# What is this musicial technique called? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 19, 2009, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-musicial-technique-called/481958 "2009-01-19T06:31:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-musicial-technique-called/481958/21 "2009-01-19T18:19:33Z")
Now I’m having flashbacks to one time when they decided to broadcast the Christmas concert over the intercom at work. One of the performances was someone who sang “Silent Night” like this, dragging out almost every damn note as if she was doing opera. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-musicial-technique-called/481958/22 "2009-01-19T18:25:17Z")
I was asking just this question when Aguilera burst onto the scene a few years ago. I thanked the lords of language that there was a word for it. Now I know what to complain about during _American Idol_. Hold a goddamn note, fer chrissakes! ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-musicial-technique-called/481958/23 "2009-01-19T18:41:27Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > …nauseatingly melismatic… Whee! I may have found my new user name! Hmm…“Hi, I’m Nauseatingly Melismatic!” Maybe not. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-musicial-technique-called/481958/24 "2009-01-19T19:12:03Z")
> [@Roland\_Orzabal](#): > > But, but, if it weren’t for melisma, how would we ever have learned that “I-I-I-EEEE-I-I will always love YOOO-OOO-OO-OOOO-OO-OOO-OOO-OO-OO-OOOOOO-OO-OOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUAAAAAH will always lo --” > > **gunshot** > > THANK you. Anyway, where would we as a society be without that particular masterpiece, hmm? I agree that Whitney Houston’s version of this song is a melismatic abomination. I recommend listening to the original version sung by its author, one of the great American songwriters, Dolly Parton. It’s a beautiful song, with only minimal and appropriate melisma. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-musicial-technique-called/481958/25 "2009-01-19T19:30:39Z")
> [@NoCoolUserName](#): > > Whee! I may have found my new user name! > > Hmm…“Hi, I’m Nauseatingly Melismatic!” > > Maybe not. It does roll trippingly off the tongue, don’ it? Wonder how it would sound sung?? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-musicial-technique-called/481958/26 "2009-01-19T19:36:11Z")
I find that a lot of artists do this with Christmas songs these days. I figure it’s just to do “something different” or give the songs their own “style.” Personally, I hate it and it makes these nice songs too long and too overly dramatic. ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-musicial-technique-called/481958/27 "2009-01-19T23:59:53Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > It does roll trippingly off the tongue, don’ it? Wonder how it would sound sung?? 😉 Nauseatingly MelismaaaAAaaaAAAaaa[sub]aa[/sub]aaaa[sup]aaa[/sup]aaAAaaaa-\-aaaatic. ---
**Author:** ![Euryphaessa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Euryphaessa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euryphaessa)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-musicial-technique-called/481958/28 "2009-01-20T00:50:40Z")
It’s called diarrhea of the vowels. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-musicial-technique-called/481958/29 "2009-01-20T01:22:38Z")
> [@NoCoolUserName](#): > > Nauseatingly MelismaaaAAaaaAAAaaa[sub]aa[/sub]aaaa[sup]aaa[/sup]aaAAaaaa-\-aaaatic. ExACTly!! ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-musicial-technique-called/481958/30 "2009-01-20T01:33:47Z")
Even more annoying is the affectation of hand gestures following the gymnastics and the phantom-studio-ear-monitor-syndrome. It’s like they just walked into a spider web. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-musicial-technique-called/481958/31 "2009-01-20T02:11:55Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Yes, as mentioned, “Angels We Have Heard on High,” better known as “the one that goes, ‘Glo-o-o-o-o-O-o-o-o-o-O-o-o-o-o-O-ri-a in Ex-cel-sis De-o!’” The difference being that it’s not screeching improvisation and warbling that can’t settle on a goddamn note, it’s very distinct and solid notes meant to be sung sequentially over the same elongated syllable. Every choir or singer can to it and do it well and sound good at it because it’s mathematical and makes sense. > > Now get off my laaaaa-aaaaw-aaaaaw-aaaaaahhhhh-AAAAAAAH-AWN! And, isn’t it quite different with ‘Angels We Have Heard on High’? I mean, aren’t those choirs trained to do some serious stuff with their throats, where as Beyonce is doing some silly stuff with her lips and tongue and jaw? I mean when I watch Denyce Graves sing, I never see her lips wobbling all over the place. When her voice wavers, it is clear and strong, coming from her throat. ETA: Gargoyle, I’m cracking up. You describe it perfectly. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-musicial-technique-called/481958/32 "2009-01-20T04:42:19Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Now get off my laaaaa-aaaaw-aaaaaw-aaaaaahhhhh-AAAAAAAH-AWN! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-musicial-technique-called/481958/33 "2009-01-20T15:52:39Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > And, isn’t it quite different with ‘Angels We Have Heard on High’? I mean, aren’t those choirs trained to do some serious stuff with their throats, where as Beyonce is doing some silly stuff with her lips and tongue and jaw? I am the crudest of rock singers, but to my knowledge, all parts of the vocal system come into play based on where the singer is in their register, moving low to high - so Mariah’s warbling and choir melisma is produced vocally the same way (but that is my WAG based on my observations). I also believe that melisma, as a technique in the Western canon, first emerged in Gregorian Chants - as chants moved from single melody to complex harmonies, they also added melisma and other flourishes - as with any genre of music, that is part of the evolution - start off with a new style, codify the rules of the style, then add rococco flourishes and such…in this, choral singing moved through Gospel, where Aretha-style melisma, used for “spiritual punctuation” was innovated. But then it got a bit too over the top… ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-musicial-technique-called/481958/34 "2009-01-20T16:35:34Z")
