Singing Instruction

[aK_bAsh7]

I'd like to learn some very basic vocal technique, simply for the sake of making singing less effortful. I don't want to undertake a comprehensive course of study. This is just for myself, playing and singing at home. Can anyone suggest any resources ? ? ?

Thanks!

[Teleplucker]

Do a search for local vocal coaches. One or more in person lessons is the best way to get you started in the right direction.

[Coler]

Have you had a look at YouTube?

[Stringmaster]

I’ve gotten a lot of benefit from these courses. It might be a good start to get your feet wet if you’re not ready to jump into private lessons.

https://truefire.com/singing-lessons...rs-vocals/c153

https://www.amazon.com/DVD-Maria-Mul.../dp/B000BGPL16

[rllink]

I took lessons from a voice teacher five years ago. I only took them for six weeks and it helped tremendously. It doesn't have to be a long term commitment. I ran into him just today and I'm starting up again for the month of June. When it comes to voice lessons, I don't know how you could even come close to having a one on one voice coach.

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by aK_bAsh7

I'd like to learn some very basic vocal technique, simply for the sake of making singing less effortful. I don't want to undertake a comprehensive course of study. This is just for myself, playing and singing at home. Can anyone suggest any resources ? ? ?

Thanks!

Hi, I think that I may be able to help.

I've helped quite a few folks with their singing, and there is no course, ni minimum number of (hour long) video sessions - you determine how many sessions you want week by week - you'll probably only need one or two(!)

See :

[rabbuhl]

I like to play guitar and sing. In the beginning, I did okay sometimes but I needed to improve so took lessons. I've had a mix of in-person and online lessons. My current teacher Jeannie Gagne is in Boston. I study from Europe using Zoom. She is the author of several books on singing and the Coursera course below.

I'd recommend you start with the Berklee Coursera course which is free.
https://www.coursera.org/learn/singing-popular-music

This site is also a fun one for singing.
https://singingcarrots.com/

[lowrider]

Everyone can sing. Some will sing great and some will sing not so great but everyone can sing. I'm

You just have to learn how. And there is nothing better than a live instructor. It's different that learning to play a guitar. It has all the same problems with the added fact that when you open your mouth you don't know what's going to came out.

With any other instrument, if you pluck a string or push a key, as long as it's in tune, you get the right note. With your voice, until you learn, you don't know what's coming out.

If you can, find a live instructor/voice coach. Explain to them that you just want help to get started. It doesn't take that long for them to get you going in the right direction and give you some confidence. From there you can take it on your own, find some others to sing and play with, and learn to enjoy singing.

My voice teacher was the singer in her own rock power trio. She was great and fun to learn from. It didn't take that long, just a few months. I still have the same crappy voice that I always did, but now I know where it's going.

[Railroad Bum]

Originally Posted by Coler

Have you had a look at YouTube?

I would second this suggestion or reach out to Silly Moustache.

[BlueStarfish]

Here’s one fellow pilgrim’s tale for you.

I tried Youtube and various other DIY approaches for learning singing for a few years. I’m pretty stubbornly DIY in many dimensions of life, it’s my temperament. I eventually got to a point where I was stuck and decided I needed help to get unstuck. So I recently began taking proper singing lessons with a live vocal coach. In the first few months, I have realized I managed to learn a bunch of stuff wrong in my DIY phase, and now it’s a real task to unlearn those bad habits and replace them with proper technique. As these things go, my singing got worse at first, as I was trying to learn new habits (and fighting against my body’s muscle memory on the old bad habits). But with persistence, now it’s getting better again. Still a long way to go on the journey but I’m pleased with the direction and pace of travel now. Glad I figured this out now rather than a decade from now!

[tbirdman]

I've been taking weekly lessons from the local community college. The lessons are cheap since I get a 1/2 off discount.

I find it very rewarding especially as I sing new songs for her for her feedback. Sometime she says to me after I sing a new song for her "that was a lovely rendition. You sang all the notes that fit well with the chords you play. but would you like to learn how to sing it how it was written." LOL

[Glennwillow]

My oldest son and his wife both teach voice lessons at the local community college. They have helped literally hundreds of people learn to sing better. Check out your local community college to see if they can help.

- Glenn

[jseth]

Many good suggestions already, but one VERY IMPORTANT thing to mention is, no matter what course of action you choose to take...

KEEP SINGING!!!

Elemental, I know, but that's the whole reason why you want some "lessons", right? To be able to sing more effortlessly, to feel more comfortable singing, to sing "better"?

Well, the way you're gonna do that is by DOING IT! So, just keep singing, whatever you choose... it doesn't really matter what songs you sing, especially at first.

(p.s. Breathing REALLY helps!!!)

[Bowie]

Originally Posted by jseth

Many good suggestions already, but one VERY IMPORTANT thing to mention is, no matter what course of action you choose to take...

KEEP SINGING!!!

Elemental, I know, but that's the whole reason why you want some "lessons", right? To be able to sing more effortlessly, to feel more comfortable singing, to sing "better"?

Well, the way you're gonna do that is by DOING IT! So, just keep singing, whatever you choose... it doesn't really matter what songs you sing, especially at first.

(p.s. Breathing REALLY helps!!!)

Well, yes and no. I do like the positive attitude but we don't necessarily get better at singing just by doing it. In fact, we can develop very bad habits or even damage our vocal chords. It took me quite a few private lessons to undo the problems I developed from being self-taught and playing in a band for years. Things that killed my tone and range. In my case, constantly singing and singing everything I felt like singling negatively affected me as it became more difficult and my tone got worse. And, I'm definitely not alone there. Look at the number of well-known musicians whose voices deteriorated over the years from rough use. Some were saved by coaching, many weren't.

Ultimately, lessons from a coach who can see/hear your technique and give you feedback are invaluable. Because singing involves internal mechanisms that are not easy to control, I'm a huge believer in coaching.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by aK_bAsh7

I'd like to learn some very basic vocal technique, simply for the sake of making singing less effortful. I don't want to undertake a comprehensive course of study. This is just for myself, playing and singing at home. Can anyone suggest any resources ? ? ?

Thanks!

Hi aK-etc
When in college (as a music major) I was required to take a voice training class (about 10 of us in the group). I was already proficient as a singer, but adding this helped me refine many of my small techniques.

It was mostly singing during class, and doing exercises - which were practiced on our own before the next class. I took it as a one month intensive (5 days a week for a month in a college with interim classes offered between semesters).

It was all capella vocal, and ran the gamut of interval training, scales, reading scores, etc. We learned to pick notes out of the air when the teacher played a note and asked us to hit the note a tenth above (for example) without hunting.

Perhaps there is a simple voice training class such as this offered at a local music school or university (community college).