Many of us wish we have the ability to sing. We envy those who can get up at karaoke night, blow everyone away, and wish we could do the same. If you’re one of these people, you may wonder if it’s possible to learn how to sing or if it’s a talent you need to be born with. Luckily, the answer is that you can absolutely learn to sing with voice training and that you don’t necessarily need natural talent. Through online voice lessons, you can master control over your voice and entertain everyone at the next karaoke night, join your local choir or even follow your dreams on stage.
Singing is More of a Learned Skill
Genetics can make obtaining some skills easier than others. For example, someone with two professional athletes as parents may have an easier time with skills related to hand-eye coordination due to their genetic predisposition. However, this doesn’t mean anyone with professional athletes as parents can’t learn to play a sport. All it means is that they may have to work a little harder.
Singing falls into the same category. Some people are born with a natural ability due to genetics and seem to find a perfect pitch easily. But broadly speaking, singing is more of a learned skill than a natural one. Most people who can sing well learn how to do so at some point in their lives. Perhaps they took private lessons, sang in a school choir, or practiced singing along to the radio.
Go through any of your favorite musicians, and you’ll likely find someone who had to work on their singing ability. If you compare their voice now to how they sounded when they first started, you’ll probably see a big difference. They may have had some genetic ability to help them get started, but they still had a lot to learn.
How Voice Training Teaches You to Sing
One of the best ways to learn how to sing is through voice training. When you take voice training lessons, an instructor guides you through all the important aspects of singing properly. Singing is about more than just changing the tone of your voice, and learning the basic principles can help you significantly improve as a singer. Below are some of the things you’ll know during voice training lessons:
Posture
One of the first things you’ll learn during singing lessons is proper posture. Whether sitting or standing, having the right posture allows you to breathe properly while singing. A voice instructor shows you the appropriate way to sit or stand so that your diaphragm has room to expand and support your voice. If you don’t have the right posture while you’re singing, you’ll find it hard to get the most from your voice.
Breathing
The next important element to a strong singing voice is how you breathe. Breathing is often the first topic covered in voice lessons because it plays an integral role in everything else you do. Without proper breathing techniques, your voice loses some potential, and you may find yourself exhausted while singing.
How you move air through your body plays a direct role in the quality of your voice. The instructor provides you with various breathing exercises designed to help you establish good habits during voice lessons. Many students find that simply learning how to breathe while singing significantly improves their singing ability.
Diction
Diction is how we pronounce our words. Many people skip over learning proper diction when learning to sing, but it’s a valuable tool to spend time on. When you take voice lessons, an instructor shows you the appropriate way to form your vowels and pronounce your consonants so that each word you sing is clearly understood. This is especially important if you plan on singing in a theater, but you can also use this skill if you’re singing along to the latest pop music. If you want your voice to resonate with people and stand out from others, you’ll want to learn proper diction.
Tone
The tone is probably what most people think of when they think of singing quality. It’s the unique sound of your voice or its timbre. Adjusting your tone while singing and remaining on the key is a large part of what makes someone pleasant to listen to. During voice lessons, the instructor will give you exercises to help you find the right tone and adjust your voice accordingly. They will also show you how your posture and breathing directly affect the tones you’re able to produce.
Intonation
Finally, there’s intonation. This is the ability to match a given pitch accurately. Some people think you need to be born with this ability, but like all the other elements of singing, you can improve your intonation skills with practice. In voice lessons, you’ll go through plenty of exercises that help you develop your ear so that you can quickly identify a pitch. By the end of your instruction, don’t be surprised if you can accurately match pitch just as anyone born with the ability.
Improving Your Singing Voice on Your Own
Even without voice lessons, there are a few things you can do to improve your singing voice on your own. A great place to start is by recording yourself when you sing. You can then listen back and look for areas where you can improve. For example, if you notice that you are off-key during a certain part of the song, you can repeat just that part of it until you get it right.
You can also practice proper breathing and posture whenever you’re singing for fun, such as at a party or while driving. The more often you sing with correct posture, the more naturally it will feel for you. There are plenty of exercises that you can find online that will help you improve your posture for singing.
Finally, try practicing with an instrument. When you learn an instrument like the piano or guitar, you can practice singing and playing. Since you’re the one playing the notes, you can go as slowly as you need to. This also makes it easy to practice adjusting your pitch, as you can play the same note repeatedly until you get your voice to match it.
Dangers of Self-Taught Voice Training
Of course, there are a few dangers to self-taught voice training. Without an expert to guide you and correct your mistakes, you could face some potential problems, such as:
Bad Habits
One of the biggest dangers is bad habits. You may think you’re performing an exercise correctly, but you may actually be doing it wrong without expert guidance. You then end up performing the exercise the same way incorrectly repeatedly until it forms a bad habit. These bad habits can impact your ability to sing to your full potential, and worse, they are often hard to break once you establish them. When voice training, it’s often very helpful to learn the best way to do things when you have no prior knowledge, as this is the best way to form a good habit.
Injury
Another potential danger of teaching yourself to sing is injuring yourself. Your voice is a muscle like any other in your body, and if you don’t take proper care of it, you could cause some harm. It’s not uncommon for unprofessional singers to injure their voices, resulting in them taking time away to heal. Proper voice lessons can teach you how to take care of your voice, such as when to rest it and telling you how much water to drink, and ensure you don’t strain yourself while practicing.
Limiting Potential
Finally, you may limit your potential if you try to teach yourself. Voice lessons are designed to get the most out of each singer’s voice. If you go on your own, you may reach a plateau that you think is good enough and stop there. You’ll never know your true potential if you don’t push yourself and train in the right way.
Start Learning to Sing Today
Don’t let the belief that singing is a natural ability stop you from learning. Plenty of people are not born as gifted singers and yet learn to do so. All you need is some proper guidance and a willingness to put in the time and effort. To get started, we offer voice training lessons at our online voice school. We have all the tools you need to improve your singing voice, all from the comfort of your own home. Our lessons are taught by trained professionals, ensuring you get the most from your experience. Don’t hesitate to contact us today to learn more about signing up for our singing lessons.
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