Is singing ability always 'natural'?

[William Wyatt]

Recently Stefan has said in a few podcasts that some certain physical abilities are inherently natural. He says that even if he was to practice for an extended period of time he would never acheive the vocal range of somebody like beyonce or miriah carey. I think Stefan and I have a similar standard baritone vocal range from what I've heard of him sing. The thing is that women naturally have larger vocal ranges and more subtle blending between registers due to the fact that they are always resonating in the treble range. whereas a man can sound quite middy or bassy, then his switching to falsetto is blatantly obvious. I have only been been working on my singing technique for about a 2 years now. You can check out my music in my chat I had with Stefan in the silver files under 'breaking bad habits, the universe and a live concert'. I also have some videos on youtube, the link to which is below. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IB9RAMzbZF0So as you can tell I have more of a mid range voice, to which the stupid mixer at this gig made too muddy sounding. I always prefer more treble and clarity with a bit of bass response for a bit of morrison style gloom. The thing is most pop singers are tenors with high light vocal ranges. My ambition is to express my libertarian ideas through big progressive rock production. Think Pink Floyd and Tool with a bit of U2 thrown in for that earthy anthemic vibe. But I haven't had much vocal training so I can still increase my vocal range to add clarity to my high notes. A4 is the highest I can sing when I am nicely warmed up, but it's only a light belt for about a second... My main question is do you think that good singing ability is inherently natural, or do you think the good pop singers had parents who allowed them to express themselves more creatively, thus enabling more vocal training? I know Jeff Buckley was singing with his mother from a young age, but Jim Morrison didn't sing much until his 20s. not that he was technically a great singer anyway, I'm naturally a bit higher than him tonally, but a tad lower than Maynard(tool) or bono (U2). I just often feel self conscious and depressed about being a baritone, never being able to have that  tenor appeal that people whistle on their way home after a concert... Could I still be the virtuous libertarian anthem rock singer to further expand the message across the world and secure my legacy?

[Kevin Beal]

I don't know about any kind of studies, or the biology of singing, but I do know that I used to be a bad singer and by practicing every single day, I now get complimented on having a really nice singing voice.

 

I only took one singing lesson, but fortunately there was enough there to realize the mistakes I was making, and a lot of people (even trained singers) make. For example, most people, when they project their voice, are throwing it forward and it goes flat. It's just abrasive. Instead they should be projecting into the back of their own head and letting the natural harmonics amplify the sound. And a lot of people close their throat too much, also making it flat. Vibrato comes easily and organically when you have these things taken care of.

 

I don't know, right? But I'm skeptical of the idea that it's more innate than practiced. That's not what professional singers have told me...

[William Wyatt]

I don't know about any kind of studies, or the biology of singing, but I do know that I used to be a bad singer and by practicing every single day, I now get complimented on having a really nice singing voice.

 

I only took one singing lesson, but fortunately there was enough there to realize the mistakes I was making, and a lot of people (even trained singers) make. For example, most people, when they project their voice, are throwing it forward and it goes flat. It's just abrasive. Instead they should be projecting into the back of their own head and letting the natural harmonics amplify the sound. And a lot of people close their throat too much, also making it flat. Vibrato comes easily and organically when you have these things taken care of.

 

I don't know, right? But I'm skeptical of the idea that it's more innate than practiced. That's not what professional singers have told me...

This is the same with me. used to be a nasal king, now I busk for a living and can make between 400 - 1200 AUD from it per week. you should definitely keep at it, I need someone to be the libertarian rockstar incase I get hit by a bus or something...  I still don't have the perfect breathing technique as I'm trying to build my core strength whilst overcoming the tension held in my gut from previous trauma. But I can sometimes get a lovely vibrato on an extended notes.  My question to you is do you think a high tenor voice will have more appeal than a baritone voice? In opera, tenors are often the lovers, heroes or catchy roles. Wheras Baritones often take on the role of more complex emotion characters with an emphasis on dramaticism such as Villains, Fallen Heroes, Slaves, Prisoners and sometimes comics or jesters.In rock music a higher pitched Tenor voice will generally mix better with heavy mid range guitars often seen in bands like black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin. This is primarily why I doubt myself, I will never hold that same pop appeal. Yet I still think I have developed a  anthemic sound that can still catch some appeal, at least in my local scene, and draw some more attention to the libertarian movement. But not as much as a Tenor what are your thoughts?

[Wuzzums]

A good singing voice is innate to a singer in the same manner fingers are innate to a piano player. Some people have better voices, some people have longer and more nimble fingers, some people will never use their innate "talent". But in the end what does it matter?

 

Art for me is about the product, not the process. I do not fault a singer for using autotune in the same manner I do not fault an architect for using a ruler. A tool, if you have it, should always be used if it adds to the final piece.

 

So if you're worrying about your voice in relation to the song as a whole I don't see it as a problem. If the song sounding good is your focus then have a better singer sing the vocals. And if the singing itself makes you happy I don't see why you should stop regardless of your voice. There are a bunch of famous singers out there that aren't very good on a technical level yet their passion translates beautifully into song, such as this guy.

[William Wyatt]

A good singing voice is innate to a singer in the same manner fingers are innate to a piano player. Some people have better voices, some people have longer and more nimble fingers, some people will never use their innate "talent". But in the end what does it matter?

 

Art for me is about the product, not the process. I do not fault a singer for using autotune in the same manner I do not fault an architect for using a ruler. A tool, if you have it, should always be used if it adds to the final piece.

 

So if you're worrying about your voice in relation to the song as a whole I don't see it as a problem. If the song sounding good is your focus then have a better singer sing the vocals. And if the singing itself makes you happy I don't see why you should stop regardless of your voice. There are a bunch of famous singers out there that aren't very good on a technical level yet their passion translates beautifully into song, such as this guy.

It's not about better, I have developed a good tecnique and range. I' just more of a baritone than a tenor, meaning the my voice is more of a mid range voice somewhere between jim morrison and bono..

[nathanm]

The video's audio is pretty bad, so I'm not going to judge your voice by that.  All I know is that the world needs more low singers.  If that's the range you feel comfortable doing, then go for it.  They are so damn rare.  I'd rather hear effortless huskiness in the lower registers than a strained tenor range.  But we live in a tenor-centric world though, it's the high fructose corn syrup of singing ranges.  You just can't resist it.

 

But remember, the blessed tenors only get those high notes for limited time, then they're gone and even the most ardent fans are reduced to pity should they choose to take to a stage in their golden years.

[William Wyatt]

The video's audio is pretty bad, so I'm not going to judge your voice by that.  All I know is that the world needs more low singers.  If that's the range you feel comfortable doing, then go for it.  They are so damn rare.  I'd rather hear effortless huskiness in the lower registers than a strained tenor range.  But we live in a tenor-centric world though, it's the high fructose corn syrup of singing ranges.  You just can't resist it.

 

But remember, the blessed tenors only get those high notes for limited time, then they're gone and even the most ardent fans are reduced to pity should they choose to take to a stage in their golden years.

 Totally man, this is why I'm learning to bridge between registers and use my head voice and falsetto wavering through a light croon, occasionally doing some lows in jazzy or dark sections, then comfortable belts up top. 

   

[DCLugi]

You make a living busking? How cool is that:)  Crash Test Dummies. The National.

 

Here's what I'm working with

 

[Devon Gibbons]

[Biophany]

I tend to agree with Stefan. I am a musician myself who has always been accused of just being "talented". The truth of the matter is that I would sit and practice until my fingers bled, my voice gave out, and my ears were ringing nearly every day as a kid. So don't discourage yourself, pursue your passion and most of all, practice!