What is pop singing? What is pop vocals

Training programs for any level

The program immerses the student in the life of the school and gives an idea of ​​how vocal training takes place. 4 individual lessons in Vocals give you the opportunity to choose a teacher, and 2 lessons in Theory or Communication give you the opportunity to attend additional subjects and try your hand at a choir or band.

AMATEURS

The basic program immerses you in the chosen specialty. It is compiled according to a schedule convenient for the student from individual Vocal lessons (1,2 or 3 times a week). Includes student performances with routines prepared during the course at school events. As additional lessons, theory, choir and band classes are available.

PROFESSIONALS

An extended program to obtain a complete music education. The course includes individual Vocal lessons (1,2 or 3 times a week) and a Theory course for FREE. The student has a discount on all additional classes, master classes and intensive courses of the school. Receives a professional portfolio from all his performances and can take a test and receive a certificate.

Additional general developmental educational programs in the field of musical art: “Academic Vocals”, “Pop Singing”.

In accordance with the State assignment of the State budgetary institution of additional education of the city of Moscow "Children's art school
named after I.S. Kozlovsky" enrollment of children into 1st grade under these programs has not been carried out since September 1, 2014. The educational process in the 2018-19 academic year is carried out exclusively from grades V to VII (VIII).

Duration of training – 5 and 7 years

Disciplines studied: specialty (vocals) - 2 times a week, listening to music - 1 time a week, choir - 1 time a week, solfeggio 1 time a week, musical literature - 1 time a week, general piano - 1 time a week. Training takes place in accordance with state curricula and educational programs.

Educational programs:

Academic singing

  • Academic singing. 5 and 7 years old
Pop singing
  • Pop vocals. 5 years

In all subjects, student performance is monitored: intermediate and annual certifications, final exams. As a result of mastering a comprehensive educational program in the field of musical performance, students receive a general music education. Graduates of class V (5-year period of study) and class VII (7-year period of study), who have mastered the educational program in full and passed the final certification, are considered to have completed the full course of the educational institution. They are issued a document confirming completion of the I.S. Kozlovsky Children's Art School, confirming receipt of additional education in the field of musical art.

Singing and health

Doctors have long noticed that singing, especially vocal practice, has the most beneficial effect on health. A person who sings knows how to relax and is less susceptible to depression.

“The art of singing is breathing correctly,” as they said back in the days of the old Italian vocal school. And indeed it is. When a person sings, his respiratory muscles are trained and diaphragmatic breathing develops, which together improves lung drainage.

With bronchitis, bronchial asthma and pneumonia, overexcitation of the sympathetic nervous system occurs, which is responsible for the functioning of internal organs. When a person inhales and then holds his breath - which, in fact, is what is observed when singing - then this part of the nervous system is activated and begins to work better.

There is a well-known method for treating bronchial asthma using singing training. In the practice of many teachers specializing in choral art, there have been cases of complete disappearance of attacks in sick children. And no one is surprised when doctors send a child with such a diagnosis to sing in the choir. Singing not only relieves attacks of this disease, but also cures it.

Vocal classes are an effective preventive measure in preventing, first of all, colds. Singing here is as necessary as air, as it “pumps” the trachea and bronchi, perfectly ventilates and trains the lungs. Thus, in people who systematically practice vocals, the vital capacity of the lungs increases. This makes the body’s safety margin significantly greater.

Singing can prevent respiratory infections by protecting the upper respiratory tract from infections. When a person sings, he inhales air quickly, but exhales slowly. The oxygen content in the blood decreases, and the carbon dioxide content increases. The latter in this case becomes an irritant and “stimulates” the immune system. With regular vocal practice, the level of immunoglobulin and cortisol increases, which are signs of good immunity.

Every music lover invariably comes across the concept of vocals. Most people assume that vocals are just singing. This is partly true. But let's look at the question of what vocals are more broadly. Among other things, we will try to consider its main types.

