Can I Learn to Sing?

my wife is a singing teacher.

She can make anyone sound better for sure.

Go see a teacher

cheers

Wiz

My first thought was to go to a teacher/coach and I think that I'll try to make it happen. It just becomes more expensive. I have no doubt that it will be more effective. 

Will taking lessons actually improve vocal tone?

First off - Merry birthday, Justin! Second, your voice is fine. I know this to be a fact (I have the secret recordings, remember?) You can match pitch and have a good sense of phrasing.  From there, it's simply a matter of leveraging your natural instrument.  Where tone is concerned - genre is important. I wouldn't want to hear Steven Tyler singing La Boheme any more than I would Pavaroti singing Dream On.  It's clear that good tone in one genre can be crap in another, so the question becomes, "What do great singers share?"  I believe it all comes down to control.  Control over your tone, pitch, breathing, knowing and manipulating your instrument.  Of course, just as with every other instrument - practice is the #1 factor.

That said, there's no question that feedback and advice from a good teacher is never a bad thing.  Can you do it yourself?  Sure, but you're going to triple the level of difficulty where your goals are concerned.  On the other hand, one huge thing you have going in your favor is that you're already wired as a musician, and even more importantly as a composer. You have the ability to hear what you want and then play what you hear - and so it is that you also have the ability to teach yourself with your existing musical knowledge.

Some people think I'm a pretty good pianist, but I'm entirely self-taught - never taken a lesson.  The key to whatever success I've had comes from already having studied and learned other instruments (Classical Guitar and Voice). In other words, I know how to learn an instrument.  So do you.  That said, I've paid a price for my single-minded stubborn arrogance. I can barely read my way out of a 4th grade piano book (though I can read the spots off the page as a vocalist), my technique is all self-devised (as a result, I can't play a two octave scale in both hands, at least not in every key) - And no doubt, I've worked twice as hard for, and probably have half the technical skills of most players at my level of experience.  The upside is, my technique (and it's not insignificant) is unique - the things I play can sound unorthodox because I was forced to be innovative in my attempts to achieve those results - and I'd like to think that I have leveraged that as a player and composer.

I can absolutely improve your tone. And range. And pitch. And control.

Your singing voice is a muscle pushing air resonating in your skull. Understanding and practicing support, breath control and placement will do a lot.

Edit: "IT". "IT" can improve your tone.

I can't do anything for you : )

Ragan is right about air resonating in your skull. You might want to buy one of these Vocal-Ease skull cradles for singers.

LOL I was hoping that was a typo.

I would caution that finding the right teacher is important.  If what they have you do feels uncomfortable vocally - step away from the teacher.  That said there are time tested techniques that are safe and very effective.  You can't go wrong with a good bell-canto style "classical" voice teacher.  They will teach you solid breathing technique (singing on the breath), how to place and move the sound around in your head, and most importantly, how to avoid vocal fatigue, which leads to poor technique and ultimately leaves you vulnerable to damaging your instrument.  From there, you need to take those skills and apply them to your genre - sometimes even breaking the rules - for instance - if you want to sing light and breathy, you need to figure out how to do it in a way where you don't compromise the air support from your chest/diaphram (which is somewhat of a misnomer) and throat.  Not that it can't be accomplished otherwise, but the most competent and flexible artists learn to follow the rules before they break them.  We've all heard stories about famous singers who, faced with the damage they've done to their instrument, either have to give up singing, or if they're lucky and willing to work for it, work with vocal coaches to repair their instrument and re-learn how to sing properly.

I don't have any experience with this guy, but I've seen a few of his YouTube videos and he seems pretty good. Might be worth checking out.

kentamplinvocalacademy.com/

I bought a program about 6 years ago called Vocal Release, it's a series of exercises to learn all of the different techniques, including singing "through the mask" it's worth the money if you practice daily.

HAH!.. Hey Justin, Next time you come down to my studio, I'll give you a free lesson - and I guarantee it'll be just as good if not better than any instruction you can get on-line ..at any price!

I encourage you with all my heart, bro.
singing is so great, its so fun.
don't ever believe anybody that tells you that you can't do it.
that is a lie.
do it, just relax and enjoy it, eh?
build on your successes.
learn what works and sounds pleasing.
allow yourself to fail.
find pretty sounds that you can make.
a big thing is finding a key for a song (any and all songs that you want to do), that fits your vocal range good enough.
your vocal range will grow, as you sing more and more.
don't give up.
someday, you will sing things that you never thought were possible for you to do.

hahahahhahaha
excellent!!


there's a very large kernel of truth to that.
attitude is everything at times.
you get in the zone, and you use the Force. its energy, you know.
it is a production of emotion.

Thanks chasmanian the encouragement is appreciated! I'm going to do it, it's just a matter of finding the right teacher/program...