Gig Singing

[Twitch]

I'm very comfortable handling any guitar parts we perform in our duo but that's not true for the vocals, which I've come to realize is more important than the guitar.

I never even tried opening my mouth to sing until I met my duo partner 5 years ago and he coaxed it out of me. Now I sing at least harmony in every song and sometimes take the melody. I've come a long way and think I'm doing pretty well, but I know there is big room for improvement. I wish I had more upper range, could jump intervals more precisely and generally had greater confidence.

Has anyone taken vocal lessons for gigging? How did it work out for you? Recommendations on what to look for in a vocal instructor? Are there any websites you've used with any success?

[Fast Frank]

Hey Twitch,

I've been taking lessons for a while. I was at the stage where you describe yourself being, with pretty similar goals. I had thought about it for a while but didn't know where to start to look for an instructor, and honestly until I retired two years ago I really couldn't commit to a certain time every week for lessons.

I went to a local place that teaches a variety of instruments as well as voice. I've had two excellent instructors, both women; and there is another I've had as a substitute on occasion who's also really good. I've come to the conclusion that there are a lot of really good teachers out there.

They have helped me with all of the issues you mentioned. I've been able to extend both the high and low ends of my range by a full step. And maybe best of all they've helped me with artistic expression.

So, obviously, I'd say go for it. It's a pretty low risk, high reward proposition.

[Misifus]

I am an old fart, and the world I grew up in was far different than today’s. In my youth, it was axiomatic that many popular singers got their vocal training while growing up going to church. This was especially true of country singers. However, the key there is “growing up.” Its hard to develop that kind of innate comfort with vocals later in life - that is, it takes work. When you grow up with it, it’s not work, it’s just what you do.

[bufflehead]

Originally Posted by Twitch

Recommendations on what to look for in a vocal instructor?

If you're going to sing backup/harmony, find someone who will teach you how to sing backup/harmony.

[Misifus]

Further thoughts. When I was teaching I often had students complain to me that they were having trouble getting their SAT scores up high enough to get into the college if their choice. A bit of probing would usually reveal that the biggest part of their trouble lay in the verbal portion of the test.

Now, this required some thought on my part. When I was young, in fact, when I began teaching, if a student could master the math part of the test, the English usually would be as high, or higher, but that is no longer so. In one particular case, a student asked if another student was that much “smarter” that he was. He wasn’t, but he did read voraciously. I asked the first boy how many books he had read that year. He counted them on his fingers, “four, no, five,”. I determined that those were the books required of him in English. Sadly, the spring of your senior year is no time to develop a good reading habit. Of course, when I tried to convince the freshmen that reading now would pay dividends later, I had little success.

This is analogous to the singing situation. If you do it all your life, it’s easy to go on. If you come to it later, it takes more work. I am pleased to say, though, that the first boy did get into the engineering school he wanted. He simply had to work harder for it. The second boy got a full four year scholarship to a very prestigious academy. He worked hard too, but he had a big leg up not just in test scores, but in being able to quickly read and comprehend for his classes.

[Dreadfulnaught]

Originally Posted by Twitch

I'm very comfortable handling any guitar parts we perform in our duo but that's not true for the vocals, which I've come to realize is more important than the guitar.

I never even tried opening my mouth to sing until I met my duo partner 5 years ago and he coaxed it out of me. Now I sing at least harmony in every song and sometimes take the melody. I've come a long way and think I'm doing pretty well, but I know there is big room for improvement. I wish I had more upper range, could jump intervals more precisely and generally had greater confidence.

Has anyone taken vocal lessons for gigging? How did it work out for you? Recommendations on what to look for in a vocal instructor? Are there any websites you've used with any success?

I did exactly that. I’ve played and sung for a long time, and it occurred to me that I had dedicated decades to learning to play well but zero time to learning to sing. I have a good voice teacher, who helped me find my range and expand it, and changed the place that my voice was coming from. I was able to add volume as well. They also had me singing in a higher register than I was used to, which lent an immediacy and emotion to my vocals that was not there before. The Motown producers used to do that with David Ruffin, among others (not that I would compare myself to him).

People have started to compliment me on my singing as much as my guitar playing. It was, and is, well worth it.

[MrErikJ]

I've been taking vocal lessons for about a year or more and it's easily the best thing I've done musically, next to getting my first guitar and taking lessons. I've always wanted to be a solid singer but was too insecure to seek coaching but was also crushed anytime a producer or listener was critical of my singing ability.

For me, I needed to improve my intonation and how I used the mechanics of my voice. I sang, almost exclusively, in a soft head-voice bc I thought that's what you did. Now I'm more comfortable using my full range and my voice is able to carry a melody and not just drone on a couple notes or being horribly pitchy.

