What do opera singers do to their voices?

Question

What is it about an opera singer's voice that makes it different from a Top 40 singer's, even when performing the same pop song? They both sing the same notes, but you can easily tell which is the operatic voice (and the pop song sounds strange). Is there a music term for whatever accounts for this difference in style?

Answer 1

katesong7 has given you a lot of good information.
To be more specific about it: the area at the back of the mouth is known as the pharynx. If you think of it as a room, you have the soft palate as the roof, the side walls of the mouth as side walls, the back wall (where you can see the uvula and velar palate stretching diagonally) and the tongue as the floor.
All of these tissues are flexible and elastic in nature. We opera singers learn to use this area, not only as a "room" for sound but also as a flexible megaphone. this is the area that needs to dilate and expand when we go for the upper reaches. This is the area that generates that full round sound we want. It's like having a built-in mike and sound studio. The air currents coming up from the vocal cords are given a chance to find the areas ( or sweet spots) that make each vowel so unique. These are known as formants, and have a lot to do with the sound that cuts over an orchestra.
Pop singers rarely get to know this area. It takes a lot of time to get the mechanics of it just right, above and beyond the simpler mechanics of breath support.
The blanket over your head effect that Saint mentions is the feeling we get when this area that we have trained so hard gets shut down again. I really feel like part of my voice is missing when I do that! All the old bad jokes about singers trading away brains for resonance space have that much truth in them- we miss the sense of inner space when we don't use the back room. Pronunciation and articulation are also dealt with there- and in several languages to boot- so it takes on major importance.
I don't know if there is a specific term for this usage, but in general, we call it bel canto singing, named after the period in time ( from the late 1700 to 1830s) when this type of singing was developed and written for.
For a very good overview check out the book:
"Singing: The Mechanism and the Technique" by Dr. William Vennard. This was written in the late 60s and some of the science has been superseded but in general, it's the best treatise.
Best wishes and keep on singing

Answer 2

As a student of opera and an opera singing for quite some time, I feel I can answer this question. The difference is not only in the diaphragm, but in the vocal chords and especially in the throat and mouth. Both singers use their diaphragms, but usually opera singers use it more because of their formal training. Opera singers have been professionally trained on how to produce the tone desired (and needed) for their type of music. In my opinion, "pop" singers are not trained on how to produce a good tone without hurting their vocal chords. If you hear someone with a very raspy singing voice, they are damaging their vocal chords with every note. The main reason for the difference in sound is an opera singer has a more open resonant sound, where pop is more closed off and not as resonant.

There are many pop stars who are trained and still sound different than opera singers. Another reason for this is pronunciation. As a vocal student, there are very strict rules to follow when it comes to pronouncing vowels and consonants. These rules do not generally apply to pop singers. In fact, I know very few pop singers who follow the pronunciation rules. These are just a few reasons why the sounds are different.

Answer 3

Listen to katesong7 up there, she's pretty much hit the nail on the head.

Some people have to learn to sing operatically, but others have a natural ability. Being one of the later, I can tell you that I have an immense lung capacity and crazy strength in my diaphragm accompanied by a natural vibrato. I'm also commonly referred to as a "belter," which means I can sing loud, very loud, without straining myself. I opted not to follow an operatic career, and instead, have focused more on the musical theatre route, which isn't that much different.

One thing that I do to change modes from Operatic to Pop, is to change the way I use my throat. I really can't explain it to you, but I had an instructor describe the change from "pop" to opera as "throwing a wet blanket over your head," strangely, that's a good description of how it feels and sounds to the person singing.

Answer 4

As far as I know, no they do not use any type of enhancer. I am a music major at a community college and my music director has sung in operas across Europe. When he sings opera, his voice is so big that he doesn't need a microphone. There is a certain placement of your mouth that can make your voice sound like it's amplified. You just have to be trained and practice ALOT! And like she said above, the opera halls they sing in are designed so that the sound will bounce all around and it sounds AMAZING!!

Answer 5

One difference. TRAINING. The pop singers that you hear with good voices more than likely had some form of classical training.

Answer 6

I think it mostly has to do with the vibrato in the voice. I can sing both opera and other generas of music well, because I can control the vibrato (vibration of sound) in my voice.

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Answer 7

My voice coach calls it "classical" singing and "belting" - I am sure it has something to do with bringing the note in (classical) and shooting it out (belting).

Answer 8

besides extensive training . They use their weight to press against their diaphram which increases their lungs to develop stronger and obtain more oxygen than the average lung.

Answer 9

They use their voices a lot and challenge theirselves with really high pitched songs.

Answer 10

THERE PROBABLY IS. Check online