Eh, why not. Inspired by the thread in IMHO.
(Important disclaimer!
I’m not a professional singer. I have voice training, and I’ve been in several choirs and been on some pretty rigorous tour schedules, but I don’t do this for a living. If there are any professional singers out there, please, please step in and answer questions too.)
Any questions?
What’s your range and how long have you been singing?
How do I go about learning to sing?
Wait-- can one learn to sing, or is it one of those things you pretty much have to have an aptitude for?
That was my question, too. I’ve always believed with training, everyone can learn to sing - not great, but at least carry a tune, etc. Is this true?
What happens when you’re just not born with the range?
Tell me about your training. Do you listen to a singer and then try to imitate his notes? How do you know when you have it right?
I’ve been singing since I was… wow, seven or eight. (I’m old and doddering at the age of twenty. Help me!)
My range on the higher end is a high C, but it’s pretty screechy and you’d probably plug your ears; on the lower end, I can hit a low E, but only for couple of seconds and it sounds really strange and wonky. I work most comfortably in between a low G and a high A, which is a good mezzo-soprano range.
It depends on what you mean by ‘singing’. If you come in, say, sounding like a frog being violently murdered, there’s not going to be a whole lot anyone can do for you. If you can carry a tune, however, it’s just a matter of working on your tone, range, depth, and inflections–polishing it up, so to speak.
If you’re seriously looking into singing, find a good vocal coach or vocal teacher around the area; they’re generally not that expensive, and they’ll work with you one on one to develop your sound. Also, I have the Royal Conservatory of Music in my neck of woods; if you have something similar, go check it out–well worth it.
What do you sing? Were you in church choirs? Did you have to learn to read music? Do you have a memory for music?
I’d also like to know the answer to Clockwork and Candy’s question… there’s a lot of music in my family; my mom and her two sisters were very good singers, but never sang in a band after their twenties. My aunt still sings in the church choir at the age of seventyish.
When I was 11 or 12, I tried out for the church choir for six weeks, but quit when I realised that I didn’t believe the words of what I was singing and could not sing them in good conscience. My aunt once told me that the music was the only reasion she went to church…
So… does singing run in familes? Is the aptitude genetic, or is it just that being exposed to singing as a kid makes it more likely for you to sing as well?
Is it possible for someone to start singing in adulthood?
Eh, I don’t know. In my personal experience there’s been some voices that make me go, “Dude, put down the sheet music and back away very slowly”. Granted, they’re really rare–you can train yourself not to go off-key, for instance, with a lot of patience–but there’s a few out there.
Most people I’ve found who say “Oh, I can’t sing” will be able to carry a tune–they just don’t sound like Renee Fleming or Andrea Bocelli, which is silly.
The range–how many notes you can hit–isn’t the problem. Sopranos (high-end notes) and tenors (middle-to-lower end notes) get more publicity, probably because they tend to get the starring roles in operas, but there’s always a niche for anyone’s range.
The tone–being able to hit one note clearly, on pitch–is more difficult. It is possible to train yourself to stay on pitch and clarify your tone, but if you don’t have some degree of it naturally it’s hard. Think William Hung on American Idol.
My personal training was with a great vocal coach, and we worked on warm-up exercises–proper breathing, scales for range and tone, all that stuff; kind of like yoga or Pilates for your vocal cords :)–and then various songs for performance. Basically, you’re trying to get your voice as clear, melodious, powerful, and emotionally attractive as possible, and you aim towards that.
I do listen to a lot of classical and jazz singers, but it’s not required. Having your own style is better for performing.
Do you sing in the shower?..
Slow down! 
a) Classical, mostly, with a bit of casual jazz thrown in on the side.
b) I’ve been in a church choir, along with school choirs and a semi-professional children’s choir.
c) I learned piano before I really started singing, so I didn’t have to go in reading music. But I’d usually hum to myself and sing intervals for my piano teacher while I played, so it wasn’t hard to switch.
d) Generally, yeah. It’s easier for me to remember my own part in a song–as opposed, to say, the bass, or the tenor–but I can reel off some dozen-odd songs I sang years ago.
That’s a shame, but I understand where you’re coming from–if you don’t feel like you can give the emotion or truth to the song, and if you just plain don’t enjoy it, it’s not for you.
Emotion is one of the most important things in singing. Think of the opera: there’s a beautifully sung aria in Italian that’s perfectly in tune, with perfect dynamics and perfect attack and perfect everything, and you just end up yawning and checking your watch in your seat because there’s no emotion. And then there’s maybe a less technically perfect singer, and you’re just completely enraptured, in spite of the language barrier, in spite of everything, because you can really believe this person is dying or heartbroken or full of joy. It’s so important that you love singing, and you love the song, and you really feel its meaning.
