Is singing a learnt skill?
As a voice teacher, I get asked this question by new students all the time. Singers of all levels come to me with these types of questions: Can you actually teach someone who is tone deaf? Is having a nice singing voice something that we are just born or blessed with? Can I really sound the way I wish I could? Can you make me sound like “insert their fav singer here”
My answer to these questions is always the same. Yes and No. For anyone wishing to use their voice for their profession, vocal sessions are a fantastic way to gain knowledge about your instrument / tool. Every singer is an individual and from my experience, no session is ever the same as the other.
Will people who are “tone deaf” ever have nice voices? I have found that some singers who have been exposed to music from a young age have taught themselves how to sing in tune or have copied the tone of their favourite artist. Imitation. Others may not have not made a conscious choice to do so or do not know how to physically make their voice do what they require it to do. They can't connect the feeling of how to make the sound with the sound itself. Pitch control can definitely be taught. By learning the mechanics of the voice, we will have greater control over both tone and pitch.
I don’t believe that having a “nice” voice is something humans are just born with and lets not forget that a nice sound really means a sound that is appealing to each individual listener. Yes, our individual physiological make up (the vocal tract) determines the overall tone of our voice, this is our unique sound. This is why we all have an individual sound when we speak. However, this does not mean that we have to sound the same each time we sing. In my opinion, great singers are singers who can use their voice in different ways. This adds colour (light and shade) to the tone giving the singer depth and making a song more vocally interesting. Vocal training and the right vocal coach can help singers open up a whole new box of tools to use.
Can singers sound like their fav artist? Maybe not exactly, but they can learn to emulate different tonal qualities and stylistic qualities to sound more authentic and true to the style of music they are wanting to perform.
So, can you learn to sing? Is singing a learnt skill? My answer is……Yes!!
Happy singing! ~ Tania xo
“Everyone has a beautiful voice. You just have to know how to use it” ~ Jo Estill, Estill Voice Training
