When I listen to alot of singers on tv, radio and recordings, I think, Why does bad technique become so popular? The breathy, air-leaked, non-supported, whiney style that has become synonymous with "girl singer" drives me up the wall.

Good thread, Les. I think the singing style absolutely does make a difference depending on what kind of genre a person is performing. It doesn't sound right to sing folk music with alot of vibrato. Musical comedy is belted, it isn't sung like opera. There definitely is a sound to our voice that we are born with, and no amount of training will put a particular sound into the voice if it just isn't naturally going to be there. There is a person I know of who is a choral teacher at a small university. He always tries to get a part in the yearly opera performance, but he was born with a musical comedy kind of voice, not an opera voice. On stage next to opera professionals, you can see him dwarfed by their ability to add different colors to their role that he just can't achieve, and their stamina to be strong at the end of several hours when he is all worn out.

My voice is going to be a little different depending on the type of song I sing, but I also realize that choosing songs that fit my kind of voice is important. There are songs that I love that I would not perform myself, because they just aren't right for my kind of voice.

You have a very good voice, Les, a natural talent, and I think that is really what is disappointing in hearing the monotonous, whiny, breathless (or off-key) kind of singing. When your ear and discernment is trained enough to hear what sounds good, it becomes like fingernails on the chalkboard to listen to something that is so off (for me, anyway). Escamillo wrote in another thread of the constant breaking sound in the South American pop singer Shakira. I think the more discerning a person is in their listening, the more we expect of someone who gets up in front of an audience and takes on the role of performer. In general, almost everyone with working vocal cords can sing, and I would never discourage anyone from trying. There is a difference, though, in what we expect from a person on stage who is taking money for their performance.

my two cents (hope that didn't sound too ornery)

Alice