Singing Glossary
A Cappella: Singing without any form of accompaniment.
Alto: Low female voice.
Attack: Accurate voice part entry.
Baritone: Male voice located between bass and tenor in range and tone quality.
Bass: Lowest male voice type.
Belt: The loudest sound a singer can make, mixing their lower and upper resonances.
Chordal Music: Generally constructed vertically (as distinct from Contrapuntal). Voices form chords.
Contrapuntal Music: Generally constructed horizontally (as distinct from Chordal). Each voice has its own melodic line; harmony emerges from the juxtaposition of different lines.
Diaphragm: The dome shaped muscle attached to the bottom of the lungs that separates your chest and stomach cavities. The main muscle involved in breathing.
Diction: The pronunciation and enunciation of words.
Dynamics: The variations in volume in a given song.
Falsetto: Comes from the Italian word for “false.” Usually the highest part of a man’s voice when singing in an upper register.
Flat: To be under the correct pitch.
Intonation: The relation of one note to another, and the relative pitching of each note.
Larynx: Commonly called the voice box, is an organ in the top of the neck involved in breathing,
producing sound, and protecting the trachea against food aspiration.
Legato: Notes which are sung smoothly and connected.
Mezzo Soprano: The second highest female voice type
Nodules/Nodes: Small non-malignant lesions or bumps that occur on the vocal chords.
Phrasing: Refers to the breaths in-between notes and rhythm of the song.
Pitch: The high or low frequency of a sound.
Preparation: The beat before a voice entry. Prepare by taking in a breath.
Range: The notes that a performer can sing comfortably.
Register: The range of a voice or instrument.
Resonance: The modification and amplification of the vocal sound by certain areas of the body.
Scale: Any set of musical notes ordered by fundamental frequency or pitch.
Sharp: To be above the note.
Soft palate: The soft tissue at the back of the roof of the mouth.
Soprano: Highest female voice
Staccato: The opposite of Legato – each note is separate from the one before and after it.
Tenor: Highest male voice.
Tone: The colour or timbre of pitch.
Tuning: The accurate pitching of notes and intervals.
Vibrato: The vibration of the singing sound.
Vocal chords: Two muscular folds that connect from the inside front to the inside back of your larynx; their change in thickness and vibrating length, due to adjustment in tension, affects the pitch and intensity of your tone.