Can people learn to sing or are you just born with a good voice?

Question

This is a common question I am asked

Answer 1

Infants and toddlers who are exposed to the right types of sounds develop an ear for music above others as children then adults. So people have a natural limit on how good a singer they can become.

HOWEVER, there is tremendous opportunity for anyone to improve their music at any age and I've had some "awful" students who--once they had the right knowledge and coaching--improved enough to be able to perform before an audience of hundreds of people competently.

Don't let a lack of "natural talent" hold you back from becoming a fine singer. You just need the right coach to help you.

Answer 2

Great singers, good singers and not so good singers basically have the same equipment. What separates these groups is a set of behaviors which can be learned. The old Italian masters who were the first singing teachers, studied great singers, analyzed their behaviors, and taught them to others: that is how the bel canto tradition in which I teach started. Today we have advanced scientific discoveries that make it even easier. Contact me and I can teach you the skills you need to be a great singer. Anyone can improve!

Answer 3

Yes, even people who are not born with naturally good voices can learn vocal technique, how to breathe properly, improve their voices and sing songs that they enjoy with greater confidence. However, there are some caveats to this concept.

Talent is a necessary part of singing well. Do you have an ability to sing? Can you carry a tune? Do you sing well enough that others have told you sound good or not too bad? If so, it will be easier for you to sing well or better than someone who doesn't have that ability. That doesn't mean that someone with less of an ability can't learn, it will just take them longer to do so.

Secondly, are you disciplined? Do you practice consistently everyday? Do you take time to listen to other singers and learn from them? Your exposure to good or great singing is also going to affect how well you sing over time. Take the time to study your craft. Watch videos of your favorite artists. Listen to music constantly. The more you do that the better your ear will become and the better your understanding of musicality and vocal expression will be as well.

Lastly, why are you singing? Is it something you feel compelled to do all of the time? Do you sing to yourself mindlessly while doing errands or cleaning your house/apartment? Is singing something that your family and friends told you that you should pursue because you sound good? Singing is a physical exercise which means you have to do it everyday in order to see an improvement of any kind. Think about athletes. In order for them to make it to the World Series, NBA Finals or even the Olympics, they must train day in and day out. Their bodies endure a tremendous amount of physical stress and strain on a daily basis but they do get stronger and stronger as time progresses. If you want to sing well, you must train your voice, muscles and body to remember what to do correctly as well as consistently.

And yes, as the other teachers have already mentioned, if you cannot hear or recognize pitches and sing them back correctly then you should probably take some ear training lessons to improve your level of intonation and pitch recognition.

Answer 4

Anyone can learn to sing! Some people have an easier time with breath support and may have a heavier vibrato, but anyone can learn to hold a pitch with confidence and sing their favorite songs! One way anyone can improve their skills is by learning to breathe into the diaphragm instead of into the ribcage. Allowing more air to flow into your body deeper, which will allow you to sing more notes steadily. Another thing that can help someone improve is learning to push their air out more intentionally. This will allow people to sustain notes better. Opening the mouth wider and taller can also improve someone's tone.

The one true exception to being incapable of learning to sing is tone deafness. Unfortunately, tone deafness is, in fact, the dominant trait in humans, but that does not mean that singing is innate. Anyone besides those who cannot hear and match pitch can learn to sing and learn to improve their singing.

Answer 5

"If you can speak, you can SING". Everyone can learn how to sing! The vocal instrument is fascinating. We all can learn how to control our voices, following the right technique on a natural way. It takes patience and consistency to grow our skill to know, accept and develop our singing ability. It also requires allowing ourselves to be vulnerable, for we are to interpret the words we sing and emotion is the great tool to deliver our meaning.

Singing is liberating, and with good training it brings confidence, even to the shiest of all...

Answer 6

In my 17 years of teaching experience, I have noticed that each student can definitely improve their skill set each week in order to be a better singer! A large part of breath support is your natural muscle memory kicking in with enough repetition of vocal warmups. This means that without trying too hard, you will achieve noticeable improvements every week that you are warming up for at least 3-4 days.

In my humble opinion, the only exception to your question is if someone is truly tone deaf. This means that they cannot hear most pitches. Singing will be a challenge for them much as dancing is a challenge for someone who cannot feel the rhythm in their body. To get a feeling for your sense of pitch, you can record yourself and play back the recording. If at least some of the pitches are correct, you are not tone deaf. If the whole thing is off pitch, you are likely tone deaf. Hopefully, this info was helpful!

Answer 7

I believe that everyone can learn to sing. For some people it comes easier, especially if they grew up singing a lot with family or in church, etc. They simply developed these skills earlier than others. For those who didn't have these influences, they can still be learned, it just takes practice!

Answer 8

While some rare individuals seem born to sing, it’s not common. Most professional singers have worked hard to learn to use their instrument. Not all styles of singing require the same type of vocal production, but you can learn to develop your voice and understand what is needed to sing the music you want to learn. How far you go often depends on how willing you are to put in the time to learn and develop. Singing is a skill that takes intention, awareness, and practice.