Who’s The Better Singer? I Don’t Know, Define “Better.”

Stan wars are usually the worst, but I’ve found some gems in there. Here's what I learned.

Photo by Emily Bauman on Unsplash

Stan wars. We all know somebody who participates in them—possibly in live conversations. Regardless of race, religion, or other demographics, we can all agree that they are THE. WORST.

"My music teacher said that my fave's songs are difficult to sing."

"Yelling from the back of your throat is not singing."

"My fave can sing and dance, which clearly makes her the better singer!"

"Y'all just say anything on here."

"Does your fave even know what a treble clef looks like?"

And so on. These debates, like most, would be so much more interesting if people used evidence based on objective criteria to structure their arguments. When we don't, we end up with a situation somewhat like contemporary American politics.

Stan wars happen, but next time you find yourself defending your favorite singer's honor, here are some things to consider. 

Range & Agility

Range is usually the first attribute that someone brings up when trying to assert someone's vocal superiority. It indicates the range of notes that an artist can hit. This generally includes sustained notes, not "pass-through" notes or exclamations. Agility indicates how easily a singer can move from one note to another—this is most important for runs.

Notes & Keys

Does your favorite sing off-key? If the pitch is not in the song's scales...it's off-key.

Does your favorite sing flat? If the song key is too high, this will happen a lot. If singer has no training (breath support and placement), this will happen a lot.

If your favorite consistently does any of these, then you better hope the other person's favorites do, too.

Judgment

Some people get on the mic and just scream their little hearts out with no regard for their vocal longevity or their audience's hearing. They'll riff, run, belt, growl and use vibrato on every other word in song because they can—not realizing that this greatly diminishes the value of each technique. It shows a lack of judgment. Of course, some singers do this because their singing voice is not actually pleasant and these "tricks" may distract the audience from that...temporarily.

Restraint

In the same vein as "judgment" is restraint. Some people like to imitate their favorite artists, and end up straining their voices (and everyone else's ears) trying to sing in a key that is suitable for the artist and unsuitable for them. This, more than anything else, is what separates a good vocalist from a great one—thorough knowledge of one's vocal limits and observation of such in performances. A good vocalist rarely exhibits vocal strain during performances. (However, it should be noted that a good entertainer may strain her voice as part of the performance, however. An ideal vocalist sings way differently from an ideal performer.)

Vibrato & Tone

Vibrato is a touchy subject among trained vocalists. Some singers have a very fast vibrato and some do not. Untrained listeners will often incorrectly correlate heavy vibrato use with high vocal skill. Vibrato has a variety of uses, not the least of which is helping a singer move through a series of notes quickly—a run. Runs, like their less used cousin, riffs, are flourishes — not a main ingredient in one's singing. The best vocalists sing with a clear, resonant voice most of the time and use the aforementioned vocal accoutrements—riffs, runs, growls, belts, and vibrato—sparingly. Tone, also referred to as "timbre," is often brought up when singing is discussed, but there's not much to say from a technical perspective. Some singers are nasally, others sultry, and still others strident. It can be adjusted or improved, but is largely fixed and is generally a matter of personal preference, not skill.

Figure out what your favorite singer brings to the mic and show it off in your next stan war. Do bring receipts. (No one likes a stan, but no one is more rightfully reviled than a receipt-less stan.) And try to keep the discussion to singing. Not dancing, not performing, not emoting—just exhibiting great vocal technique.

What do you think makes a singer "better" than another singer?

Disclaimer: I don't sing professionally.