Singing – an extraordinary gift

Yesterday I wrote about the extraordinary ability behind human singing. A particularly amazing connection between music and our ability to hear and sing is found, in rare cases, in people with “absolute pitch.”

Absolute pitch refers to the ability of a person to identify any musical note by name after hearing it, without reference to other notes. Absolute pitch – technically known as absolute pitch – can also refer to the ability of some singers to sing a specific note on cue. Famous musicians such as Ella Fitzgerald and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had absolute pitch, which is considered a rare ability.

“An uncanny precision”

Considerations of the sensory, mental, and physiological demands required to even sing correctly, let alone demonstrate absolute pitch, further underscore the design complexity of our ability to sing.

Singing a pitch requires complicated coordination between the brain, vocal cords, and breath. First, the singer hears the pitch. Then, the singer must adjust his vocal cords so that they are just the right thickness to reproduce the pitch. Finally, the singer vibrates his vocal cords with the breath, creating the pitch. If any of these three things are off, a singer can sing out of tune.

Absolute pitch is a rare and coveted musical ability that allows musicians to detect or produce a specific tone without a reference point. It can be extremely difficult to acquire this skill, but those who possess it can detect tones with uncanny accuracy.

The complex physiological and anatomical components of our bodies that enable us to sing may also help explain the visceral response we may experience when singing or listening to music. Research shows that the interaction between music and the autonomic nervous system is very complex. The vagus nerve is involved in our nervous system’s response during singing and related vocal activities.

Humming and singing can enhance our parasympathetic response during times of anxiety or heightened stress. … One of its roles (for the vagus nerve) is incidentally to promote our relaxation response. … Since the vagus nerve contacts our vocal cords, humming, singing, chanting, or even humming can help promote relaxation during stressful moments.

The vagus nerve plays a key role in determining our physiological and mental state. Singing may be part of our built-in ability to promote the health of our nervous system.

The vagus nerve is an integral part of your autonomic nervous system. More specifically, the vagus nerve is part of the parasympathetic nervous system, which calms your body after stressful situations. Singing can also stimulate your vagus nerve and keep it healthy, as the vibrations stimulate the parts of the vagus nerve in the back of your throat.

It’s good for you

Singing seems to do us good because music influences our well-being on several levels.

…Singing can reduce tension, increase energy, and improve mood in healthy people.…People interact with music both consciously and unconsciously on behavioral, emotional, and physiological levels.

Perhaps the most poignant aspect of singing is the difference between the many people who can sing (not everyone can) and a truly great singer. Most people can produce at least a sound that could be called singing; many people can hold a tune and sing pleasantly, but few can sing in a way that pleases and attracts their listeners. What characterizes the truly great singer?

I believe what makes a great singer is intention…the ability to connect with every word, every note, every breath and make it mean something. To fill it with feeling and to really mean what you say, what you sing, what you do.

So that’s the difference between a good singer and a great singer… A good singer is in his head. He thinks about the timing, remembers the words and does his job well. A great singer… He’s not in his head at all. He’s in his heart because he’s trying to get in touch with all of his feelings. Feelings of pain, rejection, joy, happiness. Or love, really anything that’s deep inside him. He’s trying to get in touch with that.

A fully alive person

When you listen to a great singer, you see a person living in their fullness. Not just someone who does a task well and in a one-dimensional way, which perhaps describes most of what we do, but someone who expands and expresses themselves with their whole being – mind, body, will and emotions expressed in their voice. Such a complete expression of our personality is rare indeed.

We are often afraid to share our feelings. We are afraid to be honest. That is why we love great singers. Because there is nothing more powerful than a person who sings from their soul.

With this description we approach the a bit more this explains, for many people, the appeal and beauty of vocal musicians. Most singers can entertain, amuse or impress their listeners, but the appeal of a great singer lies in the ability to captivate an audience and unite them with the passion of the lyrics and melody.¹ In the mythical context of Middle-earth that JRR Tolkien developed, his description of Frodo’s reaction when he hears the songs of the Elves in Rivendell expresses this feeling.²

He stood there as if enchanted, while the sweet syllables of the fairy song rang out like clear jewels made of a mixture of word and melody.

Singing is one of the few things humans can do wholeheartedly – it communicates on a level that goes beyond mere words and affects listeners on multiple levels, both conscious and unconscious. When we listen to a gifted singer, we feel uplifted, moved, encouraged, or moved to tears. To attribute this gift to the evolutionary remnant of a mating call from our ancestors is as insulting as it is ridiculous.

Singing as part of the human experience goes even further and serves as an appropriate expression of worship. As David said:

Sing to the Lord, all the earth!

1 Chronicles 16:23

Remarks

1. An example of singing that is moving and beautiful, even if you don’t understand the Norwegian lyrics from 1910, can be found at this link: “Å Vestland, Vestland” sung by Sissel Kyrkjebø. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzWzyS2Px5E
2. J.R.R. Tolkien, The fellows (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1954, original copyright date), p. 232.