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From:  "Caio Rossi" <caioross@z...>
"Caio Rossi" <caioross@z...>
Date:  Wed Dec 13, 2000  2:08 am
Subject:  Re: [vocalist-temporary] Re: why do women sing in head voice?


MIke wrote:

> the problem with forcing women to sing in their 'lowest voice', as
> lloyd discussed, is the same as forcing men to sing in their 'lowest
voice'.
> frank sinatra went from singing in a 'mix' in the early 50s to singing
in
> too much chest and spreading that all over and, although i don't think it

> damaged him, i think it took the 'singing quality' out of his singing.

I think this focus on chest by pop singers has much more to do with
counterculture than with pop music itself.

Up to the 50's, both in the US and in Brazil, most pop singers had had some
formal training in singing, otherwise they wouldn't be able to sing at all.
The way they sang was also much different from the 'speaking mode' that has
'partially' become standard from the 60's on. Counter-culture valued
untrained, 'natural', popular art, and learning how to sing or play an
instrument 'the old way' was the anti-thesis of it.

But that didn't dominate the whole American pop singing scenario: I don't
think black singers from Motown ( Warwick, the Jacksons, Stevie Wonder,
Diana Ross, etc ) disco music divas ( Donna Summers, etc ) , hard rock
singers from the 80's ( bands: Tyketo, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Journey,
Whitesnake, Europe, etc ) or R&B's female singers ( Tina Turner, Whitney
Houston, Mariah Carrey, etc ) sang in their 'speaking mode'. And that's
what I think is funniest: those styles are all considered to be 'inferior'
by most 'educated listeners' ( when I mean educated, I mean only people who
go to the university and have inherited the 60's counter-culture
appreciation. I don't mean 'musically educated listeners' ). They generally
appreciate unskilled singers/musicians, like Nirvana, Oasis, Hole, etc,
what makes me worry about the future of mankind ( if the future American
ruling elite will only confirm the mistakes of the 60's, will the world be
commanded by a bunch of nerds or will the US import an elite from Europe
before theirs has the brain burned by cocaine? )

That, of course, brings back that discussion about opera singing X pop
singing, but, as I said once, by looking at the big picture.

Bye,

Caio Rossi



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