Are singing lessons truly helpful?

BigBear
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Mon Sep 05, 2011 1:51 pm

Jay- the short answer is no and yes. No, they weren't all that much fun humiliating myself in front of a lovely, patient singing coach. Doing scales and every imagainable combination of notes it seems was a painful exercise for me. For most/many of us singing is just not a natural activity. For me, it is much like learning the guitar. I was literally blown away by how much I didn't know about singing.

Did lessons produce results? Absolutely. I went from OMG! awful to just terrible. Seriously, they gave me some confidence that I was completely missing. They increased my range. They improved me ear. And they taught me how to loosen up the shoulders, neck and throat before singing.

She made me record my lessons and then listen to them in the car. That was not a pleasant experience but I learned from it and it seemed that over time my scales got better and I learned how to diaphragm sing instead of just throat sing. And with it my range increased significantly. I sang in a church choir as a young adult and I always sang baritone. But I am definately not a baritone. So when I learned to sing as a tenor and to try to get up for the high notes instead of always singing "underneath" everything I made some progress.

Unfortunately, I ran out of time and money so I quit way too soon. If had the money again I would absolutely take lessons again and to stick with it. But like most things it depends on the vocal coach and I had a great one. She had the patience of Job.

If you are just a terrible singer lessons won't turn a sow's ear into a silk purse. But you will get better with time. If you have the chance Jay, go for it!! You won't regret it, I promise!

Cheers! :cheer:


haoli25
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Mon Sep 05, 2011 2:44 pm

CAKE THEORY is great, but you still need the basic ingredients to bake one. I have never had the desire or the necessary ingredients for singing. I hope you do. :)



Bill


Guitarmom
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Mon Sep 05, 2011 4:07 pm

Jay,

Singing, like any other skill is not always a natural gift, but the basics can be learned. If you buy a $10 guitar, it will never have the tone of a finely crafted instrument. But even the best guitar will sound much richer after years of playing. The same holds true of your voice. You may have a talent that people would pay to hear…but it will need training to achieve its full potential. You would not expect to be able to pick up a new type of instrument and 'master' it in a manner of weeks or months. Some of us had friends or family members that already played an instrument (or sang) professionally, and were willing to share their love of music. Without that opportunity, there are professional vocal coaches that can get you started correctly. But as Big Bear shared, some can be very expensive. I guess you would have to decide what you are planning to achieve. If you want to be a 'ringer' in a studio, get the best instructor you can, and study long and hard. If you simply want to sing comfortably with others, then it will be a shorter path.

A vocal coach is like any other professional service. Ask for references and understand their skill before starting. You wouldn’t take your car to be serviced until you knew the certifications or skills of the mechanic. I would also like to suggest checking out the classes at community colleges. They are inexpensive, and depending on the credibility of the instructor, can get you started down the right path too. If you simply want to have other folks with whom you can sing, remember the church choir!

I would like to share the following personal tidbits.

The foundation of singing correctly is absolutely controlling your breathing. But learning the basics is not as difficult as some people would have you believe. If you have ever watched a baby sleeping in their crib, you have seen the correct way to breathe. The baby’s tummy and diaphragm rises and falls in effortless rhythm… and the shoulders are motionless. If you want to see if you are breathing correctly lay on your bed (or even the floor) and relax. Take a breath with your hand on your tummy, and watch It rise and fall just like the baby. Your shoulders are not going up and down. Diaphragmatic breathing is the way we were all born to breathe. Learning how to maximize breathing correctly comes with training and practice. Your sustain and tone will also become more accurate. There is an interesting description on Wikipedia that can also assist. Search under “Diaphragmatic breathing”.

The logic of singing scales and practicing sight-reading, is no different than the exercises you do to master your instrument. Yes, they can be tedious and potentially boring, but each time you practice you become more skilled. Breathing correctly will allow you to fill an auditorium with sound. But singing with a lot of volume is not as important as singing correctly and with expression. That is why microphones were invented! So if your voice is not as full, don’t stop! Use a mic!

