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Vocal fach is a topic that has been going round my mind for a while now. Vocal fach is also a topic that is rarely talked about in a helpful way.
What is ‘vocal Fach’?! I hear you cry…
The ever-reliable Wikipedia definition classifies Fach as:
“The German Fach
(literally “compartment” or also “subject (of study)”, here in the sense of “(vocal) specialization”)
…system is a method of classifying singers, primarily opera singers, according to the range, weight, and color of their voices. It is used worldwide, but primarily in Europe, especially in German-speaking countries and by repertory opera houses.”
An illustrative story.
I practice a martial art called Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) as a martial art. I used to box in my teens, and when I took up BJJ I wanted to return to a disciplined sport but without the whole issue of getting hit in the head. As BJJ has no punches or strikes, it’s all grappling, I picked that (no-one mentioned the number of moves that involve the opponent leaning on your larynx!).
The reason I bring this up is that BJJ has an EXTREMELY wide variety of techniques that you HAVE to learn to understand the sport even at a foundation level. This is essential from start to finish.
Here’s the punchline…
What great practitioners of this martial art understand is that different builds and different body-types are essentially BUILT to do some things well, and other things not so well. Some are very flexible but that means they are more unlikely to be the strongest body in the room at the same time. Others are tall, others are short. Others have long legs, others have sharp wrists (relevant!). All of these attributes have both positive benefits for some positions, while simultaneously causing some difficulties in other areas.
As you progress and develop a strong foundation, you develop their own *game* or specialised strategy for utilising your body’s natural strengths/weaknesses against your opponents. You exploit your own inherent strengths and avoid moving the opponent into areas that your body does not lend itself well to.
NOTE: This is only AFTER developing a fully rounded technique foundation from which to specialise – to do so prematurely would be, well, stupid!
So how does this relate to Fach?
Bringing this back full circle, the vocal Fach system also prioritises understanding the inherent strengths/weaknesses of each singer type (after solid training) and to identify what their voice attributes are. This is a lot harder than just identifying body weight, size, strength, length, etc, because you can’t see the voice… you’ve got to listen to it, and then respect it.
With the technique we teach, we can build the voice to have range, power and control. Like with the jiu jitsu analogy, we are creating a strong foundation that works THROUGHOUT the voice, not just in one area where the singer already has some facility.
But ONCE we’ve done that, that does not automatically mean “you can/should sing all songs in all keys”. This is no more than jiu jitsu practitioners can possess all possible attributes to give them advantages in all possible positions. While the idea that with sufficient range you can sing all songs in all keys is technically true, if you want to sound GREAT, you’ve got to listen to your voice. Then you can identify what it does best as you progress with your technique.
Listen
Listen to your range, the ease in parts of your range, weight, colour, timbre, quality, volume, etc. Once you’ve done that, you’ve ALSO got to appreciate and accept that whatever your strengths are will mean that your voice has the hallmarks of a particular voice type. As such, you cannot simultaneously possess all the strengths of ANOTHER voice type. We cannot be two things at the same time!
This is a painful message to accept, particularly for heavier voiced men who have a desire to sing higher vocal parts. This is equally difficult to accept for lighter voice female singers who want to sing heavy, beefy dramatic soprano parts. At the end of the day, we’ve got to listen to our own voices and make smart choices that show off the best attributes of our voices.
Learn More: Related Articles
If you want to learn more about vocal technique and great singing, you may enjoy these related articles:
The Difference between Amateurs and Pros
The problem with trying to teach voice using ONLY voice science
Vocal Pedagogy: Past, present and future
Singers: The Difference Between Vocalists and Performers
Can vocal technique help laryngitis?
Vocal Tessitura: What is it?
The Key to Vocal Consistency