Learning to sing is less of a destination and more of a journey.If you plan to sing professionally and make a career out of entertaining with your voice, you'll probably spend a lot more time, money and energy on learning to sing than a hobbyist. I'm going to address both of you - the singer who wants to sing professionally and the singer who just wants to get good as a hobby.
Wherever you decide to have your singing lessons, you will be able to learn various exercises to help you with the very basics of singing, and breathing in the right way. People seem to get the wrong idea about singing lessons and make it much harder than it needs to be. Granted you will have to put some effort in and spend time between lessons practicing yourself, but all the work will be worth it in the end.The whole point of learning to sing is because you want to enjoy it, and to get the full amount out of your lessons you will need a fair bit of tuition. This is where if you decide to have one on one tuition you will make a rather large hole in your wallet as the weeks and months go by.
A lot of times, even great self-taught vocalists are sent to take singing lessons in preparation for recording and touring because unless you know how to use your voice properly, it's going to disappear on you and maybe even get seriously damaged. A lot of pop and rock singers especially seem to feel that it's somehow selling out or compromising your "sound" by getting vocal lessons but almost any professional musician will tell you that more music education only HELPS your chances at becoming successful.
You'll also probably be surprised to know that some of your favorite singers took or currently take voice lessons. Brandon Boyd of Incubus comes to mind as an incredibly powerful singer who was good before he took lessons but now he's just incredibly solid, in tune and relaxed and guess what...his sound is still the same! If you're still in high school, join the choir or the band. Playing an instrument always helps your singing because it improves your ear and general musicianship. But who do you go to for voice lessons? You'll find the most competent vocal coach at a university or college that has a music program.
You love singing along with your favorite singers and bands, but sometimes you find yourself straining to hit a high note or singing out of tune and think "whoa" that sounded like crap!" You chuckle at yourself for a minute but then realize that you actually genuinely love to sing and you'd like to learn to do it better.Usually, what you'd do is go find yourself a singing teacher and take a few voice lessons. The problem is, that vocal coaching is really expensive (Like $40+ an hour). Plus, it can be hard to find quality instruction from a competent teacher, which is a big deal because bad vocal habits get engrained in muscle memory and are very hard to unlearn.
Record yourself as much as possible and get as many expert opinions as you can. Network a lot and connect with other musicians. Challenge yourself daily. Be cordial with others because this very much a business about who you know, and there's no reason to piss anybody off when they can make or break your career or at the very least hurt your reputation.
Gig as much as possible while learning to sing. They'll never be a perfect moment when you're perfectly ready to deliver the perfect performance. This is real life. Your voice is going to feel great one day, crappy another day and everywhere in between. Welcome to the emotional rollercoaster, that's what it is. Make your own opportunities and capitalize on those presented to you. Ask your teachers for help. They have connections, experience and want to see you succeed.
To understand how we all should be breathing observe a baby in its cot. Notice the way its belly swells up with each breath it takes? That's because it is using its diaphragm. Now no one taught it to breathe that way except nature and I do think, in cases like this nature knows best. As we get older we get lazy and take shot breaths through our chests. In order to sing properly you've got to go back to been a child and re-learn how to use your diaphragm.The first thing you need to do then is discover how much control, or the lack of it, you have over your breath.
To get a physical feel for what your breathing is really like try this. Place your left hand over your stomach, with your thumb on your belly button, place your right hand on top. Now take a deep breath in through your nose and let your hand feel the expansion in your stomach as your belly fills up with fresh oxygen.Now try and hold it there and count to five, it's difficult I know, especially if this is your first time. OK it is time to exhale on a slow count to five release your breath mellow and slow, conserving every last bit of it. Was it difficult?
That's only if you want to do it professionally. But if you just love singing and want to be a better singer, learning singing is going to be a lot less time consuming for you. Of course, I still recommend that you take voice lessons once a week or so because it'll hold you accountable and keep you on track and progressing, whereas if you were left to your own devices you'd probably let your singing stagnate.
When you're paying money, on the other hand, you get a pang when you feel like you're just throwing it away! Listen to your favorite songs and artists and try to emulate them just be careful about trying to sing songs that are way too high for you and straining your voice. Also, emulate the songs but don't emulate the singer. You have your own voice, your own style and your own interpretive abilities. Use them! Don't become a second-hand singer. Learning to sing will still present certain frustrations for you but just take your time and do what you can and slowly push yourself a little more each time.
