Many people frown when I say this, and others get confused. But it is worth thinking about: is singing well something you are born knowing, or something you develop?
There is a very common idea that people who “have a gift” do not need to study music, voice or any instrument. The word talent, by the way, comes from an ancient unit of value, an amount of money. And the logic is the same: talent is something you receive and must invest for it to grow. Whoever keeps their talent without working on it ends up with exactly what they had; whoever invests it, multiplies it.
So yes, you need to study, and for several reasons.
- Music is a TALENT that has to be worked on for a long time, until you reach a level that does not harm your body. This is true for every instrument: a drummer who hits the wrong way or has poor posture can develop joint or back problems; a guitarist or bassist who does not do exercises, besides being slow, risks tendinitis; the same goes for keyboard players and other instrumentalists. And in our case, a singer, however well in tune, may be using their instrument incorrectly, with serious consequences, even permanently damaging the vocal apparatus.
- Singing well does not come ready-made: if it did, we would all be born with the best voices. Some people find it easier, it is true, but even they only go far with training. Natural ease is the starting point, not the finish line.
- Nobody sings in a performance what they did not practice beforehand. Just as nobody passes an exam without studying, the voice will not do on stage what it did not learn in rehearsal. At most, the emotion of the moment helps you remember what you already know.
- Giving your best to the people listening. When you sing for someone, at a concert, in a choir, in a band, in a worship team or among friends, you are offering something. Is that offering the result of dedication, study and time invested, or do you only pick up your instrument when it is time to perform?
- Last and most important: every musician who masters their instrument stops worrying about the next note, the next solo, whether they will reach that note in the chorus, or what others will think if they make a mistake, and leaves room only for expression. It is awful to have to “switch your emotion on and off” all the time because you are not sure of what you are doing. A musician who is dedicated and studies does not keep thinking about what they are doing, because the technique is so absorbed that they do not even feel it. It is like riding a bicycle.
Please note: I am not criticizing people who sing for pleasure once in a while, even out of tune. Singing is good for you, and everyone can and should sing. But anyone who sets out to sing for others on a regular basis has a responsibility to prepare, out of respect for the audience and for themselves. Remember: technique is not emotion, but it is technique that lets the emotion reach the listener whole.
All right, enough scolding (just kidding!). Let us move on to vocal technique. For that, I sincerely ask you not to start studying singing without knowing whether you have any problem with your vocal apparatus, which is our whole vocal instrument. See an ENT doctor (otolaryngologist) to make sure your throat is healthy, especially if you are often hoarse, have trouble breathing, or suffer from sinusitis, rhinitis and similar conditions.
Also know that the VOICE is not like any other instrument, where you learn the notes, the scales and the solos and then just go out and play. Not at all. Vocal technique will change your physiology, that is, the way your muscles, your vocal folds (cords), your breathing, your facial sinuses, your bones, your diaphragm and many other parts work in your body. That is why patience and persistence are the key to everything. You will only really begin to feel the difference after at least 3 to 6 months, and you should never stop, because if you stop, little by little you will go back to where you were.
I wish you all a great study. Let us get to vocal technique!