Vocal Dictionary S Through Y

Whoa! We’ve finally made to the end of this, hopefully, VERY handy Vocal Dictionary! This Post covers Letters S Through Y because I couldn’t think of any X or Z terms. This was a real labor of love and so, I hope you’ll forgive the long break since my last post; I wanted you to have the best resource I could compile and I BELIEVE that’s what I’ve given you. Enjoy these last entries:

            Scale:  A series of notes differing in pitch according to a specific formula (usually within an octave). For example, the formula for building an Ascending Major Scale is: Tonic or Root Note – Whole Step – Whole Step – Half Step – Whole Step – Whole Step – Whole Step – Half Step – Ending on the Tonic or Root Note UP one Octave from the Original Tonic or Root Note.

·      Scat: This is style or rather, a technique for singing Jazz that is based, improvisationally on the Chord Progressions in the song, using SYLLABLES rather than Lyrics or words. The sound, essentially, mimics that of an instrument playing Jazz. Frank Sinatra, rather famously, sang “doo-be-doo-be-doo”; THIS is an example of simple scatting. Ella Fitzgerald used scatting in many of her songs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CbVy1NnB4g). This YouTube recording is from the 1976 Grammy Awards with Mel Torme and Ella Fitzgerald, and is, genuinely, BRILLIANT!

·      Scoop: This is a characteristic of some voices. A Scoop is when a singer “approaches” a pitch from below it and slides into the correct pitch. Singers today don’t use scooping as a “technique”, though it was very common for “Crooners” from the 1920s to the 1950s, such as Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Bing Crosby, and more recently, Michael Buble’. I also sang with two famous Crooners, Julio Iglesias and Charles Aznavour. Scooping is ONE way to demonstrate emotion in a song but sadly, most singers only scoop “by mistake”, which is to say, rather than scooping on purpose, they do it searching for their pitch.

·      Score: This is the term for the “written” or printed form of any song or musical composition. Even a piece of Sheet Music for only one song is “technically” the Score of that composition. Most of the time, however, a Score includes a separate Stave for EACH instrument playing the song, INCLUDING a Stave for the Vocal Melody and Lyrics. This Full Score or Conductor’s Score might have as little as only one line from the song because, if there are many instruments accompanying the singer, each of their orchestral parts are notated on a separate Stave, which would fill a VERY LARGE piece of paper, custom prepared so the conductor is able to view all the parts simultaneously.  Each individual musician would normally only have a Score of his or her specific instrument’s musical part, such as the Piano Score or 1^st Violin Score.

·      Segno: This is the musical abbreviation for “Sign”, %. USUALLY, the abbreviation would be Dal Segno or D. S., which means Repeat “from the Sign”.

·      Shake – This is a term used to describe exactly what it sounds. This Vocal Technique is one way to call attention to or accent one word or phrase from others in a song or piece of music. It is NOT a “Physical” shaking of the singer’s body but instead, a method of contracting and relaxing the Diaphragm. This creates the illusion that the VOICE is shaking when, in fact, it is only the changes in volume caused by the movement of the Diaphragmatic modulations that produce a shaking SOUND to the audience.

·      Sharp: When you “Sharp” a note in music, you move the pitch of that particular note UP or to the Left, ONE HALF STEP. The Music Symbol for a Sharp is #. This term can also mean a singer is “above” the pitch he or she intended to hit. Sadly, “being sharp” can sometimes be the result of “pushing” the voice too hard or of “Over-Singing”, so that the pitch is pushed BEYOND, resulting in the singer being “out of tune.” 

·      Sibilance – This term describes the sound of certain consonants, syllables, or words, which center around the letter ‘s’, or occasionally a ‘t’ or ‘z’. These consonant sounds, whether heard individually or in words, like “Popping” above, may be interpreted by a studio microphone as distractingly airy. Whereas these sounds, like all other consonants, should be clear and distinct, they can become distorted or spread, producing a most disagreeable consequence. Rather than flowing smoothly between words, sibilance may sound more like hissing, which can take away from the impact, musically and emotionally. Singing “off axis” or NOT directly into a microphone should significantly remedy most sibilance.

