New From Vocals: Practical History of (Vocal) Music by Perfect Mcsnup

 

PRACTICAL HISTORY OF (VOCAL) MUSIC| Vocal Music Lecture Session with Perfect Mcsnup.

Music History must have practically begun with Singing. In the Bible we read, that the Morning Stars Sang for joy, at the foundation of the world (Job 38:6-7). From experience, we know that singing is instinctive, parents sing to their babies and for various purposes- one song, for sleeping (lullabies); another song for cheer, and so on. Thus to practically consider the history of Music, it is apt to look at the evolution of singing techniques.

BASICS OF VOICE TRAINING & VOCAL TECHNIQUES:

Singing History, which we may consider as the beginning of Music history, classifies sounds into two kinds, with respect to vocal music; they are:

1. Taught Sounds

2. Untaught Sounds.

This Classification is on the basis of the first goal of singing: which is to be heard by the listening audience! Following this considerations, not every sound is exactly audible enough to be heard without a microphone or any other means of sound amplification. Therefore, we may describe the first Era of Vocal Music as the Era of NATURAL AMPLIFICATION.

The Era of NATURAL AMPLIFICATION is primarily characterized by the use of vocal techniques to bring about the projection of the voice during singing, in such a way that the audience, however the size may hear the singing as clearly and as audibly as possible, what is the point singing and not being heard, after all?

According to this Era, not every sound though possible to be produced by the voice, may be amplified naturally, since there were no microphones or any other electronic means of amplification during the Era. This therefore implied that those sounds which could be naturally amplified, could thus be TAUGHT and are so called TAUGHT SOUNDS whereas, the other group of sounds which may not be possibly amplified are called UNTAUGHT SOUNDS!

Therefore, the principal factor which determined Taught and Untaught Sounds, was amplification. This in principle holds true today, in the ERA OF ELECTRONIC AMPLIFICATION. We now have Microphones and Pre-amps, which allow for the Amplification of even the "faintest" breath-sounds, the principle thus is THAT THE MEANING OF THE MUSIC BE CONVEYED! This in Contemporary Vocal Techniques now allows for even Vocal Effects, such as Acoustic Reverbs, Nasality, Ethereal Whispery and even Panting Effects, are all but to mention a few, rather quiet vocal effects which in the pre-electronic amplification age, would have been classified as Untaught Sounds, but now, thanks to Electronic Amplification, have all passed for Taught Sounds! Therefore Taught Sounds, may now be redefined, not simply with Amplification in mind, but portrayal of meaning (Artistry), so long as it is singable without any potential damage to the all important vocal cords.