Female VS. Male Singers (lead singer, rock, genre, Emily Haines, tracks)

Loser · 07-02-2008, 01:11 PM

I hate the female vs. male discussion.
Because both voice wise, range wise and everything else is based on how they use it. Yes the male voice can do more going very deep to falsettos, but I don't think that really matters much. I think no matter how your voice sounds or how wide your range is, all that matters is how you use what you have. I mean a female vocalist can have the greatest voice, and yet have ****ty lyrics she will be ridiculed for it. Same goes for men.
But if someone with a great voice who can write some good songs and can play an instrament comes around they will be the ones radio stations or whatever play. If a female can play and write/sing than they will be great....And from experience the ones who can do that stuff are better than males in certain ways....

**right-track** · 07-02-2008, 02:06 PM

A female singers voice can go places a man's voice can't.
I'm not talking about hitting the high notes, I'm talking about the nuances of inflection, that for some reason a woman's singing voice is more capable of achieving. This is especially the case with Soul.

WaspStar · 07-02-2008, 06:27 PM

Alert: Stereotypes ahead!

I think the prominence of male singers over female singers has less to do with vocals than material selection. So many female singers, unfortunately, buy into the whole "sex sells" idea and spend more time on image than substance. Others (Chrissie Hynde comes to mind) spend their time railing against such myths, making the scope of their music somewhat limited.

There's also the possibility that fewer women actually join bands (does anyone have any statistics on this?), and so the pool of candidates is actually, proportionally, higher than it is for males.

I'll also postulate that most music buffs tend to be male (just an observation gleamed from record shop travels and concert reminiscences), and a predominately male audience is more likely to relate to a male singer.

Personally? I prefer idiosyncratic, rough vocals (my favorite singers: Bob Dylan, Johnny Rotten, Howard Devoto, Elvis Costello). "Pleasing" vocals, as a rule don't do much for me. That's why I love the Shangri-Las but don't care for, say, the Supremes or the Crystals, or even Debbie Harry. It seems that more female singers go for the "gentle" sound than male singers, who tend to be more aggressive and less willing to sound "nice." Still, all that said, Poly Styrene led one of the greatest punk bands and recorded one of the most powerful singles ever (Oh Bondage, Up Yours!).

Molecules · 07-02-2008, 07:18 PM

^^ good observations... music (especially non-top 40) is still largely male dominated it seems and i can't see that changing until there are more interesting female musicians to lead by example.
I mean I've not seen any statistics to prove the gender bias but you're certainly right about music buffs and the sort of people that would want to start bands in the first place.

Call me crazy (just not a chauvinist please) but I sometimes think it's just something innate, like women have better things to be doing with their time than mucking about listening to sweaty man-folk avoid getting real jobs. or something.

Two words at the end of the day should guide us all to co-ed enlightenment in these dark times: Kate Bush.

JayJamJah · 07-02-2008, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by right-track

A female singers voice can go places a man's voice can't.
I'm not talking about hitting the high notes, I'm talking about the nuances of inflection, that for some reason a woman's singing voice is more capable of achieving. This is especially the case with Soul.

Totally disagree based on my current Muse, Van Morrison. Listen to the range both vocally and emotionally on albums like St. Dominic's Preview, Veedon Fleece and Astral Weeks and tell me a why only a woman can convey such range and inflection.

I can see personal preference, but i don't think either sex is limited by nature.

Also you are an awesome guy Right track I love your contributions to the sight.

JayJamJah · 07-02-2008, 09:06 PM

My favorite two voices ever are Van Morrison and Joplin. I like way more male singers then female, but every female singer I like a really like. My completely uneducated guess is that Male singers are the safer choice but female singers can be more defining or at the least make you stand out more when they fit.

ProggyMan · 07-02-2008, 09:08 PM

Only the really, really good ones make it I would say.

JayJamJah · 07-02-2008, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ProggyMan

Only the really, really good ones make it I would say.

Females, or both?

ProggyMan · 07-02-2008, 09:18 PM

Females more so, I guess it applies to everyone though. By make I mean get critical acclaim etc, not sales.

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07-02-2008, 01:11 PM
Loser The Professor Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: New York City Posts: 1,138	I hate the female vs. male discussion. Because both voice wise, range wise and everything else is based on how they use it. Yes the male voice can do more going very deep to falsettos, but I don't think that really matters much. I think no matter how your voice sounds or how wide your range is, all that matters is how you use what you have. I mean a female vocalist can have the greatest voice, and yet have ****ty lyrics she will be ridiculed for it. Same goes for men. But if someone with a great voice who can write some good songs and can play an instrament comes around they will be the ones radio stations or whatever play. If a female can play and write/sing than they will be great....And from experience the ones who can do that stuff are better than males in certain ways.... __________________ "It's just so fuckin' weird. You write about this shit, and you're suddenly the spokesman for a fuckin' generation,...... Any generation that would pick Kurt or me as its spokesman -- that must be a pretty fucked up generation, don't you think?"