Wherever you decide to have your singing lessons, you will be able to learn various exercises to help you with the very basics of singing, and breathing in the right way. People seem to get the wrong idea about singing lessons and make it much harder than it needs to be. Granted you will have to put some effort in and spend time between lessons practicing yourself, but all the work will be worth it in the end.The whole point of learning to sing is because you want to enjoy it, and to get the full amount out of your lessons you will need a fair bit of tuition. This is where if you decide to have one on one tuition you will make a rather large hole in your wallet as the weeks and months go by.
A lot of times, even great self-taught vocalists are sent to take singing lessons in preparation for recording and touring because unless you know how to use your voice properly, it's going to disappear on you and maybe even get seriously damaged. A lot of pop and rock singers especially seem to feel that it's somehow selling out or compromising your "sound" by getting vocal lessons but almost any professional musician will tell you that more music education only HELPS your chances at becoming successful.
You'll also probably be surprised to know that some of your favorite singers took or currently take voice lessons. Brandon Boyd of Incubus comes to mind as an incredibly powerful singer who was good before he took lessons but now he's just incredibly solid, in tune and relaxed and guess what...his sound is still the same! If you're still in high school, join the choir or the band. Playing an instrument always helps your singing because it improves your ear and general musicianship. But who do you go to for voice lessons? You'll find the most competent vocal coach at a university or college that has a music program.
You love singing along with your favorite singers and bands, but sometimes you find yourself straining to hit a high note or singing out of tune and think "whoa" that sounded like crap!" You chuckle at yourself for a minute but then realize that you actually genuinely love to sing and you'd like to learn to do it better.Usually, what you'd do is go find yourself a singing teacher and take a few voice lessons. The problem is, that vocal coaching is really expensive (Like $40+ an hour). Plus, it can be hard to find quality instruction from a competent teacher, which is a big deal because bad vocal habits get engrained in muscle memory and are very hard to unlearn.
Record yourself as much as possible and get as many expert opinions as you can. Network a lot and connect with other musicians. Challenge yourself daily. Be cordial with others because this very much a business about who you know, and there's no reason to piss anybody off when they can make or break your career or at the very least hurt your reputation.
Gig as much as possible while learning to sing. They'll never be a perfect moment when you're perfectly ready to deliver the perfect performance. This is real life. Your voice is going to feel great one day, crappy another day and everywhere in between. Welcome to the emotional rollercoaster, that's what it is. Make your own opportunities and capitalize on those presented to you. Ask your teachers for help. They have connections, experience and want to see you succeed.
To understand how we all should be breathing observe a baby in its cot. Notice the way its belly swells up with each breath it takes? That's because it is using its diaphragm. Now no one taught it to breathe that way except nature and I do think, in cases like this nature knows best. As we get older we get lazy and take shot breaths through our chests. In order to sing properly you've got to go back to been a child and re-learn how to use your diaphragm.The first thing you need to do then is discover how much control, or the lack of it, you have over your breath.
To get a physical feel for what your breathing is really like try this. Place your left hand over your stomach, with your thumb on your belly button, place your right hand on top. Now take a deep breath in through your nose and let your hand feel the expansion in your stomach as your belly fills up with fresh oxygen.Now try and hold it there and count to five, it's difficult I know, especially if this is your first time. OK it is time to exhale on a slow count to five release your breath mellow and slow, conserving every last bit of it. Was it difficult?
That's only if you want to do it professionally. But if you just love singing and want to be a better singer, learning singing is going to be a lot less time consuming for you. Of course, I still recommend that you take voice lessons once a week or so because it'll hold you accountable and keep you on track and progressing, whereas if you were left to your own devices you'd probably let your singing stagnate.
When you're paying money, on the other hand, you get a pang when you feel like you're just throwing it away! Listen to your favorite songs and artists and try to emulate them just be careful about trying to sing songs that are way too high for you and straining your voice. Also, emulate the songs but don't emulate the singer. You have your own voice, your own style and your own interpretive abilities. Use them! Don't become a second-hand singer. Learning to sing will still present certain frustrations for you but just take your time and do what you can and slowly push yourself a little more each time.
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