 February 2011

[Vocal Profile] Kelly Clarkson




Vocal Type: Spinto Soprano
Vocal Range: 3 Octaves and 2 notes (E3-G6)
Whistle Register: Yes
Vocal Pluses: Clarkson is known for her expansive vocal range, technical skills, emotive delivery as well as having a strong sense of musicality. Her extensive list of cover songs, on not only American Idol but as part of her Stronger tour, display this perfectly; with her being able to take a song and add a personal stamp to it via her vocal delivery [Can't Let Go/ Give Me One Reason/At Last]. She is also able to sing complex melisma and hold notes without any issue.

Clarkson's lower range can be described as breathy and more difficult to control and deliver upon, being slightly less audible to that of the rest of the range [Star Spangled Banner]. However, this part of the range tends to be well supported, displaying a raspy and husky texture.

The mid-range is delivered in an extremely confident and technically sound manner, with her technique, in this area of the range, being far superior to that of the lower range. Yet it still retains an earthy and grounded quality making her voice extremely identifiable [Since U Been Gone]. Due to this mirroring of characteristics in the lower and mid-range, it gives the two parts a fully connected sound.

Clarkson is known more for her superb belting range, for which she possesses a strong and expertly placed range between that of E5 and a soprano C6. This part of her voice contains a powerful slicing tone, which is not only able to easily cut through the heavy instrumentation of her backing band but also that of an orchestra [Hear:My Country, 'Tis of Thee]. Clarkson's upper extremes of the range, as well as the head voice, contains the characteristics of a full lyric soprano. However, the entirety of the voice is of a grounded nature, containing a powerful and incisive upper register, which would place her voice in the spinto category, due to her lack of full dramatic power.

Whilst her head voice is slightly disconnected from that of the rest of the range, this is an area that Clarkson truly blossoms. Some have claimed her head voice and falsetto to be that of the most beautiful in contemporary music- with it being known to be clean and potent as well as fulsome [Ave Maria (live)]. Whilst Clarkson can belt up to a C6 her head voice is known to commence around the A5 region. Again her technical virtuosity has displayed her vocally as both direct and solid [Invincible (live)] but also gentle and breathy [Because Of You], depending on the artistic choices of the material she delivers.

The whistle register is known for having a full and piercing nature [Hear: Natural Woman] or soft and gentle (Honestly - Stronger), although this is an area of the voice known to be underutilized.

Vocal Negatives:Critique has been levelled at her voice sounding slightly hoarse at times- which is probably due to her extensive touring schedules creating vocal fatigue. At times her voice can sound pushed, particularly in the chest range. As previously noted her whistle register is underutilized, although this could possibly be more due to artistic choice than physical ability.