Singing Articles by Vocal Coach Vic Dorfman

Learning to sing is less of a destination and more of a journey and despite what anybody might say, it takes a lot of time and effort to get really good.
If you plan to sing professionally and make a career out of entertaining with your voice, you’ll probably spend a lot more time, money and energy on learning to sing than a hobbyist.  I’m going to address both of you – the singer who wants to sing professionally and the singer who just wants to get good as a hobby.

 

I’ve also prepared a bunch of articles that you can read about singing at the bottom of this page.  Enjoy!
 

If You’re Planning On A Singing Career…

If you plan on singing professionally, regardless of style and genre, you’ll need some vocal training.  It’s true that there are a lot of self-taught singers out there doing just find without ever taking a single lesson but I can tell you from living and breathing singing since my teens and working in the music business that it’s definitely the exception and not the rule.  A lot of times, even great self-taught vocalists are sent to take singing lessons in preparation for recording and touring because unless you know how to use your voice properly, it’s going to disappear on you and maybe even get seriously damaged.

A lot of pop and rock singers especially seem to feel that it’s somehow selling out or compromising your “sound” by getting vocal lessons but almost any professional musician will tell you that more music education only HELPS your chances at becoming successful.  You’ll also probably be surprised to know that some of your favorite singers took or currently take voice lessons.  Brandon Boyd of Incubus comes to mind as an incredibly powerful singer who was good before he took lessons but now he’s just incredibly solid, in tune and relaxed and guess what…his sound is still the same!

If you’re still in high school, join the choir or the band.  Playing an instrument always helps your singing because it improves your ear and general musicianship.  But who do you go to for voice lessons?  You’ll find the most competent vocal coach at a university or college that has a music program.  These vocal coaches are usually the best trained and most experienced singing teachers around.  Certainly you have a better chance of connecting with a truly great voice teacher there than by pulling a number off a paper flyer.

Learning to sing is expensive…prepare to pay good money for your voice lessons!  Anywhere between $40 and $100 per hour, once a week is common.

If you decide to go to college, I’d recommend auditioning for a vocal program at your college or university.  You may have to sing classical or jazz, but it won’t turn you into a classical or jazz singer, just teach you another style, great musicianship and how to use your voice.

Record yourself as much as possible and get as many expert opinions as you can.  Network a lot and connect with other musicians.  Challenge yourself daily.  Be cordial with others because this very much a business about who you know, and there’s no reason to piss anybody off when they can make or break your career or at the very least hurt your reputation.  That being said, don’t take crap from people but assert yourself nicely.

Gig as much as possible while learning to sing.  They’ll never be a perfect moment when you’re perfectly ready to deliver the perfect performance.  This is real life.  Your voice is going to feel great one day, crappy another day and everywhere in between.  Welcome to the emotional rollercoaster, that’s what it is.

Make your own opportunities and capitalize on those presented to you.  Ask your teachers for help.  They have connections, experience and want to see you succeed.  Most of them anyway…  Expect to run into some really unsavory people.  But that’s with any industry.

As you take voice lessons and/or sing your gigs, keep continually educating yourself on all the different aspects of music: music history, music theory, aural theory, orchestration, arranging, harmony, etc.  Essentially, you’ve just gotta keep working your butt off and growing and more and more opportunities will come your way.  Remember, you’re your own number 1 teacher.  Even a great vocal coach who’s your friend and mentor and an amazing singer and teacher can NOT replace your own drive and desire so be careful of emotional dependency, transference and vicarious living through your teach.

Even if you take voice lessons weekly, it’s good to go visit another teacher and get another perspective.  Working with high quality singing software programs will also put you way ahead of the curve.  Sing With Freedom is great for increasing your range and relaxation while Singorama is a fantastic musicianship course.

 

If You’re Mostly Doing It For Fun

If you’ve read the first section, your probably thinking…crap, I’ve gotta go through all when learning to sing?  Well, no.  That’s only if you want to do it professionally.  But if you just love singing and want to be a better singer, learning singing is going to be a lot less time consuming for you.

Of course I still recommend that you take voice lessons once a week or so because it’ll hold you accountable and keep you on track and progressing, whereas if you were left to your own devices you’d probably let your singing stagnate.  When you’re paying money, on the other hand, you get a pang when you feel like you’re just throwing it away!

Listen to your favorite songs and artists and try to emulate them just be careful about trying to sing songs that are way too high for you and straining your voice.  Also, emulate the songs but don’t emulate the singer.  You have your own voice, your own style and your own interpretive abilities.  Use them!  Don’t become a second-hand singer.

Studying voice will still present certain frustrations for you but just take your time and do what you can and slowly push yourself a little more each time.

If you can’t afford voice lessons or you just prefer to learn from the comfort of your own home, I recommend using something like Sing With Freedom or Singorama to work on your singing at home, at your own pace.