·      Sight Singing: Sight Singing exhibits a high level of Music Theory Proficiency such that a singer is able to recognize, read, and attach correct pitches to the notes he or she sees without extended study prior to performance. Most professional singers have this ability as a job requirement. For instance, recording studio time is expensive. Therefore, producers won’t hire singers who can’t Sight Sing to avoid additional studio time and money. This is a skill learned and honed at a college or university-level course of study.

·      Silence – This one does not require a doctorate to understand; Silence is the absence of singing. This can, actually, be a very effective technique in singing, allowing the music to carry the emotional import of lyrics and/or encouraging the audience’s imagination to “fill in” sections of song content and meaning on their own.

·      Siren Sound: Once again, this term describes a sound similar to that of a police siren or one replicating a War Siren from earlier days, like World War II.  This can be a very effective and quick vocal warm-up exercise, allowing the voice to stretch and open, moving up and down its length.

·      Slide – This is a vocal technique most commonly used in Blues, and Country & Western Music. It is moving from note to another or others without any break or lift in vocal tone. In MOST vocal situations, sliding is NOT recommended as this can, easily, cause Pitch Center to become unbalanced and off. When a Slide is not used “on purpose”, it can sound as though the singer is unsure of where a pitch should BE and is, therefore, “fishing for the pitch.” This is NOT good. A Slide should be used wisely and cogently.

·      Slur – This musical term is denoted using a curved line over the respective notes included. This sign tells a singer and/or musicians that the group of notes covered by the Slur need to be connected or played in a connected manner, smoothly, as if the notes were strung on a wire or string.

·      Soft Palate: Also called the “Velum”, the “Soft” Palate is the soft part of the Roof of your mouth at the back of your throat. There are Palatine bones, which separate the Nasal Cavity from the Oral Cavity. These bones come together under the skin on the Hard Palate. In fact, the Palatine Bones are what MAKE the Hard Palate “Hard”. The Palatine do not extend to the back of the throat, thus creating the softness of the “Soft” Palate. When you yawn or begin to yawn, the Soft Palate stretches open, allowing more air to be draw into the Oral Cavity.

·      Solar Plexus:    This is an important part of your anatomy, not specifically for singing, but for general physical health. When you feel, and find the bottom of your Rib Cage on the left and on the right, you will notice that in front in the middle, the “Cage” does not connect. Instead, there is an open, soft area called the Solar Plexus. This is particularly sensitive, and the core of your body’s diaphragmatic power. It is the center of several nerve ganglia, which makes the area “sensitive” This is also the reason that when a person is struck in the Solar Plexus, the air is “knocked out of him.”  Your heart is safely nestled carefully behind it in the miracle that is your human body.

·      Song – I THINK we all know what a Song is but for any of you any doubt, a Song is a poem or other “themed” lyric under-scored by music. Examples of a song are “Old McDonald Had a Farm”, “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” by the Beatles, and “Popular” from Wicked.

·      Soprano:  This is the highest general vocal range classification for a female or a boy. For more detailed information on the Soprano voice, check out my blog post from October 17, 2016, “Learning About Vocal Registers Versus Vocal Ranges”.

·      Staccato: The opposite of Legato, Staccato is played or sung so that each note sounds separate from all the ones before it and after it. I tell students to think of these notes as “Hot”, so that they need to get off the notes as quickly as possible. Staccato notes are notated by a black dot (.) over or under the note.

·      Staff or Stave – This is a term to describe five parallel lines that have Music Notes and/or Rests written on or between them in the spaces to designate pitch and rhythm. Two staves, one atop the other, connected by a Brace at the beginning, is called a Grand Staff. The top staff is for the Treble or G Clef (usually played with the right hand); the bottom staff is for the Bass or F Clef (usually for the left hand). Singers may also have a separate staff containing the melody line and the lyrics of the song.

·      Style – This is an individual singer’s own personal “spin” on a song, or ALL the songs he or she sings. It’s a recognizable way of interpreting a song, unique to that person or no others. I often tell my students that Record Companies pay an Artist for THEIR Style or version of a song and, therefore, the Company will not pay SOMEONE ELSE to perform the song in the same way. HOWEVER, they MIGHT pay you for YOUR Style or version of it.

