So, you want to know: can everyone learn to sing?
Despite what some people say, everyone can definitely learn how to sing. With good practice and teaching, anyone can realize their potential singing skills. No doubt it will come more naturally to some than others, but with good teaching, practice and commitment, there is much progress to be made.
As you would expect, there is more to the answer than that. Many different circumstance might affect someone’s ability to learn to sing. Let’s think about the answer and some other related questions in more detail…
Can You Teach Yourself to Sing?
Anyone who has sang along to a song—and imagined themselves sounding just like the artist— has no doubt been shocked by a recording of their real voice. It’s natural. Very few people can start singing and immediately sound like a professional.
The pitch, or musical note, your voice makes is controlled by the vocal cords. Like any muscle or body part, the vocal cords need to be trained to do what you want them to.
However, through exercises and practice your mind-muscle connection of these vocal cords can be increased, giving you more control over the pitch and tone of your singing voice. Likewise, breathing exercises can make your voice stronger and give you more stamina when singing.
Overall, singing is difficult because some people naturally have less motor control of their vocal cords, meaning it takes longer for them to learn how to control the pitch of their voice. But by utilizing exercises and practicing regularly you can eventually teach yourself to have more control, better pitch, and thus be a better singer.
How Beginners Can Start Singing
People who have sang from an early age will have a head start. Don’t worry though, anyone can improve their singing voice at any age.
Hiring a professional teacher is probably your best bet, as they can tailor lessons specifically to you. Howeverm, here are some different ways to learn…
- Join a choir
As well as having a great social aspect to it, joining a choir is a great way to learn to sing. Being around that many hobbyist singers, you will no doubt pick up tips and priceless knowledge about breath work, vocal warm up exercises, as well as singing with others.
Choirs are a great way to get expert teaching for free. What could be better than learning, making friends, and being part of a community of singers?
- Online
Believe it or not, many teachers nowadays post their lessons almost entirely on YouTube. There are videos on vocal warmups, exercises, breath work, as well as lessons focused more on music theory. Basically, if you come across a difficulty, there will be a video covering it.
Learning to sing online is also a good way to practice without being embarrassed. There’s no shame in admitting that singing in front of others is a nerve racking experience.
Many teachers offer lessons over video calls. Why not do a search online for someone you think might be suitable for your needs? Even as a complete beginner they can show you where to start.
Is Singing a Natural Talent?
Whether or not you have a natural talent of vocal cord control, some people will be better at hearing pitch and instinctively knowing which note works at any given time.
Along with learning how to sing, learning musical theory and developing your ‘ear’ will be just as beneficial. Developing your ear for pitch will allow you to hear which pitch a note is. Without being able to consciously hear this, you won’t know what pitch to aim for.
Being able to hear the note and recognise it in relation to the rest of the music, is like having a point on the map that you can then aim for.
Certain apps are designed to help you develop your ear for pitch. Like a game it will play two notes and teach you how to guess the musical distance between the two notes. This difference is known as an ‘interval’.
Learning what intervals sound like will give you a solid grounding in knowing what you want your voice to do. Then the vocal exercises themselves will get you there physically.
Still Wondering How to Start Singing? Just Go For It!
Like I said earlier, anyone can learn to sing. If you put your mind to it, it’s entirely possible.
- Commit to it
Like anything you want to get good at, it involves commitment. Doing as little as 30 minutes a day of practice adds up. Just 30 minutes a day is roughly seven and half full days of learning in a year. Commit to it and you will improve in no time at all.
- Don’t Get Disheartened
You may not like your voice now, or even after a few weeks of practice, but stick with it. Eventually you will sing one day and be happy with how you sound. Nothing is better than putting in hard work and seeing yourself improve.
Committing to improving your voice will have knock-on effects to other aspects of your life. Self improvement will become second nature as you realise that little by little, tiny changes to your days can make huge differences long term.
So get those vocal cords warmed up and go for it.