Voice Lessons? Anyone Ever Take?

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DarkFriend

New member
I'm happy with my singing abilities, but wondering if some structured voice lessons would be interesting and further improve my craft.

Anyone ever take formal voice lessons? Curious what your overall experience was. Obviously, the experience is going to change depending on the teacher, but I'm hoping for some comments on the usability of them.

Thanks!
 
I'm really curious about this as well. I've never taken any lessons; my only training has been singing in a choir in college.

My stopping point has always been that whenever I hear samples of a vocal teacher, I usually really dislike their voice. They usually sound like every other American Idol contestant (or much worse). And so I think ... "why would I ask someone to teach me if I don't like what they sound like?"

I know that the best teachers aren't always the best "doers," but that's still a hard concept to accept, considering the price of vocal lessons.
 
Yeah, I don't expect a vocal coach to make me into an American Idol contestant. But if the technique and/or training helps my home recordings, its money well-spent. Plus, I'm hoping it is actually fun..
 
I intend to start getting vocal lessons this year, mainly to see if it will improve my technique, just for myself and my songs. Plus I know the singing teacher from when I was younger, but I dunno how good she is. I'll let you know, when it comes to it. Probably expensive though, but hopefully beneficial.
 
Seth Riggs' method works for me, I'd really recommend his books and recordings, and you can find some of his stuff on YouTube.

His students are well known, here's him giving Michael Jackson a voice lesson on the telephone:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMMSR4Ad14g

Here's some lessons:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljjczvgm1cw

The key, to me, is learning to breath right (it should feel like you're breathing through your navel and you should look 9 months pregnant when you breath in fully, not like your chest is puffed up like Superman) and learning the concept of speech level singing.
 
DarkFriend said:
I'm happy with my singing abilities, but wondering if some structured voice lessons would be interesting and further improve my craft.

Anyone ever take formal voice lessons? Curious what your overall experience was. Obviously, the experience is going to change depending on the teacher, but I'm hoping for some comments on the usability of them.

Thanks!
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Think of any profession: playing golf, driving a car, wielding a scalpel . . . I am confident that every person at the top of their field will have undertaken extensive training and practice.

The aim of a good singing teacher is not to make you sing like them, nor to make you change your style, but to help you get the most out of your own natural abilities.

If you find yourself running out of breath when you sing, or straining to get notes, or not being able to keep on pitch, or sounding nasally . . . then singing training willl help.
 
A good friend of my who sings and plays harp in a very good and busy boogie blues band still takes lessons and believes that it has done him a lot of good.

I've recorded them a few times now and he's got a great voice. So going on his view then yes.
 
It is very difficult and damn near impossible for a vocal coach to teach you to sing if you can't sing a lick....I have heard people with decent singing abilities really excel once they incorporated breathing techniques and other singing tecniques.

If you can hear and identify that you're sharp or flat, that is a great start and you can build on that! But to be tone deaf, and/or to imagine you're hearing sweet melodies, when in fact you sound like a rabid coyote with a bullet in them, is ahorse of different color.

So YES, vocal lesson helps tremendously! But in my opinion, it'll render more if you have a decent foundation. (And that is being somewhat inclined....)

But like I said, it's all my opinion
 
...

When i was in college, I dated a girl local to the university area. She sometimes mentioned she liked to sing, and of course her mom always NEVER missed an opportunity to point out "she can really sing"...

I didnt think much of it. True, I would hear her humming and marvel at how "melodic" it sounded. I would occasionally walk in unexpectedly and hear her singing while doing something, and yeah, it didnt sound like "everybody else" singing, LMAO

still, I didnt pay it THAT much mind.

She and her mom had mentioned that she had been getting voice lessons, that she had always wanted to try it. Again, I was idly interested. Curiosity got the better of me, but she wouldn't "sing" for me. She was shy about it. I came over early one day, and mentioned it to her mom, who suggested I sit in the next room, that she wouldnt let on I was there, and that she could always get her to sing for her.

When I heard it, I mean her singing "full on" with projection and everything, It was jaw dropping. I hadn't had any IDEA thats what she meant when she said "she sings".

