We've had some of this discussion before, but another thing the vocalist has to consider is WHEN that highest note needs to be hit: what notes are being sung just before it - are you singing a number of notes one or two steps lower than that high note; what is the phrasing just before going to hit that note - is there time for the proper breathing to get to the note and get it out ...

Not just the phrasing either...the vowel or consonant being sung can matter too.

Ian

easy you're a singer or you're not a singer

Does that mean a singer DOESN'T have to take these things into consideration???

Tony I backed up for over 25 years many great pro singers in shows on stage and learned alot just by watching them perform.
But you need to have the foundation of a great singer inside you, and strong confidence in your abilities to command the audience. .....I believe your just born with it IMO.
Go to your local karaoke bar and you will see what I'm talking about.
Good thing liquor was invented.

I wish I enjoyed singing more. I don't. It has to be done in a small group and I am always elected.

Over the years, I have done lots of singing on national advertising campaigns (Sealtest Milk, Lensecrafters and lots of others), and am invited to sing (and sometimes play) at tributes to people like Beau Diddley, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole and lots of others with a local Philharmonic.

I don't hate it but enjoy making those who really love to sing sound the best they can sound a lot more than singing myself.

Back-up vocals help. I don't mind them if it make the final production better.

What's sad to be are those who love to sing but don't do a very good job. There are a few here who aren't nearly as good as they think they are.

Russ

I've never run across anyone in a Karaoke bar that had any vocal training. Most of the drunks there think they can do anything, including sing - for the most part, they can't. They want their 5 minutes in the spotlight and everyone applauds the most horrendous singing performance you'll ever hear. This, unfortunately, encourages them to get on stage and do more songs throughout the night. It's amazing how many women sincerely believe they can sound just like Patsy Cline.

Those who have taken the time to obtain vocal training learn a lot that most people don't really have a clue about singing. Breathing technique, phrasing, diction, and range, just to name a few are part of the course.

There was a lady I met in Nashville that taught diction to most of the top singers in the nation, Elvis, Streisand, Sinatra and many, many more. She is booked a year in advance with her course and the cost was ridiculously expensive.

Yes, you are born with some of a singer's attributes, but it takes a lot more to make a great singer. Without that training, most, but not all, singers would be mediocre at best.

Gary

I don't "love" singing, but I played in quite a few bands where I was required to sing harmony, and, I learned very quickly that you have to have more than decent vocal abilities to support the lead singer, if you are going to do a good job. It certainly helped me achieve a good enough technique to manage backup singing a lot better. Another benefit was that it helped me croak out the melodies to tunes I had written/arranged well enough so that the person who was to do the actual vocal understood how it was to be interpreted.

One group I played in had three backup singers, a guy and two gals, and they were all technically better singers than the lead vocalist, but he had better stage presence and delivery, and, as Donny said above, exuded confidence in his abilities....hence he sang the main vocals.

Ian