·      Subdominant – This is the name used to describe the chord or Triad formed on the 4^th note of any Scale, whether Major or Minor. It is the THIRD most important chord in pretty much any Chord Progression.

·      Sustain – This is another way of saying to HOLD a note for a specified or unspecified amount of time. There is also a “Sustain” Pedal on a Piano, which is usually the most-used and most important of the 2 or 3 pedals found on a Piano. The Sustain Pedal is the right-most Pedal.

·      Swallowing the Note:  Occasionally when a singer either PERCEIVES a note to be lower than he or she believes is within their ability to sing, OR when a singer is un-sure of how low a note is, he or she will, literally, press down on their Larynx so strongly that the Vocal Folds are choked off from making sound. This, obviously, is NOT a desirable technique for singing or for Vocal Health.

·      Syncopation – This is “Rhythm” term, which tends to stress what “feels” like an incorrect beat. In fact, this method emphasizes “upbeats” or the “and” of a beat rather than a “regular” rhythm pattern such as a March. This form of rhythm is frequently found in songs with Afro-Cuban origins but might also appear in Rhythm and Blues songs or any number of other non-traditional songs.

·      Tempo – This is an especially important term for singers to know and understand. The Tempo is the SPEED with which a Song is performed. Any Musical Theater singer who’s ever auditioned for a Show with an inept accompanist understands how DEBILITATING it can be when the Tempo of your Song is played agonizingly slowly. Tempo is VERY important for singers to KNOW and be able to explain or demonstrate to an accompanist.

·      Tenor: This is the name given to the highest male voice. For more detailed information on the Tenor voice, check out my blog post from October 17, 2016, “Learning About Vocal Registers Versus Vocal Ranges”.

·      Tessitura – This is the term used to describe the range or area where most of the notes in a particular passage or piece of music lie. For example, the boundaries or range required to sing the “Star Spangled Banner” in the Key of Bb Major are Bb3 to F5. However, the Tessitura of the Bridge to the end of the Song stays MUCH higher than the early part of the Song, and, therefore, requires a singer with power, great vocal AND breath control, as well as, a strong upper range.

·      Thyroartenoids – This is a $25 word but a most important one for all singers. The Thyroartenoids are another way to describe your Vocal Folds, a more technical or scientific way to describe them. This name is derived from cartilages within the Larynx that the Folds attach to.

·      Thyroid Cartilage – Another $25 term, this one, the Thyroid Cartilage, is another name for your Adam’s Apple. The Thyroid Cartilage is, generally, more prominent in males than in females.

·      Tie – This is a musical term for a curved line over or under (sometimes over and under) 2 notes of identical pitch. The Tie tells the singer and the accompanist the note is to be played and/or sung ONLY the first time it is seen BUT it is to be held for the duration of both notes, whether the note values are the same or not.

·      Timbre – This musical term describes the QUALITY of a sound, NOT its pitch and loudness. The Timbre of a sound is contributed to by: tone quality and color; resonance, and any other characteristics that make an individual’s sound unique.

·      Time Signature: The Time Signature also appears at the beginning of any piece of music. After the Clefs and the Key Signature, you will see what looks like a fraction without the dividing line between the numbers. This does NOT denote Tempo; it provides rhythmic information to the accompanists and singers. Common Time Signatures include: 4 over 4; 2 over 4; 3 over 4; 6 over 8; and 3 over 2. The bottom number tells you what KIND OF NOTE gets ONE count in the piece of music or section; the top number tells you how many beats there must be within EACH MEASURE of the piece. For example, if the Time Signature is 4 over 4, this means a Quarter Note gets one count, and there are 4 beats in each measure.

·      Tone: This is the term used to describe the qualities of your vocal sound on any given note. It is possible for your tone to change, especially from one register to another. For instance, a female singer with a broad range might have a dark, smoky tone in her voice, while exhibiting bell-like qualities in her upper Head voice. Tone quality and color are the results of Resonance, Placement, Breathing, and even Articulatory techniques.     

·      Tonic: This is a very important musical term. It refers to the FIRST note of ANY musical Scale. This can also be called the “Root” or the “1”.

