Falsetto allows male singers to expand their natural vocal range. Every singer is limited by the physiology of his vocal muscles. At a certain point, you simply can't go any higher or lower in your natural range. By compressing the larynx, you can "cheat" your way to higher notes. Because you achieve a falsetto vocal by squeezing into your "head voice," the notes are only half-projected and are therefore quieter. Franki Valli pioneered the use of falsetto as a distinctive style rather than a technique to reach high notes. "Big Girls Don't Cry" features a prominent example of this. "Cry Me A River" by Justin Timberlake also features an example of pop falsetto.
Though a genre is its own right, rap has influenced and permeated pop music for generations. Rapping is a rapid, spoken "rhyme" delivered in a staccato and percussive manner. Notable pop songs featuring a rap include "Black Or White" by Michael Jackson and "Rapture" by Blondie. Rapping differs from singing because it features a minimal focus on melody and pitch, along with a much stronger focus on rhythm, structure and rhyme. While not a classical signing technique, rapping quickly and clearly is a difficult technique to master.
This much-maligned vocal technique is commonly associated with pop divas" such as Mariah Carey and Celine Dion. Melisma is a form of vocal virtuosity, or "acrobatics," wherein the singer executes a complex run of notes using one syllable. It originated as a form of expressive improvisation in Gospel music. While the technique can prove beyond doubt that a singer has incredible technical ability, many experts, including gospel producer Anthony Heilbut, consider it an unnecessary disruption that detracts attention from the core melody.
The distinctively seductive "breathy vocal" is part singing technique part vocal technique. By adding a great deal of compression during recording, the singer can afford to lower the volume of her vocal without suffering any dip in audibility. This technique enables you to "whisper" the vocals rather than sing them. Allison Goldfrapp from the band Goldfrapp delivered an intense and distinctive vocal on the song "Ooh La La" using this technique.
This traditionally corrective postproduction effect was once used primarily to bring marginally out-of-tune notes into tune. However, by "abusing" the parameters of the effect, you can achieve a characteristic "yodelling" sound. "Believe" by Cher was an early mainstream example of this technique.