I know many people who would like to have a better voice.
But can anyone learn how to sing?
Or is the ability to sing well a question of pure talent like so many think?
In this article, I will answer these questions and show you a fascinating concept about how really anyone can learn how to sing.
Can You Learn How to Sing Even If You Are Not Born With a Voice?
Let’s look at the talented singers first.
There’s no doubt. Some lucky ones among us are just born with a stunning voice. We use to call them natural-born singers.
I know this first-hand because one of my little ones is such a natural-born singer.
We first noticed her talent when she was around 8 months old. Yes, a baby.
One day she suddenly started to sing “Happy birthday”… and was right on the pitch …the whole song.
I know, every time I tell this story no one believes me. But it’s true. I swear.
In fact, before she could even say her first straight sentence, she sang like a pro without even knowing, what she was doing.
“But why are some people gifted with singing talent ?” you might ask.
The Secret of ‘Natural Singers’
Often these singers have someone in their family who is also a singer or a music teacher. For example, I read that Mariah Carey’s mother was an opera singer.
What really happens there is, they learn how to sing simply by imitating their parent’s voices. If you grow up in such a beneficial environment, you are a ready-to-go singer by the age of 11… without even knowing you had some training.
Of course, there are also singers, who don’t owe their voice to their parents but they learn how to sing well just by imitating popular singers.
These people have an incredible talent for imitating sounds. I don’t know any exact numbers but would guess it’s a very rare species.
But how can ANYONE learn how to sing?
Let’s look at our bodies.
The Power of Your ‘Singing Muscles’
If you break down singing to its very basic actions, it is pretty much all about muscle coordination.
From an anatomical point of view, we are all the same. We have a larynx, vocal cords and we all have a diaphragm.
But it’s on our muscles to balance everything and bring the pieces together.
Some of the most common problems singers have are…
- They can’t sing high notes
- They are singing off-key
- Their voice breaks
The real problem there is they are not using their singing muscles properly.
Why so?
Get Rid of Your Bad Habits
There are thousands of different ways to produce a sound. Sounds eventually lead to speaking. And almost always we use this same ‘technique’ for singing too.
And you know what? We’ve learned it all from our parents.
Have you ever noticed how identical family members sound?
And it all has a lot to do with something called ‘muscle memory’. Let’s say a baby learns how to say “A” for the first time.
At first, all a baby does is listening
Then one day he starts babbling until you can hear an “A”. It’s a learning process where a lot of neuronal activities are going on.
Anyway, once a child has finally figured it out, he will reproduce the same sound by using the same muscles every time again.
That’s muscle memory.
The connection between muscle memory and learning a new skill has been scientifically proven by several studies.
It’s saved and locked in our brains and runs on auto-pilot from then on.
And that’s the reason why it is very hard to retrain bad habits.
But there’s a way…
Hard Work Beats Talent
What’s the secret to success?
Believe it or not, success is 10% talent and 90% hard work.
Or like Alber Einstein said…
“Genius is 1% talent and 99% percent hard work…”
–Albert Einstein-
Maybe you’ve heard that before. And it’s true. You can see some great example in sports. The talented players are not (always) the successful ones.
So, if you see yourself as a wildly untalented, but a disciplined singer who’s ambitious to improve his voice….that’s good news!
And there’s some more…
Singers, who had to learn it through hard work have one priceless advantage over a natural-born singer.
Can you guess what it is?
They know EXACTLY what they are doing.
They have learned to properly use, control, and fine-tune their voices.
Even if they have a bad day, or caught some cold, such singers can save their performance because of their robust singing technique.
In contrast, once a natural singer gets in trouble with his voice…. he’s done. He is used to just open his mouth and the voice is there.
Good for him if it works. But if that’s not the case, he has no tools to maneuver his voice through the storm.
The Right Technique That Makes Or Breaks Your Singing
If you want to unlock your true vocal potential, you have to learn how to sing with the proper technique.
Even if you’re as disciplined as an A-student, you won’t get very far without the right information and the right training.
Chances are you will see no or only limited improvement in your singing.
How do you know the singing technique you are using, or learning is the right thing?
There are 6 key characteristics of a proper singing technique you should look out for:
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You sing with a healthy airflow instead of pushing your belly for support
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Your own, unique voice and timbre starts to shine through the noise of cheap vocal imitators
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Your throat is completely free and stays free even you go up the scale
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You are able to sing through your registers (chest, head) with ONE and the same voice. (No strange shiftings and no changes are required)
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You develop a natural vibrato (that is actually good for vocal health too)
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Your intonation is accurate as if you are singing with a built-in autotune device
The funny thing is…
Once you’ve learned the right technique, people think you are a natural singer.
And suddenly you hear them say things like “…I guess he was just born with that voice.” or “How I wished I could just sing like him.”
Funny, isn’t it?
Summary
I strongly believe that anyone can learn how to sing and improve his singing voice.
Natural born singers often have their personal, unconscious training by just imitating their vocally skilled mother or father.
Because they are not much aware of their technique, they often are having a hard time when they get into troubled water with their voice.
Through re-programming, and re-training your ‘singing muscles’ anyone is actually able to learn how to sing from scratch.
If you are a disciplined singer and if you find a way to learn the right technique, chances are you will improve your singing abilities and build your own, magnificent voice.
To your singing success
Felix