·      Transpose: This is a music term, which describes manipulating the Key of a song, changing it to a higher or lower Key for the duration of the song or for any portion of it. Transposition is used for several purposes, including the need to add “Drama” and excitement (more high notes) to a piece, or possibly because the song is a duet between a man and a woman, and neither can sing comfortably in the other person’s Key. Thus, a solid reason for altering the singing Key.

·      Treble Clef: Clefs are the first notation you see on a piece of music WITHIN a Grand Staff. There are USUALLY (but not always) only TWO Staves and TWO Clefs in ONE Grand Staff. If there is a THIRD Stave on a normal sheet of music, this is usually reserved for the Melody of the piece. The Treble Clef looks similar to a “fancy” “G”, like this “&“. Where the line curves around the second line from the bottom of the Stave, that second line indicates the “G” note above Middle “C”. Another name for the Treble Clef is the G Clef.

·      Trill: A Trill can refer to several different things, depending on the musical context. In Opera, a trill is an ornamentation, which occurs usually by singing back and forth between “Seconds” (interval) at a rapid pace, usually a half step or a step apart. This “trick” is practiced most commonly by sopranos but may be utilized by any vocal part, if advantageous.  There are three other common Trills in Music, often utilized for vocal exercise to force the tongue not to engage in the vocal mechanism. The three types of vocal exercise Trills are the: Lip Trill (“motorboat” while humming); Tongue Trill (extended version of a Spanish “R” sound); and Throat Trill (between the back of the tongue and the Velum or Soft Palate).

·      Triple Threat: This is a term used in Musical Theater to describe someone who excels at singing, dancing, AND acting.  Nowadays, “Triple Threats” are much more common, as competition grows fiercer every day.

·      Unison – This is the term used when more than one person is singing but, no matter the number of singers, everyone sings the same melody notes.

·      Verse – This is the exposition portion of a song. Most songs with traditional structure will have, at least, 2 verses, as well as a Chorus or Refrain, and, possibly, a Bridge.

·      Vibrato:  This is a minor, but regular vacillation in your singing tone. Another way to describe Vibrato is the technique of CONTROLLED but repeated “modest” pitch variance, especially on a sustained note. Vibrato happens because of the normal and natural contraction and relaxation of the muscles of the Vocal Mechanism, reacting to nerve impulses. Performed correctly, Vibrato will warm a sound, and even add intensity and energy to the note. It quite commonly occurs naturally in mature singers. However, Vibrato can also be learned, and it can and should ALWAYS be able to be controlled. I have heard singers I described as having “Wobble-ato”, sometimes “wide enough to drive a truck through. This is neither pleasant to listen to nor effective in adding beauty to a performance, and, unfortunately, it is often the result of poor vocal technique. These days, the top Broadway singers are encouraged to use “audible” Vibrato, which is to say the Vibrato is noticeably present. However, even slight Vibrato can do wonders for the end of a musical phrase without calling attention to itself. In a recording studio for group singing, singers are frequently encouraged to AVOID Vibrato, as each singer’s Vibrato will vary slightly and, therefore, make it difficult to blend in a group setting. Great singers are fully and easily able to control their Vibrato, using it as yet another “tool” in their Vocal arsenal. Vibrato can be used to add dramatic and/or emotional life to a song, so it is a valuable tool to cultivate and hone.   

·      Vocal Folds or Vocal Cords: Any singer worth his or her stuff, KNOWS that it is the Vocal Folds that are fundamental to creating singing pitch. In truth, the Vocal Folds are simply 5 layers of membranous, muscle tissue inside the Larynx. These muscular “cords” form a slit across the Glottis there in the throat. Exhaled air flowing across these Folds or Cords, actuates different pitches for speaking and singing. However, the primary function of these muscles is their sphincter muscle role, which allows them to seal IN food once swallowed, and seal OUT air from entering the stomach.

·      Vocal Fry Register – This is the lowest Vocal Register. It can also be called the Pulse Register, Glottal Fry, Glottal Rattle, Glottal Scraping, Laryngealization, Pulse Phonation, Creaking, Croaking, Popcorning, or Strohbass. This Register can be utilized by men AND women, though it IS more common among male voices. It is created by either the False Vocal Cords or very loosen Vocal Folds, combined with air passing through them. When properly controlled, this Register can multiply a singer’s low range. It has even been used in Choirs without true bass singers. Historically, the Vocal Fry technique has been used by Country and Western singers as a means of initiating words or phrases, some folk singers, Russian choirs, and Metal Music, which utilizes the Register to produce “scream” or “growling” sounds, which are aggressive sounding and can be very harsh. For a more thorough explanation of this Register, see my Blog Post from October 17, 2016, “Learning About Vocal Registers Versus Vocal Ranges.”

