Oversinging
Encyclopedia
Oversinging describes the concept of "singing too much", or simply overdoing the singing
.
There are different opinions on what oversinging implies, though it usually implies one or more of the following:
Oversinging has two meanings. One is a technical understanding, where oversinging is understood as "pushing the voice", and "is when a singer pushes too much breath pressure through the larynx", which is known as overblowing of the vocal folds. The result is over-production of sound.
The other meaning is what is known as "vocal gymnastics". This will imply melisma, and is described by Hollywood vocal coach Roger Burnley as "using too many riffs, runs, and embellishments in their singing".
Singers who try to impress, and show off their vocal abilities, often turn to this kind of oversinging.
tend to oversing, and blame some of the most prominent American female singers for inspiring them.
Beyoncé Knowles
, Céline Dion
, Whitney Houston
, Mariah Carey
, and Christina Aguilera
are well known for their heavy use of melisma and belting, and they have all been criticized for oversinging themselves.
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
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The meaning
Oversinging is not a word found in common dictionaries, but it is a well known phenomenon. Using an oversimplified example one could say that a singer oversings by "singing too much", as an actor overacts by "acting too much".There are different opinions on what oversinging implies, though it usually implies one or more of the following:
- Belting to an extreme by singing too loud by pushing one's singing voiceHuman voiceThe human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
"too much" (straining), or singing into a higher or lower range than is comfortable for one's voice (beyond one's useful vocal rangeVocal rangeVocal range is the measure of the breadth of pitches that a human voice can phonate. Although the study of vocal range has little practical application in terms of speech, it is a topic of study within linguistics, phonetics, and speech and language pathology, particularly in relation to the study...
). - Excessive use of runs, whoops, and vocal falsettos melismaMelismaMelisma, in music, is the singing of a single syllable of text while moving between several different notes in succession. Music sung in this style is referred to as melismatic, as opposed to syllabic, where each syllable of text is matched to a single note.-History:Music of ancient cultures used...
.
Oversinging has two meanings. One is a technical understanding, where oversinging is understood as "pushing the voice", and "is when a singer pushes too much breath pressure through the larynx", which is known as overblowing of the vocal folds. The result is over-production of sound.
The other meaning is what is known as "vocal gymnastics". This will imply melisma, and is described by Hollywood vocal coach Roger Burnley as "using too many riffs, runs, and embellishments in their singing".
Singers who try to impress, and show off their vocal abilities, often turn to this kind of oversinging.
Critique
Many complain that contestants in shows like IdolIdol series
The British talent search television series Pop Idol has spawned spin-offs in 42 territories, in what is now referred to as the "Idols" format, as described by FremantleMedia...
tend to oversing, and blame some of the most prominent American female singers for inspiring them.
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
, Céline Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
, Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
, Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
, and Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
are well known for their heavy use of melisma and belting, and they have all been criticized for oversinging themselves.