Singing is a mechanical physical action. Sound resonates in the human body, in the throat, chest, mouth and nasal cavities. Depending on where you "place" the sound you get different vocal effects. Vocal styles (opera, jazz, rock, country, ect) are often distinguished by the different qualities of resonance. The sound you make depends on how you use your instrument. Tension in the mouth, tongue, jaw, or throat changes the sound quality of your voice. If the throat is tense, the position of your larynx is effected and the free movement of your larynx and vocal chords is restrained.
I noticed in the clips we watched in class today that Dylan's harmonica is placed right in front of his face. Dylan tries to sing over his harmonica by stretching his neck above the instrument. The effect this has on his body is a straining of his larynx and tension in this throat and neck. This tension causes his voice to sound strained in parts.
Another thing I have noticed is that he almost always sings with his soft pallet down. * Try this* take your tongue, place it on the roof of your mouth behind your teeth. Run your tongue along the roof of your mouth back towards your throat until you feel a soft fleshy surface. This is your soft pallet. The soft pallet can be raised by yawning, sucking in air like you are drinking through a straw or gasping for air. You can also raise your soft pallet just using the muscles in your mouth. Many vocal styles do not require you to sing with your soft pallet raised, but the soft palled does effect the resonance of sound. There are times when Dylan sings at the higher end of his range with his soft pallet down and it sounds almost like he is yelling. This is a choice in style he is making. His sing-talking lends itself to a lowered soft pallet, because speaking with your soft pallet raised is awkward and unnecessary.
There are other parts where Dylan does not properly support his sound. Generally, all singing should be supported by the lungs and diaphragm. Singing that is not properly supported is often called "singing off the chords." Dylan does not always sing off the chords, but often times when he sings he sings from his throat. Singing from your throat may sound louder, but the sound itself is a more harsh strained sound with little vibrato (slight variation in pitch due to vibration of vocal chords) or resonance. The difference is where the support comes from. *Try this* If you make a face like you are sucking air through a straw and blow out, the air will be cool. This type of breath is not supported by the diaphragm. Then if you blow air like you are trying to fog up a glass window with a "ha" sound, the air will be warm. This type of breath is supported by the diaphragm. Dylan plays the harmonica, an instrument that takes a lot of breath support. And there are many times whey Dylan does use vibrato and achieves a warmer resonating sound. So he is capable of this type of singing. He has achieved a unique style that mixes different resonating qualities. I think that the actual sound produced can be looked at from a structuralist perspective to look at where Dylan follows and breaks the rules vocally in his folk and rock genres.
I think understanding how the sound is made (in an extremely short and general explanation) helps understand that the tone and quality of the sound can be manipulated. And while Dylan's voice is unique and does possess tonal qualities that are specific to him, the placement of sound and the way in which Dylan uses his voice is a choice that has nothing to do with weather or not he has a "good voice."
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