·      Vocalises: This is another term for Vocal Exercises, which are activities a singer must engage in to stretch, relax, and, generally, “warm up” the vocal muscles. These exercises serve to prepare the voice best for a vocal performance, but also to lengthen the range, and to practice through all areas and registers of the voice, strengthening each so that one fluid, consistent voice results.

·      Voice or Voce – Voce is Italian for “Voice” and you will find that MOST terminology in music is written in Italian. Hopefully, all of you understand, at least cursorily, what a “Voice” is. Your Voice is the sound made as air passes over your Vocal Folds and through the Resonators of the Voice Tract, and eventually comes out of your mouth as a tone.

·      Vowel:  In the English language, all the letters of the alphabet are represented in speech as Consonants or Vowels. The Vowels, however, are more crucial for singers than the consonants, as Vowels allow the performer more control over “shaping” his or her tone. Vowels also have characteristically more “Open” contour and composition with regard to the Vocal Tract. It is also, almost always, the sound that is sustained in a phrase or word with the consonant sound being added at the end of the sustained period. For example, if the word, “love” must be held out for 8 beats at the end of the section of a certain song, the singer would phonate the “L” sound to begin the word but would HOLD the “ah” or “uh” sound, possibly even an “oh” or “oaw” sound for approximately 7.5 beats, finishing the hold period by adding the “v” sound before your cut-off. This is the best, healthiest, and most advantageous way for a singer to communicate the sustained word. Creating specific Vowel sounds requires the alteration of the size, shape, and positioning of elements of the Oral Cavity, such as the overall mouth and the tongue. This subtle re-formatting allows for the singer to produce optimal resonance, articulation, and projection, by strengthening and augmenting the frequencies needed for correct pitch and tone. The Vowels of the English language are: a, e, i, o, and u, including various sound interpretation choices for each written letter. An example of this is the written letter “u”, which can be pronounced: “uh” in the word ‘cut’; the “you” diphthong in the word ‘unique’; “eh” in the ‘bury’; “oo” in the word ‘shute’; “IH” in the word ‘minute’; or as the consonant sound “W” in the word ‘suite’. As singers, we need all the help we can get to articulate each Vowel sound WELL.

·      Warm-up:  Like any other muscle, the muscles that make up the Vocal Folds or Cords, function MUCH more efficiently, consistently, and fluidly after being exercised and conditioned. Therefore, any techniques and exercises a singer uses to prepare his or her voice for singing OR speaking is called a “Warm Up”. Vocal exercises can be anything from breathing or posture exercises, to arpeggios and scales, to tongue twisters and articulation speed exercises. I recommend that my students BEGIN doing 7-12 minutes of physical stretches, breathing exercises, and vocalises, and as their endurance strengthens, move to approximately 20-30 minutes of exercises and stretches.

·      Whole Note – This is a type of musical note, which is held for a WHOLE measure, usually 4 beats or 3 beats in a “3” Time Signature. The Whole Note and Whole Rest look like this:  w (Note)     r (Rest).

·      Yodel – This is the term used for vocal technique or effect sometimes used in forms of Folk, and Country and Western Music. It utilizes a Glottal Flip from the Head Voice Register to the singer’s Falsetto Register without any attempt to transition smoothly between Registers. Singers proficient in Yodeling, can easily switch back and forth between the two Registers, often very rapidly and with great control.

I can’t wait to hear what you think of the entire Vocal Dictionary. All of the entries have been uploaded on Wednesday, March 22, 2017, and there should be FIVE of them. I trust you will find them practical and applicable to your singing needs. If you can think of ANYTHING I’ve left out, please let me know and I will revise the Dictionary. If you have questions about my lessons or me, look at my website at www.SingitForward.net. I treasure each of you and your comments, so please post them below or feel free to contact me through my website. Thank you SO much for reading, and remember, Sing it Forward!