can ANYONE learn to sing?

[billiambrasky]

I've been practicing for 2 years or so now. I'm showing very little improvement. It sucks! I'm getting kinda impatient. But one thing I wanna know iis. Will my voice change? I mean. My voice sounds horriblible. It seems like even if I could hit any note I wanted and be pitch perfect. The sound of my voice is just horrible. Will it get better? Or a, I just a damn unlucky bastard blessed with a shitty voice? Any. Feedback is appreciated. Thanks -spaaaannnceee!

[buzzard bass]

Wow, with this much info it's real, difficult actually, to answer your question. Your age, kind of song you want sing, you know the real details.

[Kristo]

I've been practising singing for about... 4 years now. But for me, the first 2-3 years were pretty loose, practise-wise. And I didn't see much improvement. I could hit some notes, but in general I hated my voice. Late 09 I made a schedule, practising almost every day. And well... the results came surprisingly fast. Although I still have some days where I'm not particularly fond of my voice, the bulk of days I'm pleased and feel like I'm still improving in tiny bits every day. So, from my experience, I would say that anyone can learn to sing, you just have to practice more (often).

[bdenton]

Being a good singer and having a good voice are not necessarily the same thing.

For example, I'm a fairly decent singer, but my voice ain't nothin' to write home about. But I can blend fairly well, so I have sung a lot of backup in the bands I've played in.

But I leave the lead singing to those who, while perhaps not as skilled as I am, are more gifted than I am...

[Nadzilla]

It really depends on a lot of factors, mate. I knew a guy in college who, when singing acapella, had a great voice. But put him with a band / backing track / even duetting with another singer, the guy was HIDEOUSLY tone-deaf.

Now, for hitting notes, here's something I got him to try, and it worked (to a point, I am no singing tutor, there was only so far I could help him): Listen to something that makes the same note for a long time, either stand at a keyboard and choose a long-sustaining sound, hit one key and keep it there. Start humming anywhere you like in terms of notes. Then slowly bend your note up or down until you hear it "match" the note you are playing. You can even do it when someone is vacuum cleaning in your house! A lot of appliances have a constant note. This is one way to practice hitting notes perfectly, in time when you hear a note, you'll be able to hit it bang-on first time.

Now on to the sound of your voice. This is more about what you are happy with. You can try to listen to other artists and try to emulate their voice. A REALLY easy one to emulate is Eddie Vedder, as he's got that certain "sound" to his vocal. Scott Stapp is another one who is easy to emulate, and his songs with Creed are easy to learn and sing for practice.

It's either emulation, or learn to be happy with your own voice. Listen to your fave songs, and try to sing them in YOUR voice. I know it's easy to automatically emulate the sound of a particular vocalist you are listening to, but try not to. When I started singing, I would emulate Mike Patton. This is about 17 years ago, when I first got into Faith No More. I always sang with that "American" accent that every singer, no matte what country they are from, tries to sing with. It's due to saturation, a lot of songs in the charts will have someone singing in an American accent, probably because that's where their influences come from.
About 10 years ago I kinda dissected this and thought "I am British, why do I sing like and American?" so I stopped doing it. It was hard to adjust, like trying to break in a new pair of hard leather boots, but in time I defined my own sound, and I sing in a British accent now. No, not like Lily-Allen and all the other wannabe-cockney clones, I have my own style, and I'm really happy with it. Sometimes, keeping it real is the best way to make yourself happy.
Try to clear all influences from your head and sing in YOUR voice, you might be pleasantly surprised!

[wblake]

Have you considered finding a vocal instructor or coach? I just started with one and in two sessions he has got me finding my voice in ways that would have taken me years (if ever) to accomplish.

[guitarplayr82]

If you don't like your voice you can grow into singing with a type of "dialect" or tone or accent that can become your original sound. It would help if I knew what type of music you sing, but I know a lot of band's singers that sing with a certain style that is most likely not the natural way they sang when they first started singing. However, it fits their music, sets them apart from all the other singers, and possibly makes them sound better than they would if they were to sing in a "normal" voice.

[grimtraveller]

can ANYONE learn to sing?

Nope.

But there's a difference between not being able to sing and hating your own voice. Be careful not to confuse the two

[matttheaxe]

If you are serious, get the Brett Manning vocal course. He's a real pro and the CD program is worth every penny.

[joeym]

no....
but if you're born with a good voice, you can get better by taking lessons and practicing.
Also ask yourself: can anyone play guitar, piano, drums, a triangle, fry an egg without burning the edges.....?