# Another singing voice question: reedy? raspy?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-singing-voice-question-reedy-raspy/845452>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [December 27, 2019, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-singing-voice-question-reedy-raspy/845452 "2019-12-27T15:07:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![brossa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brossa/32/3040_2.png) [@brossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brossa)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2019, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-singing-voice-question-reedy-raspy/845452/1 "2019-12-27T15:07:22Z")

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There’s a style of predominantly male singing voice that catches my ear sometimes. To me, it has an almost buzzy or rattly sound, like a resonator guitar rather than a wood acoustic guitar. Unfortunately the only examples that come to mind at the moment are [David Gray](https://youtu.be/_oyBnvibWEY?list=PLEyzxUiaIB6l0dgBDE6SAkQcnK7c4qaO1&t=133) and [Soren.](https://youtu.be/oZk-vny-X5A?t=55) It’s not buzzy, exactly. I think that ‘husky’ sounds more phlegmy. I thought of it as ‘reedy’, but I’m told that that’s more of a thin, tentative sound. ‘Breathy’ also isn’t the term I’d use for this, since that evokes whispering to my mind.

So what would you call this? Raspy? Is it an innate quality, or a technique?

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**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2019, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-singing-voice-question-reedy-raspy/845452/2 "2019-12-27T15:36:19Z")

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Grainy? Raspy? I understand the sound you’re hearing and I too am not sure what to call it.

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**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2019, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-singing-voice-question-reedy-raspy/845452/3 "2019-12-27T16:26:55Z")

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I’m not sure I’m getting it, but to me, the examples you linked to remind me of the singing of Bob Dylan (and of other singers who remind me of Dylan).

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**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2019, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-singing-voice-question-reedy-raspy/845452/4 "2019-12-27T16:41:04Z")

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> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#):
>
> I’m not sure I’m getting it, but to me, the examples you linked to remind me of the singing of Bob Dylan (and of other singers who remind me of Dylan).

I can hear the Dylan part (it’s what we call “nasal” :p) but if I understand the OP, the quality in question is more about the vibrato (ish)tone he has on longer syllables (?)Sorry, I don’t know the correct terminology.