What does it mean to have a beautiful voice color or just a voice color?

Your teacher paid you a compliment. I hope someone will be able to tell you what technically causes the differences, because I can’t, but a choir teacher probably means the natural quality of your voice is pleasing. Not everyone has that, as you’ve probably noticed. Relax and stay relaxed when you sing. If he/she suggests ways of singing, pay attention and try it. Watch what happens when he gives instruction to other people and see how the instruction changes their voice when they follow the instruction. Stay relaxed and enjoy your voice.

My guess would be that color, of either an instrument or a voice, refers to the combination of overtones. It is one thing to be able to sing notes, but it is the overtones that distinguish one instrument from another and one voice from another.

It’s the timbre of your voice, or the ability to create rich tones.

Do you sing the blues?

Tone. Color=tone.

It’s just tone. Some students really don’t know how to use their voice right and they end up sounding unnatural and out of tune. Congratulations, many teachers don’t give that compliment easily.

@stratman37 I don’t really sing the blues…but I do find my voice to be better suited with soul/jazz feely songs

and thank you everyone else (:

If you want a perfect example of the differences in voice timbre (color or tone) independent of style, I can think of none better than the various versions of “Blowin’ in the Wind”.

Bob Dylan wrote the song and he is a brilliant and unparalleled songwriter. But his singing voice leaves much to be desired, to put it charitably. To put it more bluntly, his voice is weird, nasally and downright irritating.

But don’t take my word for it. Just head over to YouTube and pop it into their search. Then tell me whether you’d prefer listening to Dylan or Joan Baez singing it if you had to listen to it on a daily basis.

It’s obvious that tone was the primary factor which turned it into a huge hit for Peter Paul and Mary. Obviously the words are fantastic but they’re the same as in Dylan’s sung version.

But people loved listening to their version. It was a pleasant experience time after time.

There are also other versions from singers with vastly different styles. Johnny Cash, Stevie Wonder, Sam Cooke, Judy Collins etc etc.

I would far rather listen to just about anybody else on earth singing it rather than Dylan and I’m sure I’m not alone in that. He just didn’t have that good of a singing voice. Had he not been such a genius songwriter, I doubt anyone would have given him a record deal based on his voice alone :)

I think the that Joan Baez has one of the best voices I’ve ever heard. She has that ineffable quality best described as mellifluos.

Even tho people rave about Celine Dion nowadays, she can quickly switch over into screech territory every once in awhile. I could listen to Baez all day long.

I think that’s also why Josh Groban became popular so quickly. His voice just has that same gorgeous tonal quality as someone like Placido Domingo. Doesn’t matter what words they’re singing. You could just listen for hours.

Your teacher really did give you an exceptional comment on your voice quality. Treasure it and be grateful as it’s a real gift for those who have it so naturally.

BTW. You may not be of an age to remember when this first came out, but YT has a few examples of two singers with vastly different styles collaborating on a beautiful song. The film taken while recording in the studio is the best version I think.

“Perhaps Love” with Placido Domingo and John Denver. I think you’ll enjoy it.