I'm trying to learn how to sing, and my voice sounds okay on tape, but the tone isn't 'pleasing' like many professional singers. Can this be developed through training or are you stuck with the voice you have? I just turned 18. like most instruments, a voice has to be resonant to achieve a pleasing tone. We singers are limited in our resources: we have only the tubing that comes when you add together the length of the throat ( above the vocal cords) the "back room of the mouth" called the pharynx, and the mouth itself.
Getting to know how these areas work and cooridinate with one another is part of what classical singing lessons are about.
For example, we are all familar with the nasal twang so characteristic of country/western singing. this is caused by leaving the soft palate ( the spongy area on the roof of your mouth at the back) hanging slack. The sound travels out of the mouth cavity into the nose because a hole ( nasal port)
is left open. ( same place where post-nasal drip occurs)
Classical singers learn to lift the soft palate while singing. This not only kees you from becoming nasal, but also allows the sound to acquire some more buccal ( mouth) resonance before it leaves your mouth.
Other ideas that we use include working, shaping and tracking the progress of vowels. We usually have more time to articulate when we sing ( the words/min goes way down)
and we need to use the time to follow the vowels so they maintain an even sound.
Needless to say, this takes time and practice. Having lessons on a regular basis can only help.
As far as being stuck with what you have, it all depends on how much time and energy you wish to invest in it. the percentage of people who are really, clinically tone deaf, is very small. The rest has to do with taking the time and concentraiton on hearing and reproducing sound. some people do have a ntural advantage that way, like some people are born athletes. the rest of us need to work harder,that's all.
Since you just turned 18, you have your biggest growth spurt and voice change finished, but your voice will still need a couple of years to get settled into it's true category. Haviang lessons now is a brilliant idea, to keep you from accumulating all sorts of small, niggly bad vocal habits that might turn into a big bad vocal habit if left unchecked.
you don't need to become a classical singer, but learning classical method is still the best basis for healthy singing in any category.
Best wishes and keep on singing. |