I'll never be a "singer" per se but I feel better about my voice, but mostly when I feel adequately rehearsed, which is rarely. I take my lesson from a grad student Opera Singer and she's helped me with exercises and by listening to my songs and offering feedback, be it intonation or listener insight. If you're a harmony singer, I would find someone who specializes in that. My teacher, for instance, understands the concepts and can help me find a harmony if needed but that's not what she "does" if that makes sense. Being a dedicated backup singer is its own skill set that I think requires a unique approach and insight. To someone else's point, it does seem to work best when you've done it since childhood.

[emtsteve]

I never could sing - to the point of being ridiculed and asked to stop. I'm 53 and have been taking vocal lessons for almost a year. My teacher is a classically trained pianist with a lovely voice. She has helped me find and develop "my" voice. I have a few songs that I can pull off reasonably well and am adding to that list. It has taken hard work and very intentional practice to develop, but the pay off musically has been huge. I'll never be a great singer, but that's OK. Pleasant and on pitch is good enough for me. Maybe, just maybe, there's a gig or open mic for me down the road.

[Silly Moustache]

Many years ago, I was at a club when a lady singer announced that she was giving up her hateful day job, and becoming a singing teacher.

I was already singing and accompanying myelf but aware of my limitations, I immediately put my hand up and said that I would b her first client (I might have been 2 or 3 pints in).

I went along for a few weeks, not long, but she helped my enormously.

I think that what I learnt, apart from basic diaphragm breathing, was confidence to really open up.

I'm still grateful to her.

[rokdog49]

Almost anyone can improve their singing if you are willing to work at it.
A good vocals teacher or coach can help with this ...both the techniques and expression. As I have made progress with my range, the biggest hurdle has been expression. It is truly an art form and takes a lot of practice and “ letting go”.
I’m a baritone/tenor combo, so I can hit a lot of spots vocally. My best stuff is somewhere right in between, where my natural voice resides.
I discovered that most people can sing in key if not naturally, then with some practice. For instance, I used to sing “Broken Halos” by Chris Stapleton acceptably and in tune.
Now I can sing it with some soul. That’s where the rubber meets the road with vocals.

[FOG01]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

Almost anyone can improve their singing if you are willing to work at it.
A good vocals teacher or coach can help with this ...both the techniques and expression. As I have made progress with my range, the biggest hurdle has been expression. It is truly an art form and takes a lot of practice and “ letting go”.
I’m a baritone/tenor combo, so I can hit a lot of spots vocally. My best stuff is somewhere right in between, where my natural voice resides.
I discovered that most people can sing in key if not naturally, then with some practice. For instance, I used to sing “Broken Halos” by Chris Stapleton acceptably and in tune.
Now I can sing it with some soul. That’s where the rubber meets the road with vocals.

True that. It is where the rubber meets the road for many, if not most. We love music and guitar is the first step until we begin to see progress and realize it's a collaboration of the two that captures our imagination.

[The Bard Rocks]

I took vocal lessons for awhile, but have been a poor singer all my life. I still sang, however. A few like it, and the rest either are too polite to say what they think - or don't care. The idea behind the lessons was to change all that if I could. It helped and I've learned a few other things along the way.

1) I am better if I don't hold back. Confidence helps there.

2) Practice really really helps.

3) I am learning to identify notes/chords by ear. That's not the same as perfect pitch, but it is veering off in that direction. I am also learning to sing harmony (it does not come natural)

4) My eyes are still better than my ears, meaning I still learn music better with notation than by ear - but I can do both. It took some work for me to learn to play by ear.

5) I will never have a great-sounding voice, it's not in me. But I can sound perfectly acceptable.

6) I suspect there's something going on with what I hear in my head. I easily notice wrong notes from someone else, but when I hit them myself, many times it still sounds "right" to me. I am gaining on this.

7) Good song choice and a great and confidant delivery count for far more than the tenor and timbre of my voice.

[musicman1951]

If you need back surgery go to a back specialist. For vocal lessons go to someone who majored in voice while a music major.

Lessons are a great idea.

[leew3]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

For instance, I used to sing “Broken Halos” by Chris Stapleton acceptably and in tune.
Now I can sing it with some soul. That’s where the rubber meets the road with vocals.

And the harmonica and killer harmonies I add surely helps!

[Shaneh]

I too don’t feel confident and thing lessons would be great but haven’t been able to find a good teacher just one lousy one I dropped after 3 lessons. If anyone knows someone good send the info my way please