31 replies to this topic

[Drew]

Birdsall, on 13 May 2013 - 12:53 PM, said:

Drew, are you sure you like vibrato-less singing? If so, you would like boys' choirs or early counter tenors (before they became mainstream and sang with more vibrato). You might also like Emma Kirby. I think you probably mean little vibrato. Some people like very little, but most people want some amount of vibrato. Too much vibrato is a tremolo and faulty singing if the singer can not control how much vibrato. That might be what you don't like in a singer, and, if so, that is something that is annoying, but white tones (no vibrato) in singing are like fingernails on a chalkboard to me.

I don't know much technically about voices, but I can say that I have always enjoyed Emma Kirkby and was thinking of her when I posted. That said, I think you are probably right that what I really mean is that I typically like singers who use little vibrato rather than none at all.

The few times I have heard counter-tenors I found them more 'interesting' than anything else, but I did hear one recently that I Iiked a lot--James Laing.  I don't know if he is an example of the more "mainstream" approach you mention or not...

[Birdsall]

Drew, on 13 May 2013 - 01:42 PM, said:

Birdsall, on 13 May 2013 - 12:53 PM, said:

Drew, are you sure you like vibrato-less singing? If so, you would like boys' choirs or early counter tenors (before they became mainstream and sang with more vibrato). You might also like Emma Kirby. I think you probably mean little vibrato. Some people like very little, but most people want some amount of vibrato. Too much vibrato is a tremolo and faulty singing if the singer can not control how much vibrato. That might be what you don't like in a singer, and, if so, that is something that is annoying, but white tones (no vibrato) in singing are like fingernails on a chalkboard to me.

I don't know much technically about voices, but I can say that I have always enjoyed Emma Kirkby and was thinking of her when I posted. That said, I think you are probably right that what I really mean is that I typically like singers who use little vibrato rather than none at all.

The few times I have heard counter-tenors I found them more 'interesting' than anything else, but I did hear one recently that I Iiked a lot--James Laing.  I don't know if he is an example of the more "mainstream" approach you mention or not...

I haven't heard James Laing, but most counter tenors have started singing with a warmer sound and more vibrato than before. They have learned to train their voices to have no register breaks, etc. So counter tenors do seem to be getting better and better. I think it is still an acquired taste. Some people will always hate them no matter what. I don't mind them overall.