After that, she would sing for me, and she was going thru voice training. The older guy was giving her "operatic" voice lessons, as thats the kind of stuff she enjoyed singing. After a couple months twice a week, hearing her go thru the "runs" to warm up was getting to be decidedly more interesting. She was wanting to "hit E above High C" and it was a big deal for her when he finally coaxed her onto it, and she held it.

a few months more, and you could really tell the difference. She drifted out of music after a failed stint at music major in college, and eventually went back to be a nurse. Somewhere, though... I am sure she simply STUNS people when she opens up at a karaoke contest somewhere, LMAO

the guy extended her range somewhat, in a few months. I guess because this was her first blush with ANY professional instruction beyond simple choir in high school. She then knew how to properly warm up, how to approach a high note at the upper range she had without risking injury to her throat.

and lots of stuff I certainly didnt catch/understand, because I dont know squat about singing (hey, I was a drummer, LMAO)

I knew one other girl, who must have had years of lessons and no one knew. When I finally saw her front for the first time, it was "passable" but kind of "eh". But, someone who knew her in the crowd who was being charitable said it had been passable because of the lessons and work, LMAO


so, based on my limited observational anecdotes... if you have any gift, sure, you'll go further quicker (duh...) and if your a rank amateur with no inherent talent, you will STILL make gains, they just come slower, and you dont end up as far as quick...

but note that in BOTH emxamples, lesons/coaching took them further. Whats not to like about that?

lets say youre a 3... you dont want to be a 4 or 5?

lets say youre a 7.... hey, you can make it to 9! go for it!!
 
Why would any aspiring singer NOT do singing lessons if offered/available? The teacher cannot force you to sing in a particular way when you're doing your own thing, that's your choice, but the things learnt may prove useful in developing your own style. So, nothing to lose (except the cost of the lessons!).

By the way, I guess you could always try this guy's online lessons for free first, rather than pay out...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ_RwV52DMw
 
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SEDstar said:
lets say youre a 3... you dont want to be a 4 or 5?

lets say youre a 7.... hey, you can make it to 9! go for it!!
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Improvement is always good, I guess!!!:confused:

But I come from the school of: Spend the majority of your time doing what you do best, spend some of your time exploring avenues you always desired, and spending the least time trying to perfect something you already suck at!
To go from a 3 to let's say a 4 or 5 is not a bad thing! (Average on a scale of 1-10)
What I am talking about is starting at a 1 or even beyond......... I think that is an obvious HINT that singing probably is not, nor will it ever will be, in your future.
Have you ever noticed that most people who loves to sing can't? The glory of it is, they know they can't sing, but they just enjoy doing it! What irks me is when they think they sound good and refuse to think otherwise! I have seen 1's pay for studio time and I don't get it! If you love music find your place in the business...... But at the end of the day "To each their own" and I respect that!!!!
 
I took voice lessons after singing in bands for about 30 years.

I was never a "great singer" (I have a rough voice which at times has been compared to Joe Cocker, Rod Stewart, Randy Newman and Springsteen - depending on what song I'm singing) - but I normally sang anywhere from 5-10 songs a night in any given band. While I had to be selective - to make sure I sang songs that were good for my vocal range and style....most people thought I was a "good singer".

After a few lessons to learn proper breathing technique, proper posture, etc. etc. (and after a few weeks trying to unlearn the bad technique I had developed over several years)........I actually added a few notes to the top of my range, developed a better overall tone and improved my ability to transition from my chest voice to my head voice. I still don't consider myself a good singer ...although most other people do (I've always been my own worst critic when listening to my singing, playing and writing.

While I can't say if lessons are right for everyone (you have to want to learn and you have to find the right teacher to teach what you want to learn) - if lessons can improve the singing of someone who has been singing for 30 years - I would suggest lessons can be helpful to most people!!!!
 
It is a fact that most famous singers have vocal coaches throughout their careers. There's always room for improvement.
 
it's never too late to improve either. The voice changes with age, that can be a good thing as a young thin voice can age and gain depth.
 
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