My dad was born with a great voice, and did some singing himself, and Mum can carry a tune pretty well. But that’s just my family. I don’t *think *it’s genetic–someone can come along and contradict me.
It’s certainly helpful if you grow up around music, and you have the encouragement to pursue it. Ultimately, it’s what effort you put into it. A kid who joins the high school choir because it’s a credit / he wants to score with the hot chick two seats down / his parents think it’s a good idea is not going to grow up and be the next Plácido Domingo. It’s how much you want it.
And if you really want it–even in adulthood–go for it. It’s never too late. 
Yes.
Of course, I take showers at something like seven in the morning, and I’m usually half-awake, so beware. 
O.K., but… how do I find out if I can carry a tune? Is there anyway you can find out for yourself without having to bring in a second party? 'Cause that would be really embarrassing for me. :o
What should I do to strengthen my voice and what would one look for in a good vocal coach? Is there such a thing as a “bad” vocal coach?
I’m not full-time professional either, but I come from a musical family and have been singing my whole life. I do professional a cappella on a seasonal basis.
Clockwork and Candy, probably the easiest way to find a good voice teacher is to contact a local university offering a music major. Many of them have in-house programs where you can take private lessons at beginner levels, and the University has vetted the instructors. You can then later switch to the instructor’s private studio if you want or if they leave the university program. My day-job is at a univeristy and have taken a few classes this way.
(I should also mention that these programs are meant to encourage musical study, and are non-academic in nature. The good news is, it’s a hell of a lot cheaper than tuition rates.)
Also, there is definately such a thing as a bad vocal coach.
The best method I can think of right now (aka the *American Idol *method): Pick a song off a favourite CD and play it, and sing along. If you have sensitivity to tone, you’ll be able to tell if your voice is on-key and clear enough or not.
It’s definitely not foolproof, though–you really should have a second party to judge. Do you have a Livejournal with a voice-post feature, or anything like that? If you send it to me I promise to be gentle.
Strengthing your voice–well, take good care of it, first of all. Smoking is a big no-no if you’re going into classical music (the husky-raspy tone can work for jazz, though). Drink lots of fluids regularly, don’t strain it by yelling a lot, and take extra care when you have a sore throat or a cold.
(Funny story: when my choir was on tour they were visiting the Hard Rock Cafe in New York once, and the choir director passed down very very strict orders not to talk–not a single word–in order to rest everyone’s voices. The poor waitresses must have been so confused by the big tables of people talking entirely in sign language for the rest of that night :D)
Also, regular breathing exercises help. Deep breathing from your abdomen is important; a typical exercise involves taking a big breath, and letting it out on a ‘sssss’ sound as slowly as possible. The idea being that you want to go through the notes without breathing as much as possible, and then take a breath really quietly and discreetly without gulping air–especially if you’re a soloist.
All this a good vocal coach will tell you. You want someone who’s friendly and patient, who’s had experience with a lot of singers and sings him/herself; someone who will help you with your goals and takes it all in good time. A bad vocal coach criticizes you without helping, overworks your voice, rushes you through technique and sets up impossible challenges (learn this ten-page aria in a week’s time); a good vocal coach will do the opposite of these things.
Whereabouts do you live?
Cool–whereabouts and whenabouts?
Q: Have guys ever ‘fallen for you’ because of your voice…?
A: I wish!
Mid-November through New Year’s. I can’t give you a where, as we gig all over the Baltimore/DC/Philly area. We’re primarily Christmas carolers (although we have sets for Hanukkah, etc as well) - we do SATB a capella quartets in Victorian dress at parties, hotel lobbies, tree lightings, that sort of thing. Some of it’s open to the public, a lot are private galas. I’m not really a Christmas fanatic, but it’s a fun job.
Count Blucher
A: Just that one guy in the mask.
Hi, I’m also not a full-time professional, though I’ve been an employed singer off-and-on over the years, and I’m currently looking for a new band.
Yes, but more guys have fallen for me because of my mad video game skillz. Which is… sort of weird.
Hey, trust me, girl gamers are hot.
Jenny, I don’t suppose he called himself the Angel of Music, did he?
(Seriously, that sounds so awesome. If I ever make it down to Philly or Baltimore again, I’ll do my utmost best to make it.)
Great, if you do, shoot me an email and I’ll get you an audition.
Also, I wanted to second everything you said about voice care and vocal coaches. Perhaps the surest sign of a bad vocal coach is if you aren’t spending half the lesson doing “boring stuff” - tone exercises, scales, etc.
It should seem like he’s moving molasses slow.