Leanne Hoad Singing Studio: Singing Lessons: Resource Centre

A classical singer may say “I wasn't born with the voice to sing pop”. Likewise, a pop singer may think they can never achieve the rich, ‘full-bodied’ sound of an aria.

However, singing different song styles is as much a learnt skill as learning to sing itself.

The basic techniques for singing such as breathing, support, posture, register transitions and so on are the same for any style of singing.

There are, however, certain techniques unique to different styles. It is these that usually need to be taught. The difficulty often arises for students in finding teachers who have the knowledge and experience in teaching more than one style.

The following table summarises some of the more obvious differences between the classical and contemporary styles of singing:

	Classical	Contemporary
Tonal Quality	Full-bodied and rich with overtones	Enormously varied. Generally less overtones than classical. Typically rich and full-bodied when belting.
Phrase lengths	Last for the entire length of each grammatical phrase.	Short depending on stylistic choice
Breathing points	Taken at the end of the grammatical phrase with the occasional breath at the half way (comma) point. Grammar rules are followed.	More breaths are taken within a phrase for stylistic effect; even if grammatically incorrect
Print music	Strictly speaking, must follow print music to the letter	Used as a guide only. Print music is often used—in conjunction with a recording (CD)—merely to learn a song. Some stylistic aspects of contemporary songs are difficult to convey by print music alone.
Music Theory	Must have a knowledge of theory. The equivalent to 2nd grade AMEB standard is generally a minimum requirement	Not necessary to know. Certain terms will help the singer communicate with musicians.
Vibrato	A full vibrato from the onset of singing through to the end of the phrase.	Not used to the intensity of classical. Non-vibrato, straight or swell vibrato are used for effect on held notes of a song
Quality	'Opera' quality	'Speech-like' quality
Stylistic licence	A song is to be sung to the music as the composer intended.	Individuality—personal interpretation of a song—is a hallmark of contemporary music.
Pronunciation	Vowels are held for the longest time. Consonants are articulated clearly and not ‘softened’	Consonants are softened or eliminated depending on the desired effect. Consonants are held for longer. Vowels are not held on to for as long and can be modified (sometimes heavily).