Topic: Singing lessons

has anybody here had singing lessons

were they helpful ?

Re: Singing lessons

I have never had singing lessons per say.  I was in chorus every year of high school and I learned a lot that way I suppose.  Singing is almost, either you can sing in key or you can't.  If you can sing in key, it really doesn't matter how you sound.  In my opinion.  I am sure singing lessons can help this over time.  So, the big question is can you sing in key or hold a note easily, but just have a bad or coarse voice?  And like anything ealse, practice, practice, practice.

You can see all my video covers on [url]http://www.youtube.com/bensonp1000[/url]
I have finally found happiness in my life.  Guitars, singing, beer and camping.  And they all intertwine wonderfully.

Re: Singing lessons

I just started singing lessons, in fact the partner of my guitar teacher, Beverly has taken on the task at my request.  I feel more confident now in my voice, I feel I have a better grasp of warming up and relaxing and letting it all out.   Also of singing in key and projecting.

"I don't have pet peeves...I have whole kennels of irritation."  --Whoopi Goldberg

Re: Singing lessons

"Singing is almost, either you can sing in key or you can't"

I can sing somes song in key throughout but only after lots of practice. I have to try singing the song higher and lower so that I can sing it in the same key throughout the song

some songs I can't sing because they are too high or low but I've little idea how to change the key so I can sing it

I also have to record the song and listen to it too make sure that I'm not singing it flat.

finally I have to record and listen to make sure that I don't tail off at the end of verses.

i don't know whether these are just "how things are" or whether they can be improved.

Re: Singing lessons

Trust me when I say I'm no pro but......I'm no pro but you'll only get better when you practice vocalizing and practice playing and practice learning how to change the key to put it in your vocal range.
Hope that helps big_smile

Kenny

Just Keepin on Keepin on
Martin DC15E
Cort MR710F
Squire Strat (Chinese)

Re: Singing lessons

Bottom line, if you feel the urge to sing................sing.  KAP54 has good advice, just remember to warm up, that helps a lot.

"I don't have pet peeves...I have whole kennels of irritation."  --Whoopi Goldberg

Re: Singing lessons

Sounds like you at least have ther ability to sing the right note.  Then you will be able to get better with lots of practice.

You can see all my video covers on [url]http://www.youtube.com/bensonp1000[/url]
I have finally found happiness in my life.  Guitars, singing, beer and camping.  And they all intertwine wonderfully.

Re: Singing lessons

Take singing lessons !

They teach you how to sing from deep down with breath control. You will then reach notes in keys you never thought imaginable. Its all about relaxing the diaphragm.
I did have months of work after having  my first  nodule removed many years ago. first to help me speak again, then sing without problems.. Unfortunately i got another growth { probably from smoking } lost the E in my  singing range.
One of the best tips she ever gave me was to sing on a empty stomach.Your body has less work to do.
Also drink loads of water to keep  you and the vocal chords hydrated.
Dont strain your voice to speak in loud places and  control your voice to speak quietly..

Good luck,

Old Doll.

Why Blend in with the Crowd ? When you were made to stand out !

Re: Singing lessons

To build up confidence and to get some practice:Kakaoke on you-tube, and if I want to torment my neigbours I do it in the showers. Sing, that is..

Re: Singing lessons

I've never taken singing lessons but I have this C.D. that has people doing scales and such to warm up. It's pretty cool. A friend burned it for me.

Everything is bad including me
But being bad is good policy
Reverend Horton Heat

Re: Singing lessons

My wife and I have been playing and singing for a couple of years, now. Me doing the playing and she does the singing. Once upon a time my wife relaxed her diaphram a little too much...........................................................................but that's another story.

nela

Re: Singing lessons

Hi Johncross21,
You have a good idea to record yourself. The sounds coming out of the speakers and the voice you hear in your own head are majorly different.
It is the sound coming from the speakers you have to refine and improve.
Nine out of ten people tend to go flat when their intonation slips a bit. My niece is one of the few that  goes sharp. Sharp or flat doesn't matter until you have flat tending singers singing along with a sharp one. Then the intonation difference will really rattle your cage.
toots

We pronounce it "Guf Coast".
Ya'll wanna go down to the Guf?

Re: Singing lessons

I had singing lessons.  I learned how to breathe "properly" ... how to control how much air was coming out with the "music" ... doing scales helps with warm ups and honing your notes, there's lots of different ones to get your voice ready to go high and low and also to warm up your lips (did you know there's a "proper way to hum" even?) ... sight reading teaches a lot (even tho I was never too good at it)...  recording and listening to yourself is a HUGE thing ... learning how to hit higher notes by lifting your soft palate (at the roof of your mouth, like when you yawn) rather than closing your throat up - 

Voice lessons are good and you will learn a LOT more than you could ever think ... and they can also be just as grueling as any other instrument lesson you could take, your voice is an instrument, so if you do take lessons and pay well for them, expect it to be a serious lesson.  smile  If you do... absolutely look for a teacher that takes his/her students to competitions.  It's a ton of fun and really educational to get judged on your singing by a panel of judges to learn what you need to improve more upon!  I watched a dance competition the other day and it reminded me a LOT of voice competitions.  If I had more time and money, I would take them again!  As it is... my guitar playing and dance lessons for myself are getting to be time consuming and expensive enough... plus the kids are involved in dance and sports.  It really is all good fun!

Art and beauty are in the eyes of the beholder.
What constitutes excellent music is in the ears of the listener.