When vocals are more than just 'good' karaoke...

[lowdowner]

I'm finding that I'm doing more and more vocals as well as bass, and it's got me thinking about what exactly a 'vocalist' is? For bass, or any other physical instrument, it seems like a straight-forward question, but what defines what a vocalist is? What makes a vocalist different from just someone who is good at Karaoke...? What kind of training or skills are required?

Any vocalists out there who can give an opinion on what makes them specifically a vocalist?

[SlapbassSteve]

I'm not sure there is a distinction from karaoke, it's all singing in the end, you get singers of different abilities but if it sounds good, it usually is good. Used to work with a singer/guitarist that cut his teeth on the karaoke scene when that was all the rage before open mics took off. I wouldn't say any training or skills are required, just a good ear, plenty of confidence and a lot of practice. Mic technique is essential too but 99.9% of that is common sense; watching out for plosives etc and keeping the right distance.

That said, I'm average at best, a more serious singer might have a different view.

[mattcbass]

I think there is definitely a distinction from karaoke. The voice is an instrument just like the bass and singers/vocalists train and practice to become better just like every other musician would. It sometimes gets forgotten though because everyone has this instrument and, like lowdowner said, it's not a physical object. But there has to be a line between people that dedicate years to perfecting their singing voice and people that sing on karaoke every Friday night. I think its a case of, if you are good at karaoke then you have the potential of being a vocalist (in a similar sense of having good hand-eye coordination and rhythm, would be a good start for a drummer). But just like all instruments there's so many different techniques to learn and ways to improve stamina and tone etc which would require years of practice and hard work.

Having said this, I am not a singer and I have nothing against karaoke! I'm just conscience of some people thinking their craft isn't fully appreciated

[BobVbass]

Breathing, timing, mic control and knowing your voice enough to be able to hit a note without hearing yourself.

I think most Karaoke flatters the singer to be honest as it's strict tempo so they don't have to concentrate of variations in tempo or fills and typically can hear everything they sing - I think an average singer can sound good at it.

In a live situation there's many more variables that can make a good singer sound average so to be able to get to a great sound needs great skills. Certainly in my experience I've auditioned lots of Karaoke singers that simply don't cut the mustard in a live band mainly for projection and timing reasons.

[Lozz196]

And most karaoke songs, from what I`ve heard, seem to be down-tuned. So when someone has a go at the right key, they sound appalling as it`s way higher than how they`re used to doing it.

That said, I`ve seen some great karaoke singers, the best being an old guy who sang Blueberry Hill by Fats Domino. He was amazing, absolutley spot-on, through delivery, tone, the lot.

Then he fell off the stage where he was so drunk.

[mcgraham]

A vocalist is someone who uses their voice to make music. How good the music is, and how nice the vocals sound generally and within that music is subjective.

It'd be a lie to deny that some people are born with an aptitude for singing, and some are born with a voice that has a tone people just want to listen to, but it would be wrong to say you can't improve your voice and become a good singer and develop wonderful tone. You can even become a great singer, it just takes a lot of time, commitment, dedication and good hard graft.

The voice is an instrument like any other. The vocal cords, larynx, supporting musculature, diaphragm, air flow, air pressure, resonance, resonance shifts, etc, so many factors involved, and it takes time to co-ordinate these to do what you ask when you ask it. When you learn a bass or guitar solo, you learn the notes, you learn to play it slowly, then speed it up, work on tone, etc. The voice is not much different, it takes time finding and reinforcing and ingraining the correct muscle memory to co-ordinate the voice correctly.

The chief difference is that with physical instruments the instrument is already built, all the notes are just 'there', ready to be played, you just need to learn to play them... but with the voice you are both learning to build the instrument (by co-ordinating your vocal cords correctly and recruiting the other factors in appropriate balance) AND learning to play it all at the same time. Which makes it tough in some regards.

[OldG]

I reckon the same as the difference between a gigging bassist and and a bedroom player - True self belief that you'll give give a great performance with a good tight like minded band.

[JTUK]

When someone has a voice that stops you in your tracks....and there are also varying degrees of that, of course.

Too many vocals are just another noise.... and it is an area that too many bands skimp on, IMO.

The vox should be the focal point of the band so the P.A should be the best you can afford ..and be capable of always outreaching the band volume,
If you have one that can really sing, then settle for that... if they have charisma as well, you have gold dust...as they are very few and far between.

Round here, you have 'make-do's, and few real quality vocals, but none have the frontman charisma AND great vox..
I would always settle for the better vox over a front person, but there can be mileage in both...