Hardest genre to sing?

[reddude333]

What in your oppinion, is the hardest genre to sing? Give an example of maybe a song that you felt like was impossible to get right..... Mine would be rock, (Wherever You Will Go, calling) Its hard for me to get the right sound and i feel like it takes alot more time to get it right. Pop music seems the most easy.

[chamcham]

From articles i've read, opera and gospel are the 2 hardest genres to sing because you have to be a powerhouse singer to do them justice. Pop and rock can vary widely. R&B, in general, is usually a little more difficult than pop and rock because it requires more dynamic range and agility.

 

In terms of composition, jazz is probably the most complex since it goes far beyond the music theory used in most pop/rock. I don't know if jazz singing is more complex than pop/rock/r&b.

[EightString]

progressive metal?

opera?

jazz?

R&B?

 

In any genre, once you get 10,000 or more hours of dedicated work in, whatever you're doing becomes "hard" for the average singer to emulate.

[beach1]

progressive metal? opera? jazz? R&B? In any genre, once you get 10,000 or more hours of dedicated work in, whatever you're doing becomes "hard" for the average singer to emulate.

 

Agreed. Singers like Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey are rnb/pop, yet I think the level at which they sing is very difficult.

[tedmich]

this seems pretty difficult

pDUyA-fVie8

[EightString]

 

[video=youtube;zhrp_h_BkPs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhrp_h_BkPs

 

[annie.px]

Opera singing is by far the hardest out of all types of singing, not even arguably. It takes DECADES to successfully master your voice and it requires so much skill, talent and so many years of training. Very few can be good opera singers while most people can become pop singers with very little talent. Even Mariah Carey, who has an amazing voice and vocal range, admitted that she will never be able to sing opera, due to it’s high level of difficulty and intense training. In my opinion opera is very much under-appreciated given it’s the hardest form of singing.

[daddymack]

true...but, your point being? This is an ancient thread with no replies in 8 years....now, do you think the prior posters still care, or are even still here?

Welcome to Harmony Central...please date check the threads before you post, thank you in advance for your cooperation...

[kickingtone]

21 hours ago, annie.px said:

Opera singing is by far the hardest out of all types of singing, not even arguably. It takes DECADES to successfully master your voice and it requires so much skill, talent and so many years of training. Very few can be good opera singers while most people can become pop singers with very little talent. Even Mariah Carey, who has an amazing voice and vocal range, admitted that she will never be able to sing opera, due to it’s high level of difficulty and intense training. In my opinion opera is very much under-appreciated given it’s the hardest form of singing.

It's not all about the genre, but also the piece of music. You could probably write something too challenging for the human voice in any genre. But most genres don't go looking for technical difficulty, as such. That may happen more in opera, as there seems to be a "showing off" element of the singer, as well as a "badge of sophistication" for the composer.

The original demand of being able to be heard at the back row of a huge venue did set classical singing necessarily apart, but now, with mics...?

[SteinbergerHack]

On 8/19/2020 at 6:08 AM, annie.px said:

Opera singing is by far the hardest out of all types of singing, not even arguably. It takes DECADES to successfully master your voice and it requires so much skill, talent and so many years of training. Very few can be good opera singers while most people can become pop singers with very little talent. Even Mariah Carey, who has an amazing voice and vocal range, admitted that she will never be able to sing opera, due to it’s high level of difficulty and intense training. In my opinion opera is very much under-appreciated given it’s the hardest form of singing.

Absolutely true.

My daughter is studying opera at the Jacobs School, and has probably another 5 years or so of training before she could be considered a viable candidate for a lead role in a major opera company (though she has the lead role in their fall opera this year, ahead of a number of grad students).

Meanwhile, she can walk into just about any other type of vocal audition and score straight 10/10s.  I music direct with a couple of community theater groups, and I can guarantee you that any trained opera singer will blow away any other sort of vocal setting in technique, diction, presentation, power, and sight reading.

4 hours ago, kickingtone said:

It's not all about the genre, but also the piece of music. You could probably write something too challenging for the human voice in any genre. But most genres don't go looking for technical difficulty, as such. That may happen more in opera, as there seems to be a "showing off" element of the singer, as well as a "badge of sophistication" for the composer.

The original demand of being able to be heard at the back row of a huge venue did set classical singing necessarily apart, but now, with mics...?

There's a lot more to it than that.  "Classical" performers are selected by highly trained, skilled professionals on the basis of their technical skill and ability BEFORE they are allowed to perform or record; opera is the highest level of vocal performance within the classical spaces, so it is reserved for the absolutely highest-skill performers.  Other genres focus on other aspects, like songwriting, look, and sometimes just acceptance by a lowest-common-denominator audience.  Sure, there are operatic pieces that can be sung by lesser-trained vocalists, but they will never pass the audition to get themselves on an opera stage.

Put another way, CC Deville and Ace Frehley sold a lot of records playing simple guitar parts, but there's no way either would ever take a gig from Chris Parkening, no matter how well they might be able to play a specific piece; they simply aren't qualified for the gig.