> [@jovan](#): > > [Melisma.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melisma) Huh! Now I know the “real” term for it. And all this time I’d privately coined the word “rococoboca”. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-musicial-technique-called/481958/35 "2009-01-20T16:37:50Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > I am the crudest of rock singers, but to my knowledge, all parts of the vocal system come into play based on where the singer is in their register, moving low to high - so Mariah’s warbling and choir melisma is produced vocally the same way (but that is my WAG based on my observations). I also believe that melisma, as a technique in the Western canon, first emerged in Gregorian Chants - as chants moved from single melody to complex harmonies, they also added melisma and other flourishes - as with any genre of music, that is part of the evolution - start off with a new style, codify the rules of the style, then add rococco flourishes and such…in this, choral singing moved through Gospel, where Aretha-style melisma, used for “spiritual punctuation” was innovated. But then it got a bit too over the top… Consider me educated! Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-musicial-technique-called/481958/36 "2009-01-20T17:06:13Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > I am the crudest of rock singers, but to my knowledge, all parts of the vocal system come into play based on where the singer is in their register, moving low to high - so Mariah’s warbling and choir melisma is produced vocally the same way (but that is my WAG based on my observations). I also believe that melisma, as a technique in the Western canon, first emerged in Gregorian Chants - as chants moved from single melody to complex harmonies, they also added melisma and other flourishes - as with any genre of music, that is part of the evolution - start off with a new style, codify the rules of the style, then add rococco flourishes and such…in this, choral singing moved through Gospel, where Aretha-style melisma, used for “spiritual punctuation” was innovated. But then it got a bit too over the top… There’s also the entirely separate line of influence, also via gospel and blues, leading back to African vocal traditions. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-musicial-technique-called/481958/37 "2009-01-20T17:37:48Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > There’s also the entirely separate line of influence, also via gospel and blues, leading back to African vocal traditions. Thanks for including that; of course you are correct - once again leading to that great convergence within the Gospel tradition, which is the most direct progenitor to the R&B we are hearing today, replete with way too much melisma… ---
**Author:** ![thwartme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@thwartme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thwartme)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-musicial-technique-called/481958/38 "2009-01-20T17:46:28Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > It’s one of those things that comes and goes in terms of fashion. Sometimes the composer uses it deliberately to great effect. In “Messiah”, there are many instances in both the solo parts and in the choral parts where it is used to reflect the words that are being sung - ‘Thus saith the Lord - the Lord of hosts: Yet once, a little while, and I will sha-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-ake the Heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land - and I will sha-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-ake;’ etc. giving the aural effect of shaking. Or ‘All we like sheep have gone astra-a-a-a-a-a-ay.’, with the lines going off in different directions. Tasteful, beautiful, sanctioned by the composer. > > And then there are times where it gets too ornate and starts to piss people off… > > It’s a chance for the singer to show off their vocal ability and their taste. And when it gets to be too much, the singer gets reactions like the above, and the taste starts to change back to “just sing the f!@#$g tune!”, which it does for a while until people start to find that a little dry, and then somebody does a decorative flourish that people find cool and the cycle starts all over again… These two aspects of Melisma are so different, that I really wish there two separate words. One can be great, one is almost always unlistenable. thwartme ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2009, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-musicial-technique-called/481958/39 "2009-01-20T17:49:14Z")
> [@thwartme](#): > > These two aspects of Melisma are so different, that I really wish there two separate words. One can be great, one is almost always unlistenable. Well, you need just a pinch of salt for great chocolate chip cookies, after all. But mix up the salt jar with the sugar jar and see how you like them cookies! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-musicial-technique-called/481958/40 "2009-01-21T03:03:54Z")
I’ve heard wonderful examples of the technique, but to use it well requires a lot more taste than most of the singers who use it possess. Usually it’s a cheap display of pyrotechnics that covers up weakness in real singing ability. But a great example of it being used well, check out Kay Starr’s immortal [“Wheel of Fortune”.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAG59n8dFLE) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-musicial-technique-called/481958.md?page=1)