By Olivia Hyde, Professional singer and coach
The average person seems to think that singing is some kind of wizardry. It is something that only the lucky minority can do. It is a talent you either have or have not. People often believe that you can develop the existing skill but only if you have some ability to begin with.
Saying ‘I’ll never be able to sing because I’m tone deaf’ is like saying ‘I’ll never be my ideal weight’ or ‘I’ll never be able to quit smoking.’ Sure, if you are twenty stones over your ideal weight and smoke sixty a day you are further from those goals than someone who is just a couple of stones heavier than they would like and someone who only smokes at weekends… but the goals are still 100% possible. It’s just going to be harder and take longer. And, just like with Singing, success or failure will have more to do with you and your outlook than what is merely physically do-able.
Can ANYONE learn how to sing? The short answer is yes. The longer answer is that it depends on how badly you want to learn as there is no magic wand you can wave that will remove the need for a great deal of time and energy. Nor is there a pill you can take which will dissolve the self doubt that is usually the main obstacle where beginners’ progress is concerned. Nevertheless, it can be done.
Singing is just like any other skill in the world. There are individuals who are born with almost freak-like natural abilities in their chosen field but, the vast majority of the time, ‘talent’ comes down to two things: passion and dedication. Singers and musicians are often described as gifted but in fact their particular gift has almost certainly been very much earned.
They have trained in the same way as a dancer, athlete or doctor etc. has.
When somebody says that they are ‘tone deaf’ it normally means that they find it hard to hit the right notes and that, even if they do, they sound terrible. This normally comes down to a few basic things which, put very simply, are:
- Nervousness or lack of confidence which leads to either a laboured vocal quality (shouting) or the individual ‘holding back’ (singing too quietly) resulting in a breathy, strained sound. In both cases you get a tight, constricted larynx and it’s more or less impossible to sound good.
- The belief that higher notes are harder and therefore require more effort which, unless you are belting (which in my experience isn’t safe to do consistently), is not the case.
- Not understanding how to properly navigate the three different passages in the voice- often referred to as chest, mix and head. A trained singer knows how to safely and easily move through these sections whereas the average singer, without guidance, may try to drag up chest voice (very much like an extension of speech) to where it is dangerous and unsustainable or drag their higher voice so low that they are barely audible and sound breathy.
- Over breathing due to being previously taught flawed, outdated singing techniques. Suffice to say that there are only a handful of evidence based singing techniques with any kind of successful track record and they all agree on one thing: that support, range and power have very little to do with using lots of breath and that breathing exercises are generally a waste of time.
- Being afraid to connect with the song (and therefore the audience) and truly perform.
The good news is that any teacher worth their salt knows exactly how to deal with all these problems and more. Although you won’t put anything right overnight anymore than you could learn how to be a ballerina in just a few days, you will see an improvement straightaway as long as you practise often. With the before mentioned passion and dedication, you could amaze yourself.
Like so many things in life, the real key to learning a new skill is self belief. As Henry Ford said: ‘Whether you think you can or can’t…you are right.’ If you believe you can learn to sing and are willing to do whatever it takes to improve then you are closer to achieving more than you thought possible than someone with more natural skill but no self belief or enthusiasm.
So, if you genuinely want to learn how to sing, here is what you will need:
1. A very experienced and knowledgeable singing teacher who:
- Understands how the larynx works
- Understands you and your goal whether that be to sing a song in tune or to perform onstage with your own band
- Records your lessons so that you can improve outside of sessions. It is absolutely vital that you are given the means to train as much as possible on your own.
- Is able to suggest material but never imposes their personal tastes
- Is familiar with your genre of choice
- Is experienced in working with beginners- whose needs are entirely different from those of a busy professional singer
- Can sing really, really, REALLY well
I have written another article called Finding Your Vocal Coach which can be read here.
2. Time and patience.
The first time you do something, anything in fact, you have to do it consciously. In other words you have to engage your brain and concentrate. Eventually though, the pattern becomes stored in your subconscious and becomes a program that your brain can perform automatically. Learning to drive, working out how to use a new phone, cooking a new recipe and literally just about anything you’ve ever done demonstrate this in action. Singing is no different. Your coach will give you exercises to get your larynx working in a safe, effective way and you are literally programming your vocal chords and larynx to sing with power and precision. It doesn’t happen overnight but the more often you spend ‘programming’ your voice in this way the quicker you will notice results.
You should be practising for an absolute minimum of four hours a week or accept that you are not going to improve at your optimum rate.
3. A genuine passion for music.
Nobody cares if you can hit all the right notes if we don’t believe that you’re singing from your heart and soul. Whether the song you’re performing is about feeling like jumping for joy because life is amazing or feeling like crying because someone has broken your heart…we have got to believe you.
This of course can be a pretty daunting task. Let’s face it: singing in front of a bunch of strangers with absolute sincerity about hopes, fears, desires etc. is scary stuff.
- ‘What if they don’t ‘get’ me?
- ‘What if I act confidently and then make a mistake?’
- ‘What if what I’m singing about is personal to me and my vulnerability shows?’
- ‘What if they’re mean? Surely it’s a much more prudent plan to keep my guard up at least a little?’
The irony is that most people are afraid to really perform a song because, on some level, they are afraid of the listener’s rejection and yet this beautiful connection is what audiences crave more than anything else including flawless technique.
I suggest you listen to your favourite singer and even watch videos of them performing after reading this article. You will notice that while your favourite performer can hit all the notes, it’s the passion and sincerity with which they hit them that makes them so captivating.
For more on interpretation please read my article on Interpretation, Delivery and Performance.
Last but not least…
4. A kind attitude towards yourself.
For the average reader, this will be the hardest part of all. Chances are, if you are someone who has read this article because they would love to be able to sing but are not sure that it is possible for them, you’re own lack of self confidence will be your biggest obstacle. You are not alone. Even the biggest artists in the world happily admit to being insecure sometimes and feel that this adds to what they do rather than detracts from it because it makes them better at understanding emotion and empathising with their audiences. So don’t worry about your baggage- just use it to be a better singer and performer rather than let it stop you doing something you want to do.
It takes a great deal of courage to take on a new challenge such as learning to sing. Remember that courage is not absence of fear but the overcoming of it. If a challenge feels frightening do not worry. You’re probably scared because you’re doing something out of your comfort zone and this is a wonderful thing.
Climbing a ladder is fun if it’s resting against the right wall. Set a goal that gets you excited but then think about it in terms of ‘steps.’ Rather than think along the lines of ‘I want to learn to sing and perform with confidence but I can’t imagine being able to do so’ think instead ‘I want to sing and perform with confidence…what is my first step?’ As Martin Luther King once said: ‘You don’t have to see the whole staircase…just take the first step.’
So, to summarise…
The answer to the title question is yes, anyone can learn how to sing. We all have the necessary equipment. The common mistakes people make such as shouting, using too much breath etc. can be put right with tried and tested vocal exercises; pitch and musicality in general can be learned and issues with nervousness and confidence can be overcome. But in order to be the best singer you can be you will need to not only work on your technique but on yourself too…which is altogether more daunting but even more rewarding.