Ever been in a singing class and felt like they might as well be speaking a different language? Well that’s because they are! Most singing terms are Italian which can make picking up technique even more tricky. All of our Singing Lessons at City Academy are built to ensure our students develop a good knowledge of musical terms and technique. Our Head of Singing and professional singer, Bernadette Doyle, has put together a Singing Glossary of useful terms to give you a head start!
Singing Glossary: A - D
| A Cappella | Singing without any form of accompaniment |
| Alto | Low female voice |
| 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 |
| 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 |
Singing Glossary: F - P
| 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 cords |
| Phrasing | Refers to the breaths in-between notes and rhythm of the song |
| Pitch | The high or low frequency of a sound |
Singing Glossary: R - Z
| 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 palette | 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 color or timbre of pitch |
| Vibrato | The vibration of the singing sound |
| Vocal chord/folds | 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 |
At City Academy we run Singing Classes for adults, as well as a range of exciting opportunities including six different Choirs, Open Mic Nights, Musical Theatre Classes and more, whether you're new to singing or have previous experience.
We hope you found our glossary useful, you are now ready for the world of singing!
For more information read our Singing blog posts, or browse our Singing Classes:
