Can you learn to sing if you have a “bad” voice?
The voice is a uniquely personal instrument, and no two people will ever sound exactly the same. Some Singers are great imitators while others innovate by developing their own style. Whether a voice is “good” or “bad” is a subjective idea at best; what appeals to one person might not appeal to another. The success of a Singer depends at least partially on whether they can find an audience who appreciates them and their singing.
There are plenty of examples of successful Singers who could be said to have less than great voices: Tom Waits, Bjork, Jimi Hendrix, Randy Newman, and Ringo Starr come to mind. Similarly, there’s not much to be gained by comparing Sade with Celine Dion, or Billie Eilish with Aretha Franklin.
What some Singers may lack in technique can be more than compensated for by authentic feeling and style. Even Adele or David Bowie can be heard singing slightly out of tune if their vocal tracks are isolated from the mix. This doesn’t detract from their vocal performance and might even enhance it since it shows their vulnerability and authenticity in full form.
This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t strive to improve your singing voice, and there are many ways to do so, as working with a Vocal Coach or Teacher can reveal to you. Almost anyone can learn to sing better regardless of where they stand today if they are willing to put in the time and effort to improve.
How do I begin to sing?
Most Singers begin by singing along with the recordings they love to listen to. It’s important to first internalize the style of singing that most appeals to you and listening to the great recordings is a good way to start. Careful listening is a useful tool that will never leave you when you have developed the skill to really hear what is going on in the music.
It’s helpful for the vocal neophyte to learn to play an instrument as well; most choose the piano or guitar as it’s also good for self-accompaniment. Learning the notes, scales, and chords and being able to play them on an instrument is super-helpful for anyone learning to sing since you can use them to check your singing voice for accuracy. Don’t be afraid of learning music and music theory, it’s incredibly useful and there’s nothing inherently difficult about it.
Moving forward, it’s very helpful to have a Voice Teacher or Coach, as we discuss throughout this article. Their knowledge and experience can guide you through all the steps you’ll take to improve your singing. Some of the specific things you’ll learn here include proper breathing and posture for singing, vocal warm-ups and warm-downs, improving your pitch (intonation), diction, and phrasing, learning your vocal range (lowest to highest note you can sing), and tips for maintaining vocal health.
You’ll also learn to build confidence in your singing by singing in front of others, whether it’s your Teacher, other musicians in the ensemble, or a live audience. A Teacher can open all the doors for you, and it’s smart to find a good one if you possibly can.
How do you sing beautifully?
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but there are some defined areas which taken together could begin to objectively describe beautiful singing in a live performance:
- Intonation: Is the singing “in tune?”
- Diction: Can we understand the words?
- Rhythmic Interpretation: Is the rhythmic phrasing effective, natural, and appropriate to the style?
- Vocal Quality: Does the voice sound clear, full, and healthy? Is there a “rasp” or does it sound thin or strained?
- Song Choice and Preparation: Is the song a good song for the Singer to sing? Is it in the right key? Is there an effective musical arrangement to complement the voice?
- Stage Presence: Does the Singer use their body/hand movements, facial expressions, and appropriate attire to enhance their vocal performance and connect with the audience?
- Dynamics: Does the Singer use variations in singing levels and intensity to improve the listeners’ interest in and perception of the song?
Note that there will always SOME subjectivity in evaluating vocal performances since each listener comes with some preconceptions of what beautiful singing is to them. This is why judges in talent shows sometimes give very different scores. But these seven areas above can give you some insight into what most people would consider beautiful singing. Sometimes it’s fine to like something because YOU think it’s beautiful, regardless of what others think.
Does humming improve Singing?
According to many voice teachers and vocal coaches, humming is a great vocal warm-up exercise because it doesn’t strain or push your vocal cords. With the tip of your tongue touching the back of your bottom front teeth, hum up and down a major scale with your mouth closed. Make the “h” sound at the start of every note as you hum. Other humming warm-up exercises are the vocal straw exercise and the lip and tongue trill exercises.
For the vocal straw exercise (also called straw phonation), simply hum through a straw. Start from the bottom of your range and slowly and evenly perform a vocal slide up to the top (like a long, slow siren). Then, hum your favorite song through the straw. You can also blow controlled bubbles in a partially full glass of water while you hum for this exercise. For the lip trill, or lip buzz, make your lips vibrate as you blow air through your mouth and nose at the same time. Hum to make a sound like a motorboat. For tongue trills, curl your tongue, rolling your R’s as you hum through your range from bottom to top These humming exercises are great for both warming up and warming (or cooling) down.