The human voice: the oldest instrument
Since the first human beings started uttering sounds, the first musical instrument was discovered.
Nature provides humans with a startling set of physical qualities that can be used just like any other musical instrument. Therefore singing can be seen as the oldest instrument-sound on earth.
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, which is often contrasted with speech. When you sing you can cross borders that can be created by language. A person who is singing is called a singer or vocalist and they perform music known as songs that can either be sung a cappella (without accompaniment) or accompanied by orchestras consisting of musicians and instruments.
Nearly anyone who can speak can sing, since in many respects singing is merely a form of sustained speech. The pitch is altered with the vocal cords. With the lips closed, this is called humming. It can be informal and just for pleasure, for example, singing in the shower; or it can be very formal, such as singing done professionally as a performance or in a recording studio.
In its physical aspect, singing has a well-defined technique that depends on the use of the lungs, which act as an air supply, or bellows; on the larynx, which acts as a reed or vibrator; on the chest and head cavities, which have the function of an amplifier, as the tube in a wind instrument; and on the tongue, which together with the palate, teeth, and lips articulate and impose consonants and vowels on the amplified sound. Though these four mechanisms function independently, they are nevertheless coordinated in the establishment of a vocal technique and are made to interact upon one another.
The sound of each individual's singing voice is entirely unique not only because of the actual shape and size of an individual's vocal cords but also due to the size and shape of the rest of that person's body. Humans have vocal folds which can loosen, tighten, or change their thickness, and over which breath can be transferred at varying pressures. The shape of the chest and neck, the position of the tongue, and the tightness of otherwise unrelated muscles can be altered. Any one of these actions results in a change in pitch, volume, timbre, or tone of the sound produced.
Vocal registration refers to the system of vocal registers within the human voice. A register in the human voice is a particular series of tones, produced in the same vibratory pattern of the vocal folds, and possessing the same quality.
Vocal resonation is the process by which the basic product of phonation is enhanced in timbre and/or intensity by the air-filled cavities through which it passes on its way to the outside air. The main point to be drawn from these terms by a singer or speaker is that the end result of resonation is, or should be, to make a better sound.
There are seven areas that may be listed as possible vocal resonators. In sequence from the lowest within the body to the highest, these areas are the chest, the tracheal tree, the larynx itself, the pharynx, the oral cavity, the nasal cavity, and the sinuses.
Chest voice and head voice are terms used within vocal music. The use of these terms varies widely within vocal pedagogical circles and there is currently no one consistent opinion among vocal music professionals in regards to these terms.
In European classical music and opera, voices are treated like musical instruments. Composers who write vocal music must have an understanding of the skills, talents, and vocal properties of singers. Voice classification is the process by which human singing voices are evaluated and are thereby designated into voice types.
These qualities include but are not limited to: vocal range, vocal weight, vocal tessitura, vocal timbre, and vocal transition points such as breaks and lifts within the voice. Other considerations are physical characteristics, speech level, scientific testing, and vocal registration.
The science behind voice classification developed within European classical music and has been slow in adapting to more modern forms of singing. Voice classification is often used within opera to associate possible roles with potential voices. There are currently several different systems in use within classical music including: the German Fach system and the choral music system among many others. No system is universally applied or accepted.
However, most classical music systems acknowledge seven different major voice categories. Women are typically divided into three groups: soprano, mezzo-soprano, and contralto. Men are usually divided into four groups: countertenor, tenor, baritone, and bass.
Within each of these major categories there are several sub-categories that identify specific vocal qualities like coloratura facility and vocal weight to differentiate between voices.
It should be noted that within choral music, singers voices are divided solely on the basis of vocal range. Choral music most commonly divides vocal parts into high and low voices within each sex. As a result, the typical choral situation affords many opportunities for misclassification to occur.
Since most people have medium voices, they must be assigned to a part that is either too high or too low for them; the mezzo-soprano must sing soprano or alto and the baritone must sing tenor or bass. Either option can present problems for the singer, but for most singers there are fewer dangers in singing too low than in singing too high.
Within comtemporary forms of music singers are classified by the style of music they sing, such as jazz, pop, blues, soul, country, folk, and rock styles. There is currently no authoritative voice classification system within non-classical music. Attempts have been made to adopt classical voice type terms to other forms of singing but such attempts have been met with controversy.
Vocal music is music performed by one or more singers, with or without non-vocal instrumental accompaniment, in which singing provides the main focus of the piece.
Music which employs singing but does not feature it prominently is generally considered instrumental music. Vocal music typically features sung words called lyrics, although there are notable examples of vocal music that are performed using non-linguistic syllables or noises, sometimes as musical onomatopoeia. A short piece of vocal music with lyrics is broadly termed a song.
Vocal music is probably the oldest form of music, since it does not require any instrument besides the human voice. All musical cultures have some form of vocal music and there are many long standing singing traditions throughout the world's cultures.
