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Is it possible to learn to sing?

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RockerRocker Frets: 4947
Ok I know anything is possible but singing at 63. My age that is and not the year. So is it worth my while taking lessons on singing?  Thanks. 
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. [Albert Einstein]

Nil Satis Nisi Optimum

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  • revsorgrevsorg Frets: 874
    When I was about 52 someone suggested I got singing lessons when they heard me singing Christmas carols.  A teacher was recommended to me and I had lessons for about 6 months.  I just wish I'd had lessons in my teens, it would have allowed me to train my voice at a more formative age and would have benefited me in many ways.

    Like so many things, when you start to learn about it you uncover a whole world of complexity and interest that is not apparent (well, certainly wasn't apparent to me), regarding the various ways you can shape and control the bits of you that make your voice.

    I would definitely recommend you have some lessons, just make sure you have a sympathetic teacher who knows what the hell they're talking about.
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  • Paul7926Paul7926 Frets: 227
    Im no singing teacher. I'm not even able to sing myself but why not go for it. I mean I picked up the guitar at 50 and whilst I don't ever have dreams now of a music career I've really enjoyed my lessons and learning for the last 9 months.
    As long as you are getting something out of the journey then it's worth it.
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  • Yes, definitely. I started singing lessons last summer and it's been amazing. I've always sung, but badly, and got quite frustrated and depressed because of that. After a few lessons I'm not much more able to hold pitch, harmonise and generally be confident in my voice. Like @revsorg says, I'm 34 now but I wish I'd taken lessons years ago. 

    You might find that, at your age, you can't sing everything, but a good teacher will find your strengths and develop you towards them.
    "As with all things, some days you're the dinosaur, some days you're the monkey." Sporky
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  • Go for it :)

    Twisted Imaginings - A Horror And Gore Themed Blog http://bit.ly/2DF1NYi


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  • It's absolutely possible to learn to sing better..
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  • I found it useful being taught how to sing, as in the mechanics of it all.    Breathing (especially the use of the diaphragm), using your head / chest voice and listening etc.   I had a teacher years ago who was more interested in teaching me to sing a particular song, of my choice, than how to sing which can be used for learning most songs; we didnt last long.
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  • Of course, being completely tone deaf is fairly rare and as you already play an instrument you probably aren't. You may find there is something like an anyone can sing class at a local college if you didn't want to budget for individual lessons. 


    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • VimFuegoVimFuego Frets: 15477
    as this has been bumped, wanna ask the OP did he go ahead with lessons and how are they panning out? There's a singing teacher about 4 doors down from me and I'm wondering if it's worthwhile. 

    I'm not locked in here with you, you are locked in here with me.

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  • JalapenoJalapeno Frets: 6378
    It's absolutely possible to learn to sing better..
    This - until I did some Gilbert & Sullivan I assumed I was a bass - musical director did auditions (mainly to cull the size of the ladies' chorus) turned out I was a top tenor.  I still am prone to sing flat when I can't hear myself properly unlike others, but knowing your optimal range is half the battle.
    Imagine something sharp and witty here ......

    Feedback
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  • RockerRocker Frets: 4947
    edited February 2019
    VimFuego said:
    as this has been bumped, wanna ask the OP did he go ahead with lessons and how are they panning out? There's a singing teacher about 4 doors down from me and I'm wondering if it's worthwhile. 
    As it happens, I am meeting a vocal coach this coming Saturday.  He will assess me and give me a series of singing lessons if there is any merit in me taking the lessons.  In the distant past, forty years ago, I did sing in a country & western pub band.  So anything is possible, I will update you when a decision has been made.  One way or the other.
    Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. [Albert Einstein]

    Nil Satis Nisi Optimum

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  • FretwiredFretwired Frets: 24601
    Yes. A friend of mine gives singing lessons in London and gets decent results with old duffers.

    Remember, it's easier to criticise than create!
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  • VimFuegoVimFuego Frets: 15477
    Rocker said:
    VimFuego said:
    as this has been bumped, wanna ask the OP did he go ahead with lessons and how are they panning out? There's a singing teacher about 4 doors down from me and I'm wondering if it's worthwhile. 
    As it happens, I am meeting a vocal coach this coming Saturday.  He will assess me and give me a series of singing lessons if there is any merit in me taking the lessons.  In the distant past, forty years ago, I did sing in a country & western pub band.  So anything is possible, I will update you when a decision has been made.  One way or the other.
    sorry, missed this earlier. Be good to get your feedback.

    I'm not locked in here with you, you are locked in here with me.

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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    If you don't try then you will never know.
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  • axisusaxisus Frets: 28280
    Wish I could sing but I think I'm too hopeless. I don't think I could handle the awkwardness and embarrassment of trying to sing in front of a teacher. Apart from a terrible voice and no range, I just can't seem to find the notes a lot of the time. If I try singing along to my piano playing I have to find the first single note of the melody and play that a couple of times before starting, otherwise I can be way off. 
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  • I wish people would realise that the basics of singing are just technique. Learning to breath correctly, and learning to navigate the bridges between a chest dominant voice and a head dominant voice. That's literally it.

    The advanced stuff of getting vowel shapes correct and injecting personality into your singing. That comes later.