I was fortunate to be born into a family of singers and instrumentalists. My mom sang with the 'Big Bands' in the '40's, had her own radio show, taught dance, piano and voice. Every time my family got into the car we were singing quartets. I only bring this up to share that I was lucky to be ‘home schooled’ by a subject matter expert. The one aspect to singing, that made a huge difference in my professional career, was taught to my brother and I as children. Mom used to say, ”Never sing ‘just’ words… always sing from your heart”. That may sound simplistic but it is not. If you have ever been in a class in school with an instructor that speaks / reads / teaches in a monotonous tone, you understand what I mean. Instructors like that never inspire or motivate their students…any more than a singer can capture your attention and heart… by ignoring the lyrics and droning out a song.

So my final recommendation to you regarding singing is simple. Bring joy into the world… with your music... and learn by doing!


jimcjimc
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Joined: Fri Nov 06, 2009 5:49 pm
Status: Offline

Wed Sep 07, 2011 4:38 pm

Wow, I was hoping you'd chime in, thanks for all the great and interesting info! :cheer:

Guitarmom wrote:
Jay,

Singing, like any other skill is not always a natural gift, but the basics can be learned. If you buy a $10 guitar, it will never have the tone of a finely crafted instrument. But even the best guitar will sound much richer after years of playing. The same holds true of your voice. You may have a talent that people would pay to hear…but it will need training to achieve its full potential. You would not expect to be able to pick up a new type of instrument and 'master' it in a manner of weeks or months. Some of us had friends or family members that already played an instrument (or sang) professionally, and were willing to share their love of music. Without that opportunity, there are professional vocal coaches that can get you started correctly. But as Big Bear shared, some can be very expensive. I guess you would have to decide what you are planning to achieve. If you want to be a 'ringer' in a studio, get the best instructor you can, and study long and hard. If you simply want to sing comfortably with others, then it will be a shorter path.

A vocal coach is like any other professional service. Ask for references and understand their skill before starting. You wouldn’t take your car to be serviced until you knew the certifications or skills of the mechanic. I would also like to suggest checking out the classes at community colleges. They are inexpensive, and depending on the credibility of the instructor, can get you started down the right path too. If you simply want to have other folks with whom you can sing, remember the church choir!

I would like to share the following personal tidbits.

The foundation of singing correctly is absolutely controlling your breathing. But learning the basics is not as difficult as some people would have you believe. If you have ever watched a baby sleeping in their crib, you have seen the correct way to breathe. The baby’s tummy and diaphragm rises and falls in effortless rhythm… and the shoulders are motionless. If you want to see if you are breathing correctly lay on your bed (or even the floor) and relax. Take a breath with your hand on your tummy, and watch It rise and fall just like the baby. Your shoulders are not going up and down. Diaphragmatic breathing is the way we were all born to breathe. Learning how to maximize breathing correctly comes with training and practice. Your sustain and tone will also become more accurate. There is an interesting description on Wikipedia that can also assist. Search under “Diaphragmatic breathing”.

The logic of singing scales and practicing sight-reading, is no different than the exercises you do to master your instrument. Yes, they can be tedious and potentially boring, but each time you practice you become more skilled. Breathing correctly will allow you to fill an auditorium with sound. But singing with a lot of volume is not as important as singing correctly and with expression. That is why microphones were invented! So if your voice is not as full, don’t stop! Use a mic!

I was fortunate to be born into a family of singers and instrumentalists. My mom sang with the 'Big Bands' in the '40's, had her own radio show, taught dance, piano and voice. Every time my family got into the car we were singing quartets. I only bring this up to share that I was lucky to be ‘home schooled’ by a subject matter expert. The one aspect to singing, that made a huge difference in my professional career, was taught to my brother and I as children. Mom used to say, ”Never sing ‘just’ words… always sing from your heart”. That may sound simplistic but it is not. If you have ever been in a class in school with an instructor that speaks / reads / teaches in a monotonous tone, you understand what I mean. Instructors like that never inspire or motivate their students…any more than a singer can capture your attention and heart… by ignoring the lyrics and droning out a song.

So my final recommendation to you regarding singing is simple. Bring joy into the world… with your music... and learn by doing!


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