07-02-2008, 02:06 PM
right-track Avin' It! Join Date: May 2005 Location: THE PEOPLES ЯEPUBLIK ФF MAИCUИIA Posts: 5,265	A female singers voice can go places a man's voice can't. I'm not talking about hitting the high notes, I'm talking about the nuances of inflection, that for some reason a woman's singing voice is more capable of achieving. This is especially the case with Soul. __________________ Choose Liverpool. Choose the dole queue. Choose to scam disability benefit. Choose mind-numbing, grinding efficiency over flair. Choose Torben Piechnik, Istvan Kozma and Paul Stewart. Choose not to win a single league title since the backpass rule was implemented. Choose penalties. Choose car stereos, hubcaps and stanley knives. Choose to trade on your proud sense of tradition and then not lift a finger in protest when two American billionaires who don't even know the name of your club decide to buy it. Choose to win the European Cup whilst only having to play seven matches. Choose to bask in a perpetual, sickening, media love-in. Choose celebrities who ** off out of your city as soon as they have earned the money to do so and then spend the rest of their lives harping on about how wonderful it is. Choose to sing about Munich until confronted with your own tragedy. Choose to end it all in an orgy of self pity, just another excuse to perpetuate the grief culture spawned by your selfish, insular **ed-up excuse for a city. Choose your future. Choose Scouse.

07-02-2008, 06:27 PM
WaspStar Music Addict Join Date: May 2008 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 240	Alert: Stereotypes ahead! I think the prominence of male singers over female singers has less to do with vocals than material selection. So many female singers, unfortunately, buy into the whole "sex sells" idea and spend more time on image than substance. Others (Chrissie Hynde comes to mind) spend their time railing against such myths, making the scope of their music somewhat limited. There's also the possibility that fewer women actually join bands (does anyone have any statistics on this?), and so the pool of candidates is actually, proportionally, higher than it is for males. I'll also postulate that most music buffs tend to be male (just an observation gleamed from record shop travels and concert reminiscences), and a predominately male audience is more likely to relate to a male singer. Personally? I prefer idiosyncratic, rough vocals (my favorite singers: Bob Dylan, Johnny Rotten, Howard Devoto, Elvis Costello). "Pleasing" vocals, as a rule don't do much for me. That's why I love the Shangri-Las but don't care for, say, the Supremes or the Crystals, or even Debbie Harry. It seems that more female singers go for the "gentle" sound than male singers, who tend to be more aggressive and less willing to sound "nice." Still, all that said, Poly Styrene led one of the greatest punk bands and recorded one of the most powerful singles ever (Oh Bondage, Up Yours!).

07-02-2008, 07:18 PM
Molecules 'soupy twist' Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: the Wastes Posts: 634	^^ good observations... music (especially non-top 40) is still largely male dominated it seems and i can't see that changing until there are more interesting female musicians to lead by example. I mean I've not seen any statistics to prove the gender bias but you're certainly right about music buffs and the sort of people that would want to start bands in the first place. Call me crazy (just not a chauvinist please) but I sometimes think it's just something innate, like women have better things to be doing with their time than mucking about listening to sweaty man-folk avoid getting real jobs. or something. Two words at the end of the day should guide us all to co-ed enlightenment in these dark times: Kate Bush. __________________ Substix Last FM 'Institutionalised cruelty is one thing. But the twisted brainwrong of a one-off man-mental is quite another.'

07-02-2008, 09:06 PM
JayJamJah Revisonists History Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: The end of the Earth Posts: 1,250	My favorite two voices ever are Van Morrison and Joplin. I like way more male singers then female, but every female singer I like a really like. My completely uneducated guess is that Male singers are the safer choice but female singers can be more defining or at the least make you stand out more when they fit.

07-02-2008, 09:08 PM
ProggyMan Reformed Jackass Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 2,732	Only the really, really good ones make it I would say. __________________ Shut the fuck up and recognize what you holding ain't really broken. -Ian Bavitz If Noah had the benefit of hindsight on his ship he coulda' snatched two unicorns and left behind the mother fuckin' pigs. -Ian Bavitz I <3: Crowquill is cool. Sorta. I hate the Fall Of Troy. And Joy Division. And West Side Story.

07-02-2008, 09:18 PM
ProggyMan Reformed Jackass Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 2,732	Females more so, I guess it applies to everyone though. By make I mean get critical acclaim etc, not sales. __________________ Shut the fuck up and recognize what you holding ain't really broken. -Ian Bavitz If Noah had the benefit of hindsight on his ship he coulda' snatched two unicorns and left behind the mother fuckin' pigs. -Ian Bavitz I <3: Crowquill is cool. Sorta. I hate the Fall Of Troy. And Joy Division. And West Side Story.