What is vocals: definition

In general, if you turn to many explanatory dictionaries, there are quite a lot of interpretations of what vocals are. What does such a concept mean from the point of view, so to speak, of a musical scientific approach? In a general understanding - the ability to sing, mastery of the voice, the art of singing, the ability to express certain emotions with the voice on a musical level, etc.

You can often find an interpretation of the essence of the question of what vocals are in music. Many musicologists, composers and even the performers themselves call it the most sophisticated musical instrument, capable of touching the deepest feelings and strings of the soul. Agree, it is the human voice that is capable of conveying an unimaginable number of emotional shades, which is inaccessible to any of the known musical instruments.

Vocal types

So let's look at the vocals. What is the ability to master a voice in musical terms in relation to different types of music, we will now look at it. Let's look at the most common classification.

The basis for the entire vocal school is the so-called classical vocal, which is sometimes called academic. You shouldn’t think that this is only an operatic voice production, because classical music, like any other direction, implies different genres. As a rule, such a voice is characterized by incredible volume and depth, and in most cases does not involve singing into a microphone, since its use can cause severe distortion of the voice sounding through the speakers.

It was from academic vocals that came the division of voices into corresponding groups that differ in pitch, that is, the ability to sing notes in a certain range and with a certain tempo. Here you will find soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, alto, baritone, and much more.

One of the most common is pop vocals. There is probably no need to explain what pop or pop music is. Here, the framework for voice production corresponding to the classical one is completely absent, although it has its own requirements.

Unfortunately, today there are so many pop singers that many of them consider themselves vocalists, even without knowing how to sing, and all vocal parts are “leveled” using computer programs like Melodyne, which allows you to raise any false note to the desired sound level. However, for the stage vocals are not so important; here the first place is rather given to music and rhythm. It is not surprising that pop vocals imply, so to speak, at least just the ability to somehow sing. But there are also many professional performers who still focus on the vocal perception of any composition.

One of the most difficult manifestations of vocal mastery is jazz vocals. the singer's voice? This is a very subtle control of the voice over a very wide range, the ability to very accurately take dissonant notes with a transition, say, through an octave or more, but the main thing here is the ability to improvise. Actually, jazz music itself basically implies improvisation.

Now let's look at another type called rock vocals. Everyone knows what rock is - the music is often very expressive. It is clear that “rock” vocals primarily imply expression and incredible dynamics. Without this, rock music itself looks “dry”.

The vocals here, along with the rhythm guitar, are predominant. It is he who carries the charge of energy for which fans love rock music. But there are also caveats here. It's no secret that rock ballads are recognized as the most melodic in the world. So a rock vocalist must not only be able to “get” the audience when rhythmic compositions are performed, but also convey all the notes of the mood of the ballad.

By the way, lately academic vocals have been used very often in rock. Most often this manifests itself in Scandinavian groups and performers. Take, for example, the former vocalist of a famous Finnish band named Tarja Turunen. Her voice, by almost every definition, fits the classic production.

Vocalise

Vocalise is also worth considering separately, since it is also a type of vocal. In principle, the performance technique involves the use in singing only of vowels such as “a”, “o”, “u”, “e”, etc. However, the seemingly simple performance technique is in many ways much more complicated than when using text.

One of the most striking examples is the composition of Pink Floyd called Great Gig In The Sky from the album Dark Side Of The Moon, which has become a classic of the genre. Even in the concert version, one can feel the skill and professionalism of the vocalists performing the main part. By the way, the group usually invites black women, since they have very specific voices, somewhat reminiscent of the jazz school and soul style.

Conclusion

Of course, this is not all that can be said about the vocals. It remains to add that if a person wants to learn to sing and control his voice as flexibly as possible, he needs to devote more than one year to classes, with daily chants designed to develop performance technique, as well as significantly expand the boundaries of the range of sounds reproduced by the voice.

Pop vocals

Pop vocals are a well-known type of pop singing, which includes a huge number of varieties of songs: folk singing, jazz, art song, rock music. This direction includes a whole range of vocal skills. This type of vocal is primarily intended for singing on stage, and the name pop vocal itself is often associated with popular and easy music.

