The act of creating melody using the voice is called singing, and a singing individual is termed as a singer or a vocalist. Singing is often distinguished from speech, and in many ways singing is regarded as a type of sustained speech. Hence, it is thought that anybody who has the ability to speak can also sing.
The musical sounds produced through the act of singing are called songs. Songs may be a capella, which means that it is sung without accompaniment, or they may be sung with accompaniment in the form of musicians and musical instruments. Singing may also be performed alone, or it may be performed with a group, with a choir being an example.
Singing may be done for simple enjoyment and this is done informally, such as singing while in the shower or singing in a karaoke bar. It may also be done very formally, as exemplified by professional singing for a performance, whether live in front of a watching crowd or in a recording studio. In this case, singing done on a professional scale, or at least on a high amateur level, entails the presence of some natural talent and a significant amount of regular, consistent and serious practice, which may be further enhanced with training and instruction. In general, professional singers develop and shape their careers around a particular musical genre. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for them to submit themselves to voice training under a voice coach all the way through their career.
The quality of a singing voice depends largely on the physical make-up of an individual. In particular, body parts such as the lungs, larynx, cavities of the head and chest, and other structures like the tongue, palate, lips, teeth, and the muscles of the neck, chest and abdomen.
Singing voices may be classified according to voice type, and is further subdivided according to male and female voices. The classification of voices involves the consideration of vocal range, vocal tessitura, vocal transition points like lifts and breaks in the voice, vocal weight, vocal timbre, vocal registration, physical characteristics, speech level, and the like.
The science of classifying voices originally arose in the development of European classical music, generally for the purposes of opera, such as in assigning certain roles according to type of voice. The classification of voices is hardly used in more modern singing varieties. Nonetheless, at present there are various systems of voice classification employed in the genre of classical music. Examples include the choral music system, the German Fach system, and several others. However, none of these systems is conventionally acknowledged or put to use universally.
Be that as it may, most of the systems of voice classification recognize seven specific main voice types, and this is also divided according to sex. Females are generally classified into three different voice types, which are soprano, mezzo-soprano and contralto. Men, on the other hand, are generally categorized into four different voice types, and these are countertenor, tenor, baritone and bass. Furthermore, the classification of voice type in children of pre-pubescent years also entails the consideration of treble. In addition to this, further sub-categories are applied within each of these specific main voice types, with consideration of particular vocal characteristics such as vocal weight and coloratura.
