Article:Birit Singing: Is higher better?
eDCel
http://tsinoy.com/Roots/AlamMoBa.cfm?ID=741
Birit Singing: Is higher better?
by Joyce Anne Agacer
I just remembered hearing Lea Salonga in one news programs say that just
because you can't "make birit"(belt out), you're no good in singing.
I told my friends about it. Some were singers or music lovers, some were
not.
"Hindi nya lang kasi kaya bumirit (that's because she can't belt out the
high notes herself)", said one of them.
"Oo naman no! Mas gusto ko pa pakinggan si Lea kaysa sa mga birit queen
dyan!(Of course! I'd rather listen to Lea singing than those screaming when
they sing)", said another.
Lea hit it right on the spot when she said our new generation of singers
focus too much on "making birit"..or maybe their managers do. I didn't think
she was just being bitter because she can't reach those high notes. It
didn't matter to me because I've always loved her voice. It's just
incomparable.
Of course it would be hypocritical of me to say that I don't get impressed
with these belters. Regine Velasquez never failed to give me goose bumps
when she suddenly raises the original tune to two or more notes higher.
And, may I just mention this, I am a huge, huge fan of Mariah Carey and it
doesn't mean I do because I like her taste in clothes Ü. After all that was
said about her, at the end of the day, her high notes still stand out.
Back in my Center for Pop Music Philippines days, I always told my students
that having a good singing voice is different from singing well. So, when
you sing a simple melody and you don't sound impressive, you can try
impressing your audience by using the power of your voice when reaching high
tones.
But what actually happened was: if you can't reach the high tones, you're no
good.
The popular non-birit singers
Lea's got a point. You don't need to belt out and scream just to make a name
in the music industry. Take Norah Jones. I bet you could sing along with all
her songs. But why does she stand out?
How about Karen Carpenter? How come her "lazy" singing still make us adore
her? No, it's definitely not whether they can hit the high notes or not.
It's because they naturally have a good voice.
But what if you don't have a good natural voice?
Well, you can hone what you do have.
You can "make birit", too
Singing has to be your passion, first. After all, it involves
self-discipline. Take these steps into consideration before you say you
can't belt out the high tones:
Stop saying you can't sing.
Start singing.
Listen to as many singers. Listen well.
Sing everyday.
Challenge yourself.
Find your own style.
Be heard.
---To be explained in another article
Most importantly, just enjoy. Don't forget, you're doing this for yourself.
Now if you can't hit the notes our famous divas can, don't kill yourself.
It's not the end of the world, for crying out loud! It almost always ruins
anybody who tries to please everybody. You know yourself more than they do.
Just have fun.
Happy singing. Ü
claude
opera singers don't belt out and they have several octaves.
singers who sing by belting out will eventually ruin their voice over the
course of time. belting out ruins your voice, especially if you dont know
who to take care of your singing voice.
"eDCel" <jez...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:31u218F...@individual.net...
the Brat Prince
told that there is a proper way to belt...correct placement, breath
support, control, etc. Know any one singer who has ruined his/her voice
because of belting?
In the picture on the article there's Lea, Norah Jones (a personal
favorite of mine), Karen Carpenter, Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion,
Regine Velasquez. Who are the other singers in the pic?
I love Lea's sound, both her high notes and low notes. When she does
belt it never sounds like she's yelling, or screaming. It still is a
treat to the ears.
the Brat Prince
Mariah Carey's high notes sound really good. I was told that there is
a proper way to belt...proper placement, breath support, control, etc.
Who are the other singers in the article Edcel posted? Lea is in the
center; there's Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Regine Velasquez, Norah
Jones (a personal favorite of mine), Karen Carpenter...and who are
those four singers at the top of the picture?
Lea does belt certain notes when a particular song or arrangement calls
for it, but still sounds so melodious, never like she's screaming or
yelling. I just love Lea's sound...her high notes and low
notes...wonderful!
Rico
***I love what google has done here, too.***
the Brat Prince
Graceful426
that from? If she did ruin her voice, I think the public would've known by
now. And, I heard not too long ago she'll be releasing a new album sometime
next year.
For one thing, "belting" out songs is different for each singer out there who
can actually do it depending on the type of music that the singer does and what
their voice is capable of doing.
For example, Mariah Carey's music and sound is obviously more R&B (rather than
pop) with a little bit of hip-hop and gospel influence. And, from my knowledge
in reading about Mariah some of her musical influences growing up included
people like Al Green, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, etc.- people who have
that mixture of R&B soul and gospel sound. So, it's no surprise that Mariah is
able to belt out the way she does because many R&B and gospel singers tend to
sing VERY powerful almost to the point that it sounds like they are screaming.
That's just the way a lot of R&B and gospel music are. As for her 7 high-octave
range that she does, my guess is that she either got it from her mom who was a
former opera singer or Mariah was just God-gifted with the ability to do that.
Other singers who share a similar kind of vocal ability as Mariah include,
Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera, and Celine Dion.
As for Lea, her musical style/preference and voice is obviously more Broadway
musical as well as pop (and maybe some R&B). When Lea does belt certain notes
when a particular song calls for it, she belts what her voice is capable of
doing but in a musical and pop kind of way depending on the song she's singing.
Barbra Streisand is a singer who shares a similar kind of vocal ability just
like Lea's.
-Aileen Grace
__________________________
>From: "the Brat Prince" prince...@hotmail.com
>Date: 12/11/2004 12:11 AM Eastern Standard Time
>Message-id: <1102738171....@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com>
Graceful426
(that is, if you are into her style of music) is because it has a more mature
and unique sound to it that can appeal to people of all ages. Her musical style
is a blend of jazz and traditional vocal pop with hints of the blues and
contemporary folk music. Just like Alicia Keys, Norah writes her own music as
well.
I think what's refreshing about singers/ musicians like Alicia Keys and Norah
Jones is that they don't depend on their sexuality to sell records unlike other
singers around their age range who use sexual lyrics or create a sexual image
of themselves on music videos to appeal to people. Also, music and lyrics by
many of these young singers tend to sound "bubblegum" (in other words, music
geared towards mostly to young kids, teenagers, and young adults), so of course
older adults wouldn't be too entertained listening to someone like Britney
Spears, for example. Though, most likely older adult men would rather stare at
her body than listen to her music.
It's the music and the quality of her work as the reasons why I feel people
like Norah Jones.
-Aileen Grace
_________________________
>Subject: Article:Birit Singing: Is higher better?
>From: "eDCel" jez...@yahoo.com
>Date: 12/10/2004 11:39 AM Eastern Standard Time
>Message-id: <31u218F...@individual.net>
PooKooHoo
anything against her though. I just prefer to listen to singers who put a
little more effort and energy into their vocals.
Does that make sense? The only other example I can think of right now is
Alison Krausse. When I hear her, it's like... gosh, girl stop whispering and
start singing.
akas...@yahoo.com
respect those who don't). It's just that these days, some think that's
all they should do. One time, I got really annoyed when one singer kept
screaming the song "Betchabygollywow!" Ugh! Okay, if she sounded right.
She didn't. Never heard the song done like that. Change maybe good, but
not always. I've heard her do this for several times now. She couldn't
"carry" it. Her co-singers did their own belting of other songs and did
very well. As for Lea, she CAN do some belting, and she does, only not
in the screaming kind of way. Good singers know when to do it if
possible and still "come out" okay. That's Lea. And it helps that she
has a clear, full voice.
