So you want to know about the different types of singing? Then you’re at the right place but you’ll also have to understand a few other important things as well.
The different types of singing can be best classified through genres. Singers will learn that the techniques used in each and every genre is somewhat similar and understanding the classifications of genres and their importance will lead to better mastery of different types of singing.
It is when you see things in their totality that you’d be able to see them in a particular context far clearer than you could before. There are different types of singing but why do they exist?
Classification of Genres
One of the easiest ways to understand different types of singing is through genres. Some might even argue that’s the biggest way to distinguish music and I would agree.
When you ask people what kind of music they listen to, they usually answer with a genre. Even when you go to release your own song you end up filling the field for a genre. So, it’s obviously everywhere.
It makes sense, doesn’t it? The difference between genres is usually vast. So it’s easy for us to understand them when we’ve made those distinctions.
Metal growling will differ so much from singing rock that it’s quite hard to mistake one for the other.
Because of this, the classification of different types of singing from genres is probably the best yardstick we have. So, when we look at things from this lens, the technique that is used in a particular genre will match perfectly with its singer.
So, if you do decide to learn a particular genre you will most likely have to pick up a new technique. Just so we’re on the same page, how you make a sound is referred to as technique.
So, if you were to scream as they do in metal, you’d not be using the same technique to sing in a rock song.
Here is a list of all the genres that are known, yet.
Why Do They Exist
We can get a little philosophical and ask why genres even exist.
There are cultural and evolutionary reasons.
Cultural as you can imagine is how they came to be to edify a tradition or a particular practice.
Then there is an evolution of a genre.
What it became as time went by. Jazz was eventually derived from classical music. Then came the simplification and the timbre explosion of rock and roll which led us down to the path of heavy metal.
Some genres are just a mix of two or more genres.
It’s good that this happens.
It pushes the limits of the current existing genres and begs to answer the question, ‘What if you do this?’, which is a very creative thing that people do. It leads us to new horizons in music and as a result in singing as well.
Composers, arrangers, and even singers benefit from this. It happens almost subconsciously and we call it new. It’s interesting because it was found in a study that a completely brand ‘new’ thing is likely to be rejected almost immediately.
But introduce something that is somewhat familiar and it will be welcomed with an open mind.
Knowing What You Want
How does it serve you?
And knowing what you want out of a particular genre is going to help you a lot as well.
By that I mean you know that you want to use the complexity of one genre while having the simplicity of arrangement of the other, which is going to help you a lot in determining what you ought to learn.
Imagine this, if you are aware that you like to listen to metal but would much prefer to use the rock genre’s style of vocal from a particular era and band to be used on the song your band or you yourself are working on, then it will allow you to take steps towards that goal. (More on how you can learn to sing later)
The best part about this is in today’s world when you have exposure to all of this new music, why wouldn’t you want to learn it? Why wouldn’t you push yourself to see how far and what kind of music you can make?
How to Sing a Genre
If you have ever wondered how you could sing in a particular genre I have written extensively about this topic in this article here.
Spoiler, it has more to do with rhythm than the notes.
You see, every genre works with the same 12 notes that are given to us. So there won’t be surprises there and given how well your ear is trained to listen to harmony and other things, the better you’ll be at understanding how a particular genre works.
While harmony is definitely important, rhythm takes the crown when it comes to understanding a genre as a whole.
The more you expose yourself to other elements of music other than singing the more you will be able to comprehend them in ways that make the genre unique. It’s the act of listening to a genre that finds its way into your mind.
It’s progressive like the evolution of genres is but the way that it affects you is huge. That’s something we all can benefit from because it’s always wonderful to have ‘new’ songs to listen to.
Practice
The best part about practice is that once you know that you can practice one thing and you’ve established a routine you can sit down and practice anything that you wish to do.
What comes out of this discipline is that it won’t matter which genre you’re trying to learn or what skill, as long as you’re aware of it. This is why I tell everyone that knowledge precedes practice.
If you don’t know about what is possible then you cannot pursue it. If you pursue something that you have no idea what it is then it’s going in the dark hoping to find something.
That’s why this article’s point was to make you understand that there are different types of genres and mixing and matching them and understanding them on a level more than singing will allow you to master whatever you wish to set your hopes on. Knowledge preceding practice.
You can even read the article I have written which talks about how even 30 minutes of practice can help you when it comes to practicing singing.
The Common Things
One of the things that need to be brought to light is based on the previous example of practicing. I said if you already have the discipline of practice then learning to practice a particular genre won’t be a big issue.
Well, in a much broader scope and lens, the idea of being able to sing will allow you to look at singing as a whole as well. It will allow you to look at the techniques and the way that singers sing a particular thing and almost immediately understand what they’re doing. It won’t just be passive listening, it would be analytical and critical thoughts about singing and its methods.
So all the genres as fast as they may be all together, the more you master singing the closer they’ll appear to you as a singer. One skill and technique will bleed into another. Always.
But in order to do that, we must understand that all of singing has its roots in its basics.
Master The Basics
The best method for you to learn how to sing is through online courses. It won’t just be a basic understanding though. Going through online courses that teach you how to sing will allow you to develop techniques that will allow you to sing anything you’d like.
It’s a gift that keeps on giving and it’s something that you should strive to get better at. The time is here and now and if you’d like to see specific courses that will help you get better at singing you can check them out here. A few of them are very genre specific.
Whatever genre you pick up I hope you end up utilizing the best of your time!