Pop vocals, in comparison with classical vocals, are more characterized by such sound qualities as naturalness and accessibility.

However, such important singing skills as impeccable positioning and sound support are equally required in pop vocals as in academic ones. The vocal studio, whose experienced specialists will help even an absolute beginner, helps you master the art of singing.

Jazz vocals

Great demands are placed on a jazz vocalist - an ideal sense of proportionality and rhythm, as well as excellent maneuverability of the vocal apparatus and skills for instant improvisation.

Jazz singing is impossible without penetration into the form and essence of the work. When performing, you need the ability to convey your perception of the theme and melody, the ability to change it, without depriving the original harmony. Collaborative partnerships with musicians are also important here.

Rock vocals

Rock vocals are typically the job of a vocalist in a rock band. Rock vocals, unlike jazz singing, have a more emotional message. The main task of the performer becomes rather the semantic load of the work, and the vocal one fades somewhat into the background. However, despite this, a rock vocalist must have sufficient singing skills. What is required from him is additional emotional fervor, and absolute freedom with a dose of musical swagger.

Academic vocals

Academic vocals are an established traditional vocal style. Academicians perform in opera, with the participation of a symphony orchestra, and, of course, in the chamber vocal genre. A distinctive feature of academic vocals in comparison with others is its demanding classical views. Academic vocals have their own foundations and traditions, acquired through many years of experience and the history of vocal music. These regulations usually do not allow an academic performer to sing in other vocal genres. With experience, such a singer develops a specific vocal position, the voice acquires considerable strength and significant volume. However, with rare exceptions, academic vocalists can sing in other vocal genres if they make the presentation easier.

Voice training is the use of vocal techniques in practical life. The first thing where voice training begins in vocal courses http://muz-school.ru/courses/kursy-vokala-peniya.html is with the student’s breathing. Mastering the breathing technique is necessary for any singer. First of all, the correct operation of the diaphragm is important, as this affects correct vocal breathing and sound delivery. Then comes work with resonators. The vocalist must be aware of what instructions need to be followed to achieve the perfect sound. Singing should be easy.

Vocal Fundamentals

Pop vocals - pop singing combines many song styles and unites the entire palette of vocal art. Pop vocals, first of all, mean singing from the stage, but the concept of pop vocals is usually associated with light and easy-to-understand music. In pop vocals you can hear both folk motifs and elements of jazz, as well as art songs and elements of rock music. Pop vocals differ from academic vocals in that they have a more open and more natural sound. However, singing skills, correct positioning and support*(“*” - see dictionary of terms) sound are just as necessary in pop vocals as in academic ones.

The main difference between pop vocals and academic and folk vocals lies in the goals and objectives of the vocalist. The fact is that academic and folk singers always work within a certain canon or regulated sound, and for them it is not accepted to deviate from the norm. The task of pop vocals is different - to find your own original sound, your own characteristic, easily recognizable manner of behavior, as well as a stage image. Thus, the main specificity of pop vocals is the search and formation of the vocalist’s own unique voice.

This process is in many ways similar to how pop instrumentalists search for “their sound.” Of course, in order to achieve this goal and find your original style of singing, you need to master a fairly wide range of range* technical techniques. So, for example, in pop vocals, unlike folk and classical, intelligible diction*, since words are one of the significant components of any good song.

Also, a feature of pop singing is that in pop songs you can much more often find phrases that are difficult to sing, which require the performer to quickly change breathing.

Pop vocals combine the techniques of academic vocals and folk singing, as well as a number of specific techniques that are characteristic of pop music. Sometimes many who are just beginning to learn the basics of singing technique, unwittingly, and sometimes consciously, try to imitate their favorite pop performers, blindly copying their style of singing. As practice shows, not everyone benefits from this in the future. Everything here is individual: for some, the birth of a beautiful singing voice will be a happy surprise, while for others it will be the result of long and painstaking work.