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When it comes to singing what's more important to you

analogue

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range or tone?

For me it's tone. Someone could have the most versitile vocal range ever but if it's not pleasing to my hears then i won't care.
 
I agree. My ears listen more to tone rather than how wide their range is. I dislike many successful artists simply because their tone is VERY unappealing to my aural taste.

However, to me it's not a chance of range vs. tone. I could like somebody with a great tone and also a huge range. Range, i guess, honestly means almost nothing to me....technically. Range does help show that you know your voice well. But I also like to see how people work with what they got. A great favorite of mine, John Mayer, for instance; great tone to my personal ear but not much of a real vocal range. He's not a singer tho, so I don't kill him for it, haha!
 
Tone. Too many vocalists who are considered some of the best of all time tend to over sing and butcher nearly every song. Actually, from a technical vocal training stand point, most teachers consider artists like Christina Aguilera to be bad vocalists. I'm not saying I agree, but I've read it many times. I think Christina has a great voice but simply doesn't have the technique or restraint.
 
Tone, timbre etc. Don't really care much about range. Some people are almost painful to listen to because you can literally hear the bumps developing on the vocal chords. Lets say, Rod Steward for an extreme example, I can't listen because it hurts to listen. This whole 'soandso many octaves range' is pretty tiring.

If you can be all that you can be in 2 octaves- good on you. You can have 4.5 octaves and might not be able to convey anything through that.

Vocal acrobatics used to be the deal a couple of hundred years ago, luckily we're kinda beyond that.
 
Pace said:
Tone, timbre etc. Don't really care much about range. Some people are almost painful to listen to because you can literally hear the bumps developing on the vocal chords. Lets say, Rod Steward for an extreme example, I can't listen because it hurts to listen. This whole 'soandso many octaves range' is pretty tiring.

If you can be all that you can be in 2 octaves- good on you. You can have 4.5 octaves and might not be able to convey anything through that.

Vocal acrobatics used to be the deal a couple of hundred years ago, luckily we're kinda beyond that.
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The music industry is still pretty hung up on vocal acrobatics. I never was, which is why I can appreciate an artist like Madonna - who while doesn't have a big voice - has certainly made the most of it.
 
See, I try not to confuse the industry with the actual music scene which is usually a lot bigger than the industry and then the picture gets a bit larger. You're right though, especially when it comes to female voices the industry will push you the same vocal acrobatics as the epitome of the human voice- and then it gets tiring. Remember the same style in the 90ies? Especially females were pushed in that way. Whitney Houston- great voice- and got treated as acrobat with people sitting on their seat to see if she'd manage that jump in one song, same with Mariah Carey. Christina Aguilera falls in the same decade and style- very indicative of a certain decade within the music industry, but that doesn't tell you what the jazz clubs were doing around that time.

I'll agree on the versatility. Can you sing a love song that MOVES me, that makes me identify and project through that voice? Am I moved at all? Most mainstream stuff just doesn't- Michael ALWAYS did, that is the big exception.

Or take Kyle Minogue for example- couldn't lure me from behind the couch. And just that ONE duet with Nick Cave- holy whoa! Great job.
 
Tone. It's gotta sound good to my ears. Mariah Carey has an amazing range but singing those really high notes can make dogs howl and glasses break. :heehee:
 
Travis said:
Tone. Too many vocalists who are considered some of the best of all time tend to over sing and butcher nearly every song. Actually, from a technical vocal training stand point, most teachers consider artists like Christina Aguilera to be bad vocalists. I'm not saying I agree, but I've read it many times. I think Christina has a great voice but simply doesn't have the technique or restraint.
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I was reading your post and then I see this on twitter: Celine Dion: "Christina Aguilera is probably THE BEST VOCALIST IN THE WORLD" - On the @tyrabanks show
 
MJalen said:
I was reading your post and then I see this on twitter: Celine Dion: "Christina Aguilera is probably THE BEST VOCALIST IN THE WORLD" - On the @tyrabanks show
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Celine is a very kind woman but I think most everyone knows she can sing circles around Christina any day of the week. Seriously, no way can Christina compete with Celine. Uh uh.
 
Tone, I hate when people say someone can't sing because they don't have a huge range, you don't have to have huge range to be able to sing, you may not be a powerhouse, but it's not the same as not being able to sing.
I agree with what Travis said about Madonna, she doesn't have a huge voice and she never will, but she really makes the most of her voice, I could name a few other who are the same too, yet are said to be weak vocalists.
 
raz2911 said:
Tone, I hate when people say someone can't sing because they don't have a huge range, you don't have to have huge range to be able to sing, you may not be a powerhouse, but it's not the same as not being able to sing.
I agree with what Travis said about Madonna, she doesn't have a huge voice and she never will, but she really makes the most of her voice, I could name a few other who are the same too, yet are said to be weak vocalists.
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Diana Ross and Janet are good mentions. Neither are powerful but both have done wonderful things with their voices on a multitude of musical styles.
 
Tone, without a doubt. You could have a big range but sound uninspired, too trained and over sing. Tone matters.
 
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