    But people suffer from a weird kind of perfectionism when it comes to singing. They see someone like Adele, or Mick Jagger, or Freddie Mercury, or in my case Maynard James Keenan and Thom Yorke, and they don't realise that to get to that point is a series of stepping stones.

    Everyone can sing. You just have to put the work in.

    Bye!

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  • RockerRocker Frets: 4947
    Sadly for me, learning to sing is not working out as easily as I had hoped it would be.  After the first lesson, holidays and other musical events by the tutor meant that no follow on lesson(s) happened.  And as I got no dates for lessons, I made contact with the guy.  He told me that he was 'very busy' with students and did not have the time to take on another learner.

    So there!  I got a book on singing, one with an included CD, that I hope will help me.  Hope to start it soon.
    Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. [Albert Einstein]

    Nil Satis Nisi Optimum

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  • munckeemunckee Frets: 12255
    Rocker said:
    Sadly for me, learning to sing is not working out as easily as I had hoped it would be.  After the first lesson, holidays and other musical events by the tutor meant that no follow on lesson(s) happened.  And as I got no dates for lessons, I made contact with the guy.  He told me that he was 'very busy' with students and did not have the time to take on another learner.

    So there!  I got a book on singing, one with an included CD, that I hope will help me.  Hope to start it soon.
    I have never sung anything in my life until stupidly agreeing to sing something at water rats in a couple of weeks.  I have not even looked at online lessons but have found that just the act of deciding to do it has meant I have been practicing in the car and at home when no-one is around.  I'm utterly sh1t of course but I can just about hold some sort of tune now and remember some of the words.

    Can't for the life of me play the guitar while singing it though.  My life's ambition is to play an acoustic guitar and sing at an open mic.  I'm not at that level yet but I actually now think it could happen one day.  

    As I have a pretty deep voice I am practicing with hurt by johnny cash with just single strums for the verse and 4 strums per chord for the chorus.
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  • robertyroberty Frets: 10893
    Anyone know a good singing tutor in Bristol? I'd like to improve
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  • SnagsSnags Frets: 5327
    I'm with @WiresDreamDisasters - there are very few people who are truly tone deaf, and if you're already a functioning musician in some other capacity then you can learn to sing.

    The single biggest hurdle for pretty much everyone I know (and I absolutely include myself in this) is all those years of telling yourself "I can't sing". Yes you can. But it's the same as anything else - you have to practice, and you have to learn how to use the instrument.

    I think Drew's nailed it - too often we approach singing with a combination of unrealistic expectations ("everyone else can just sing brilliantly", "it's my voice, I should just be able to do this organically", "it should be easy and perfect first off") and total personal negativity ("I'm shit", "I can't sing", "My voice is hideous"). If you combine that with not having a clue what your range is, and therefore trying to sing things that you just physically can't it's easy to get despondent and just not try.

    If you want to sing but are struggling, get recommendations for a good local teacher. Don't worry about the fact that you might sound like a frog with asthma who's on 60 a day - you're going to a teacher to learn not to show them how bloody marvelous you are already. If you can do it all, you don't need a teacher.

    I could sing as a kid, then just stopped in my teens out of embarrassment, and as an adult was a bit of a disaster. Became thoroughly convinced I couldn't sing, and only had a limited range at an unhelpful pitch. Then circumstances forced me to put a bit of effort in, and I learnt that by practicing actually I could get by, mostly. Then for the last couple of months I've had lessons which have taught me that actually I have a pretty broad range, and whilst I'm naturally a bass I can edge it up into tenor without straining, and without going falsetto (in fact, my falsetto is something I need to work on). I also had fairly good natural breath control, because I could remember stuff an old girlfriend had said (opera singer) years ago but I didn't really know how to use it, and there are loads of other little adjustments, tips and tricks that make things that I thought impossible turn out to be quite easy and comfortable.

    None of the above to blow my own trumpet - I genuinely thought I was pretty shit, and with a bit of a whack upside the head here and polish there, it turns out I'm actually quite passable. But I never would have known that, or benefited from the confidence it gave me, if I hadn't gone and got lessons from someone who knows their stuff.

    My only* problems now are that my voice isn't really suited to a lot of the stuff I want to sing, and at jams you can't get the buggers to transpose things into singable keys ;)


    *OK, there are still a lot more problems than that!
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  • Mark1960Mark1960 Frets: 326
    You can learn to breath properly, use your diaphragm, improve your phrasing and delivery, and improve your vocal range, however you can not learn to produce the notes you want (sometimes called tone deaf). That is a skill you are either born with, or not. If you have it you can improve the rest, however the tone of you voice even if you can sing accurately may not be what people want to listen to. I would suggest you record yourself singing, and listen to the playback with a very critical ear. If you are happy with it, try and get some impartial honest opinions, but beware some people will not tell you the full truth for fear of offending, similarily an unscrupulous music teacher may not tell you the truth, because he wants to keep you coming for lessons. Also at 63 your vocal range may not be at it's best, but if it's something you fancy - go for it. The vocalist in our band never sang seriously until she was 40, and she is a natural, so age is no limitation. Good Luck!
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