Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Anyone Can Sing
It surprises me how many people believe that they simply cannot sing. But vocal chords are muscles attached to the larynx, so through proper practice, you can strengthen and train those muscles to gain control just as you would strengthen and train muscles if you're an athlete. This is a big part of the reason why we do vocal warmups before we sing; by singing a change of notes, you strengthen your vocal chords, making it easier to hit the notes when you sing a vocal run. It also trains your brain to remember where certain notes are so that you can sing them with accuracy. Although it is true that your the way your voice sounds is in part due to genetics, don't blame your parents for not getting a "golden voice". For example, if a person is a bodybuilder, and they are very athletic, and they have a child, although the child may be healthy, it will not be born a body builder with ripped muscles (which would be a bit strange). It takes time, effort, and work to achieve the goals that they want. The child might become a really ripped person later in life, but that's probably because they grew up in a family that was athletic, so to work out was only normal for them. This goes for singers and musicians as well; if you grow up in a family of great singers that have worked their entire lives on music, you are surrounded by these people constantly who do just that. So, you begin to pick it up too, because to sing and play music is what is normal in the family, and they correct you if you're not doing something right (such as singing off key, pitch, etc.). So, they are unconsciously teaching you how to sing properly. This is not to say that there is no such thing as a "god given talent" so to speak, because personally, I believe that the way everyone thinks is different; so naturally in different situations it is easier for some people to learn things than others. The point is, don't think you can't sing. Sure, you may not be able to sing in the right key, but that's because you need to train your brain to hear the key you are in by practicing. If you can't hit the right notes, practice singing a scale with the piano, and really try to line up the note you're singing with the note that is being played (if you are singing a different note than you are hearing, get a musician buddy who can help you). And if you are told you are a great musician, don't let it make you think that you don't need practice or that you're done learning. A musician's work is never done, there are no limits, and there is always room for improvement.
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I too think its very interesting how many people today use the excuse "I can't sing." But I believe what is even more interesting is that often they are really just too embarrassed. Of course, the worst thing you can do to anyone, performer or not, is ask them to do something on the spot, in public. It would give anyone the jitters. But even so, I feel like a majority of people are just too embarrassed to sing. This all ties back to how its just a matter of practice. Whether they really believe they can not sing, or if they just do not like how their voice sounds, or they have never really even tried, all of it could be remedied by practice, which in turn would strengthen the vocal chords (as you said) and teach your body how to naturally become a better singer. Everyone has the capability to sing. Some may be slightly more naturally inclined to have a better ear for things, or have a pleasant voice without much practice, but that is no different from anything else in this world. All that matters is that everyone can improve staggering amounts so long as they give it time, patience, and practice. If they did that, hopefully no one would be embarrassed anymore, and I think that would be a wonderful thing. Signing is a beautiful thing, and I wish more people took ahold of the opportunity to develop their voice, not be embarrassed, and join the fun.
ReplyDeleteWow I feel like this blog post really connected with me. I have always thought that I cant sing and that my voice is horrible and that it would never improve but to be honest it can. Its just that I haven't had the proper training and practice for my voice to gain form and stability. However I love singing so much and that singing in a choir has really helped bring up courage and make me want to sing in front of people instead of only in a shower or in my room. So I guess when it applies to singing the phrase practice makes perfect is an important one.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree with you. I've never really thought that much into it but after reading what you wrote Mohini, I understand it better. For instance, my mom says she can't sing but i've heard her sing and the actual sound of her speaking voice is pretty and that's how it sounds when she's singing, she just is flat sometimes or breathes in the wrong spots due to not proper training. She's never had a voice lesson in her life, but if she did she could probably be excellent at singing. I do agree with some people being "slightly more naturally inclined to have a better ear for things" a lot. Everyone goes at their own pace, for instance theory book can be difficult for me but listening to a note and being able to match it for me is easy. Visa Versa for other people. Everyone learns at their own pace so if some people have beautiful voices and are have trouble reading the actual music, other people have no trouble at all but sometimes it's hard on their voice. Yes, i also agree with picking up music in a household of musicians because if your growing up with all of them, you believe that is the norm and children are most influenced off their elders, so they can begin to pick it up naturally. It truly is a really cool thing, that if you want to achieve being a better instrumentalist or singer or whatever, you just need dedication and the proper training to achieve your goal.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that everyone can sing,although some more then others. For example my mother literally sounds terrible when singing in English but when she sings songs in creole she sounds pretty good therefore those who think they can't sing probably haven't found the right sounds or style that they sound good in (if that makes sense). I also believe everything is mental, when you say you can't do something over a period of time you truly start to believe it, whereas if you had more positive thought about things that you weren't naturally good at you would work harder to achieve what you weren't good at.Nobody should be allowed to say they can't do something because honestly nothing is impossible, like honestly everyday people are discovering and inventing new things, so I think anybody can conquer something as easy as not being able to sing by practicing and building your vocal muscles.
ReplyDeleteYou have such an inspirational take on this. I think it's also notable to add that no one ever really reaches a level of limit on their singing ability. I think, like with everything, there's always room for improvement and that's good - at least for me - because I know I tend to always be looking to sound better because of my own lack of confidence in my voice.
ReplyDeleteI, like everybody else, totally agree with this. I think the only reason why I feel confident at singing and the only reason I can match notes after hearing is because I literally sing all the time. When I was a little kid in preschool I would wander around by myself in the preschool singing during recess. I would sing about the things I saw around me, and whatever I was thinking. My parents have a story about me singing during dinner and then fainting into my food. Practice definitely helps! When I was a little kids I was able to get away with singing like this all the time, but I think the social weirdness of it keeps older people from trying and that's why people make the assumption that they "can't." I wish that we encouraged music more at all ages.
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