Oh, and BTW, most operatic performers still work without mics.  Broadway performers use headsets, but not opera. 

Edited August 20, 2020 by SteinbergerHack

[daddymack]

46 minutes ago, SteinbergerHack said:

Oh, and BTW, most operatic performers still work without mics.  Broadway performers use headsets, but not opera. 

^ This!

[Mikeo]

I never use a  mic

 

In the shower.

 

[FelipeCarvalho]

6 hours ago, SteinbergerHack said:

There's a lot more to it than that.  "Classical" performers are selected by highly trained, skilled professionals on the basis of their technical skill and ability BEFORE they are allowed to perform or record; opera is the highest level of vocal performance within the classical spaces, so it is reserved for the absolutely highest-skill performers.

Opera companies are commercial institutions like any others, with perhaps the exception of government maintained instances, and they will choose the singer based on the result achieved *on the singing*, no matter how many years of training, technical demonstrations or certificates are presented (even in the case of the govnt maintained ones, for the lead roles hardly they will do something different).

Some allow volunteering, which of course will be for minor roles but will allow the person to get in. If you take an audition for a role, you will be asked to sing a couple of pieces, the conductor can also test you to see how you work, but the nature will be practical because well, they want to get someone good for the show so that they make money out of it.

Granted that for someone in Opera learning technique would probably be a good idea, it´s just a tool, and not the goal. Some of the most acclaimed tenors had no training when they started their carreers. Many have radically different backgrounds. The common part is that they could/can sing the living hell out of their parts.

Opera has a focus on virtuose, yes, and that´s why technique is probably a good idea if you are not some sort of genius, but you can find the same in many genres and it won´t prevent you from performing lesser roles IF you can perform the piece of course.

[FelipeCarvalho]

On the aspect of difficulty, you just don´t have the same public appeal, people don´t just get together in their garages to do Opera, nor it´s something you will find on local pubs and smaller venues.

Because of that, the dude that mumbles Riders on The Storm in exchange for a couple of beers will be very far from the quality he needs to get even a minor role on some Opera, so the bar to get in is indeed a bit higher, but once things get more serious the competition can be even harder on popular styles.

Think for example someone on a corporate band, where you have to do multiple styles and shows can be ridiculously long. Or Heavy Metal where plenty of songs would make Ah! Mes Amis melody seem kinda low in comparision. Or a session singer, when you just have to show up and deliver sometimes without even the opportunity to prepare.

Music Theatre has auditions all the same, the difference is, you will be competing also with the kid that has been performing professionally since age 5 and can go from Opera to Rock and all the variations people WILL ASK for on those pieces, without breaking a sweat, lol.

In short, everything will be hard once you get serious about it. And everything is rather easy when limited to karaoke at home 😛

[1001gear]

Boid calls.

[Sheogorath]

On 8/19/2020 at 6:08 AM, annie.px said:

Opera singing is by far the hardest out of all types of singing, not even arguably. It takes DECADES to successfully master your voice and it requires so much skill, talent and so many years of training. Very few can be good opera singers while most people can become pop singers with very little talent. Even Mariah Carey, who has an amazing voice and vocal range, admitted that she will never be able to sing opera, due to it’s high level of difficulty and intense training. In my opinion opera is very much under-appreciated given it’s the hardest form of singing.

The only opposition I have to this is in the form of heavy metal even the growls and screams take practice to master plus on the chance of doing it improperly can cause scarring in the throat at a significant rate 

[1001gear]

The genre lacks any of the specificity of classical music. Apples and corpses.

[1001gear]

Then too,

Metal, painful dermal disfiguration, diabolical overhead.

Opera, making enough money to get obese.

Sorry it seems to be a draw.

[davie]

Opera/classical is probably the one of the hardest genres to sing at the professional level. Many singers typically train at least 10 years to get a decent sound. In many ways its kinda like the "Olympic-level" version of singing. The repertoire is also requires a lot of detail and takes of a lot of memory.

But regarding more "modern" genres, I would say metal vocals probably is one of the most difficult to sing. Such as vocals from Judas Priest and Queensryche come to mind. The combination of vocal range and intensity is what makes them challenging.

[Mile Mandic]

I would go with opera singers as well. I have a good amount of experience in trying out a wide range of genres to sing in, ranging from rock to traditional songs from my country. I don't consider myself extremely good at any of them, but I believe that if you dedicate your time to one of these genres, you can become pretty good at it.

That being said, when I was a teenager, we set up a PA system for an opera concert, and the singer didn't even need a microphone to be heard. I think his voice could fill the entire venue (not a very large one, but still) on its own. It was truly a beautiful performance, and I can understand why people spend so many years practicing it.

Metal, on the other hand, can also be very demanding. It requires years of practice to achieve what these guys are capable of doing.

All in all, I believe that with enough time and practice, every genre is possible.

Cheers, Mile