Singing ... me?? That's preposterous! Apparently, not

Could I possibly sing like Adele? Photo / Wikimedia Commons image posted by user  nikotransmission

Yes, I sound like Adele, choking on a lemon.

No musical talent whatsoever. That's how I can describe myself when asked.

Then where does Adele factor in to all of this?

Well apparently, there's a chance that with proper training, I may sound like her when she's got a cold.

Gives me hope anyway.

That's the lesson learnt from a vocal seminar attended today.

Michael, our vocal coach, gave a two-hour powerpoint presentation on how - with the right techniques - "singing talent" can actually be learnt.

Your voice is a muscle, the more you use it the better you'll become.

I won't go into extreme details but one thing that hit me was: you don't have to be born with a good voice. Or that "special gift" because according to Michael, that really is a myth.

Many of the talented people who seem to be beyond greatness in the vocal arena started singing when they were in diapers.

So they've had plenty of time to practise, and you know what they say about practise.

Of course there are those who are born with good voices, but they've also gotten to where they are with a lot of training.

According to Michael the majority of great singers have been at it, learning, practising and training for eons.

That means, for those of us who have ever said "I can't sing", there's evidence to refute that.

The idea, in essence is: no-one is really "born with it".

So you don't have to be afraid of your own voice in a karaoke bar.

Usually the thought of stringing together sounds to go with music through my mouth, terrifies me.

So, this was actually really encouraging to hear. Refreshing insight to prepare me for the next stage of life: Becoming Lady Gaga.

There are no shortcuts to good singing though, just hard work and interest in the techniques.

As a result, it seems I don't think Gaga's the way to go. If I were to train, who knows what I could punch out with this muscle of mine.

Plus, "I wasn't born this way, but there's hope I will become that way if I work hard enough ... " just doesn't have the same ring to it.

Anyway, the thought that people who have always wanted to sing but never tried it because of that little voice that said "can't", made me want to share this.

In reality, you can.

A baritone could potentially sing mezzo-soprano if he stuck in the hours and wanted to achieve that feminine allure. Or was that a contralto singing countertenor?

There were a lot of fun terms.

The point is, if you've always wanted to give singing a try, there's nothing holding you back. It's not that you weren't born with it. It's that you haven't actually applied the right technique to get that muscle going.

With the right education and training, there's a chance I may see you in concert one day.

Or learn another skill, like, lip synchronisation.

Until next time,

Jos

P.S. I haven't been able to ask Michael for any further information but if you're interested I can see if he can share a few of the slides. Or pass on his contact for you. For now, here's 'Voice Training 101' found courtesy of Google.

Posted in: Singing