Vocal music is written in many different forms and styles which are often labeled within a particular genre of music. These genres include: Art music, Popular music, Traditional music, Regional and national music, and fusions of those genres. Within these larger genres are many sub-genres. For example, popular music would encompass blues, jazz, country music, easy listening, hip hop, rock music, and several other genres. There may also be sub-genre within a sub-genre such as vocalese and scat singing in jazz.
In many modern musical groups, a lead singer performs the primary vocals or melody of a song, as opposed to a backing singer who sings backup vocals or the harmony of a song. Backing vocalists sing some, but usually not all, parts of the song often singing only in a song's refrain or humming in the background. An exception is five-part gospel a cappella music, where the lead is the highest of the five voices and sings a descant, and not the melody.
Some composers have employed screaming in avant garde works in the twentieth century, typically in the post-World War II era, as composers began to explore more experimental compositional techniques and nonstandard use of musical instruments (including the voice). Composers who have used shouting or screaming in their works include Luciano Berio, George Crumb, and Karlheinz Stockhausen.
While this usage precedes the more common use of screaming in some genres of rock music, there is little to no historical relationship between the usage of the technique in art music and in rock. The use of screaming and hoarse vocals in choral and orchestral works continues today in some productions such as film scores; mainstream examples include some works by Don Davis and Wojciech Kilar.
Yelling and shouting vocals are common in punk rock and hardcore. Early punk was distinguished by a general tendency to eschew traditional singing techniques in favor of a more direct, harsh style which accentuated meaning rather than beauty. Many female vocalists in the punk style, and other progressive forms of popular music, have credited Yoko Ono as an influence for her use of screaming vocals in avant-garde recordings of the seventies. Other artists who have explored screaming as a way of stretching the potential of the female voice include Diamanda Galás, Nina Hagen, the B-52's, Kate Bush, and Lene Lovich.
While occasional screaming has been used for effect in heavy metal since at least Led Zeppelin, screaming as a normal method of lyrical delivery first came to prominence in heavy metal as part of the thrash metal explosion of the 1980s. Thrash metal was influenced both by heavy metal and by hardcore punk, the latter of which often incorporated shouted or screamed vocals.
Screaming in some subgenres of heavy metal music is typically demanding and guttural. The Cookie Monster-like death growl is common in death metal. Separate forms of extreme metal vocalization can be found in black metal with a higher-pitched shriek and grindcore with either a "pig squeal" vocalization or a high pitched shriek similar to, but less throat-oriented than, black metal vocals.
Post-hardcore and screamo are imbued with a vulnerable, emotional tone. Early emo vocals (such as in Rites of Spring and Embrace) featured screamed vocals that were more or less similar to that of '80s hardcore punk and anarcho-punk. In contemporary genres, screams are more accessible; one very common technique is that of metalcore and later hardcore punk subgenres, shouting in a distressed, raspy manner. Howard Jones of Killswitch Engage and George Pettit of Alexisonfire are examples of this; the former screaming in a husky tone and the latter using a higher yell. Some bands such as Dance Gavin Dance scream in a much deeper harsh-sounding tone, while Jeremy Mckinnon of A Day to Remember goes a step further, employing death growls.
As post-hardcore moved into the mainstream in the early 2000s, the amount of screaming in any given song or album could vary widely from band to band, with some bands eschewing the technique altogether or using it very infrequently, often at climaxes of songs. Emery, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Matchbook Romance, and Story of the Year are examples of bands achieving widespread success who only occasionally made use of screaming.
Although, there are bands who play screamo in the vein of bands that were around in the early to mid nineties, such as Funeral Diner, Saetia, Orchid, City of Caterpillar, etc. These bands are also known as screamo bands, but use a more intense, high-pitched scream, and usually have screaming for a whole song.
Nu metal sometimes employs screaming. It also includes shouting and rapping as well as various other styles of vocals. Jonathan Davis screams in most of Korn's earlier songs. Limp Bizkit singer Fred Durst screams and raps in most of Limp Bizkit's songs, especially in their first album. Linkin Park's singer, Chester Bennington screams in some of the songs on their records. On latest record called Minutes to Midnight in a song he screams for 18 sec. The rapcore band (Hed) P.E African-American / Brazilian-American singer MC Jahred Shane screams in a very growlish style.
Many other nu metal bands employ a stronger use of screaming in their music as well as more concrete metal influences (Often Groove Metal and Industrial Metal) bands such as Spineshank, Slipknot, Ill Nino, Mudvayne and Static-X.
Some songs by Pink Floyd have a piercing scream by Roger Waters, such as "Careful With That Axe, Eugene and Run Like Hell. Even the Beatles can be heard screaming on their classic White Album on tracks like "Helter Skelter".
Screaming and growling can damage the vocal folds if not done carefully; however, some feel that the raw passion expressed through these vocal stylings may be lost when modulated by deliberate precautionary techniques. Many of the bands who pioneered the art considered it a sign of status to lose one's voice, one that only the most dedicated would achieve.
Some "screaming" vocalists have had problems with their throats, voices, vocal cords, and have even had major migraines from screaming. Some vocalists of Metalcore bands have had to quit screaming, quit making music, or just had to have surgery for screaming too hard, and damaging their vocal cords.
Source: Wikipedia
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