Voice Lessons?

[ARL002]

I was thinking about taking voice lessons because now that I've started singing and playing, I've noticed my voice is really lacking. I seem to only be able to sing in the key of G, perhaps because my range is very small or perhaps I just suck. But I also have a problem singing in tune.

Have any of you taken voice lessons? Are the benificial? How much do they usually run?

Are there any excercises (singing or breathing) that I can do at home without a teacher in the time being? Thanks!

[Rockerbob]

I took voice lessons for a short while around 30 years ago. I was already doing a solo act in the beach bars on the Florida Gulf coast, but I was blowing my voice out after a couple nights. I got hooked up with a wonderful little old lady through friends and she really helped me. Not that I'm a great singer, I'm not, but she helped me improve and helped me stop blowing out the voice. Now if only I'd practice...

I have no idea about price. Things were different 30 years ago and I was getting a good deal through my friends. I can't even remember what I paid back then.

[SparkyMark]

I would take some lessons so you can learn to breath properly. You will have a natural range of notes that may well fit the two octave range from G below middle C to a top G. This doesn't mean you can only sing in this key but the key of G sounds great on a guitar.

A good voice teacher will give you exercises to help improve the flow of air from your diaphram over the vocal chords and out through the mouth. This will in time help improve range, projection and prevent voice burn out. (For the voice, air is fuel and it needs a good constant supply). The lessons are themselves only part of it. You will need to do the exercises to improve (just like the guitar).

Good luck

Sparky

[the sneak]

Check out the seth riggs voice level training. Its what I hightly reccomend. www.sethriggs.com

[Chicago Sandy]

Originally Posted by the sneak

Check out the seth riggs voice level training. Its what I hightly reccomend. www.sethriggs.com

I started out 25 yrs. ago with a Stanley Method teacher--it "built" my voice in half the normal time, but it's since been discredited. Went 18 yrs. w/o lessons because I figured I didn't have the time and singing lead in rock bands really helped strengthen my voice. But after a few years off performing, I noticed a "cloudiness" creeping into my voice, especially as I got back into solo folk and was dissatisfied with my recorded sound--as well as getting vocal fatigue. I checked out the Seth Riggs "Speech Level Voice" teacher in Chicago, and I've been studying with him ever since (about 18 months now). (He's split with Riggs due to some differences he's discovered about vocal anatomy and biomechanics, but the basics of the technique are still the same). After a couple of months didn't cause any improvement, he sent me to an ENT (who is the "team physician" for the Lyric Opera) who did dynamic laryngoscopy--videotaping my vocal folds while I spoke and sang--and diagnosed a bowed vocal fold: a vocal fold (cord) that doesn't quite meet the other all the way, due to both age and those several years of underuse, allowing too much air to pass through without cleanly vibrating. He prescribed much more emphasis on lower register (chest voice) work, and it's turned out great.

The key is to avoid moving your larynx up or down for pitch changes (it should stay in the same position as for speech) and not to move too much air in order to produce volume or high notes (when you sing, you should be exhaling only enough air to fog a pair of eyeglasses). It has made a world of difference, and my voice is much clearer now with a natural vibrato. There are some great warmup exercises in the Riggs method too. You should also check out Mark Baker's and Jeannie Deva's websites for some great articles and exercises.

Voice lessons aren't just for opera or theater singers. Everyone can benefit--even if it's just to improve your public speaking skills or conquer a stutter. And it's the best way to help prevent nodes or polyps, or catch and bulk up a bowed cord before it needs surgery.

[cotten]

Singing well is just like playing guitar well, except that you have to grow your own wood and assemble it yourself.

A few people are naturally gifted singers, but almost anyone can learn to sing quite pleasingly. I'm not joking! I have taught a number of people who couldn't make their voices match pitch to sing more than just acceptably. I'm not bragging - just declaring that help is available.

Ya know how many "guitar teachers" there out there? How many are excellent and how many are absolutely awful? Well, in voice, there are more awful teachers, for a lot of reasons.

If you're interested in avoiding them and finding someone you can trust, a good place to start is here: http://www.nats.org/. It's the web site of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Even there, you may not find exactly the type of teacher you're looking for, but it's far more likely than most other sources I can think of.

Again, the good news is that unless you have specific physical problems, you are probably capable of singing quite nicely. Don't be surprised to learn that there is work involved.

cotten

[Tom S.]

Is this a great and helpful forum or what? I continue to be impressed with the quality and range of advice.

[CollinEmory]

Another thing to note...I am legally hearing impaired...I have decent amount of loss...however, through using a vocal training teacher on tape and a shure in ear personal monitor....boom I could sing in key....you never know when you have hearing loss that may affect your ability to hear the right key to sing in...so get your hearing checked to be sure...i

[bkc56]

Originally Posted by ARL002

Have any of you taken voice lessons? Are the benificial? How much do they usually run?

I'd suggest you take a look at your local Junior College. I'm taking a Beginning Vocal class (for the second time) at the JC here in town. It's not as intense as a private lesson would be, but I get the whole semester for about the cost of one private lesson.

If you've never had any lessons, it would be a good way to start. After a class or two you could move on to private lessons and get a lot more out of them.