# Who among us can sing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 24, 2016, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-among-us-can-sing/744073 "2016-01-24T12:22:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-among-us-can-sing/744073/21 "2016-01-25T08:20:25Z")
I love to sing, and do so at every opportunity. After puberty/voice changing, I was left with a fairly solid bass/baritone voice. At the bottom of my range I could hit a low E (same pitch as the open low-E string on a guitar), but I struggled to even sing as “high” as middle-C. Unfortunately, it was the late 1970s / early 1980s, and I was into hard rock and metal. All of my favorite male singers were power tenors with insane upper registers. Dammit, I wanted to sing like Halford and Dickinson! So I screamed and screamed and screamed until, eventually, I had extended my upper range to high E (octave & a third above middle C), which was good enough for most metal. Unfortunately, nobody wanted to hear that, because while I could hit the notes, it sounded like shite. By the time I was 20, I’d resigned myself to not being a power metal singer, and found an interest in country music, where my voice was better-suited. Through my 20s and into my early 30s, I gradually lost my ability to hit those high notes. Now, I’m approaching 50, and over the last handful of years my vocal range has once more expanded … in both directions. Admittedly, the bottom of my _practical_ range is still that low E, but most days I can reach down to D. And, if it’s early enough in the morning, I’m able to get down to A, and even managed Ab once or twice. But there’s a dramatic dropoff in volume once I go below D, making those lower notes impractical for anything but amusing myself, and in any case I lose the ability to hit them within about two hours of waking up. The big surprise is that I’ve pretty much regained my whole upper register, _and actually sound good_ singing/screaming that high. I hate to say it, but I credit karaoke. I suspect part of it was that, with karaoke, I was concentrating entirely on my vocals, as opposed to my past singing while playing guitar, bass, or piano. My voice had my undivided attention, and I was able to actually hear myself properly through a decent microphone and good speakers (rather than un-miked in my bedroom). It also let me start really focusing on actual _technique_, rather than just straining to go higher and higher. My proudest moment was the day I finally figured out Brian Johnson’s vocal technique, and discovered that I could actually sing _[Shoot to Thrill](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gDch1p4c_M)_ all the way to the end and _sound good_ (well, as good as Brian Johnson). That had always been my favorite AC/DC song, but I couldn’t sing it, even as a teenager. I just could not hit those notes at the very end, and in any case I sounded awful trying. Now I sing it in public and get high-fives from strangers. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-among-us-can-sing/744073/22 "2016-01-25T16:37:15Z")
Although I haven’t had any sort of voice lessons since grade school, I sing well enough to have spent one season with the choir at work. Started working from home after that and there’s no way I’m going to HQ one day a week for choir practice. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-among-us-can-sing/744073/23 "2016-01-25T17:13:26Z")
Doper **Le Ministre de l’au-delà** is apparently too modest to join this thread, but I can attest that he is one hell of a singer. I have his album [_Guitarias_](http://dougmacnaughton.com/recordings.html), and he sounds amazing. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-among-us-can-sing/744073/24 "2016-01-25T18:51:44Z")
I was about to post that **Ministre** hadn’t been around since last spring, but I see he’s started posting again. And yes, he is undoubtedly a phenomenal singer. He’s also very kind to answer any questions I have about the singing business and related issues. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-among-us-can-sing/744073/25 "2016-01-25T19:06:34Z")
I’ve always heard you’re supposed to sing from your diaphragm, but what about if you’re a guy? ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-among-us-can-sing/744073/26 "2016-01-25T19:07:16Z")
> [@LH75](#): > > I have probably the world’s worst singing voice. > > Imagine Dennis Hopper doing a Stevie Nicks impression… I promise you, you haven’t – I have. Music in general, passes me by to a large extent (for example, I’d never heard of the above two gentlemen); but there are parts of that scene which I could like, involving my wishing that I could sing. However – I totally cannot reproduce the right notes / keys: all who know me, assure me that listening to me trying to sing, is in the “cruel and unusual punishments” category. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-among-us-can-sing/744073/27 "2016-01-25T19:46:26Z")
I’m not trained, but I’m not bad. I’ve made maybe a hundred bucks playing/singing in my lifetime. I mostly do it for fun. ---
**Author:** ![May\_20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@May\_20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/May_20)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-among-us-can-sing/744073/28 "2016-01-25T20:57:33Z")
I can read music to play flute. I can sing fairly well, but I can’t sight-read music to sing; I sing by ear. Most of my training comes from singing at church. My denomination believes in a cappella congregational singing, so there’s lots of regular practice. 😉 We take our singing seriously, so many of the congregations I have belonged to have had singing practice outside of worship. Everyone, regardless of voice quality, is encouraged to sing. ---
**Author:** ![Scougs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scougs/32/3158_2.png) [@Scougs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scougs)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-among-us-can-sing/744073/29 "2016-01-25T20:58:18Z")
I might regret this, but judge for yourselves: [YouTube of me singing in a charity concert](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCAiblo0hz4) I did have half a dozen singing lessons about fifteen years ago. Just wanted more confidence with belting in the higher range. I did learn to read music as a child, which I’ve always found to be an immense help with singing. I’m amazed at people in amateur theatre who do it all by ear. I mostly just sing for fun at home now. A good starting point is there are loads of Karaoke videos on YouTube now, so you can try things out in the privacy of your own home. Practice builds confidence, and having the confidence is a big part of singing. (If you can last that long, at 2:52 in that video you’ll see one of the best moments of my life. Honest). ---
**Author:** ![NeonMadman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58f4c7/32.png) [@NeonMadman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NeonMadman)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-among-us-can-sing/744073/30 "2016-01-25T21:06:05Z")
Here’s another entry in the “you be the judge” category: [http://www.macjams.com/song/74904](http://www.macjams.com/song/74904) ---
**Author:** ![NeonMadman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58f4c7/32.png) [@NeonMadman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NeonMadman)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-among-us-can-sing/744073/31 "2016-01-25T21:07:07Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I’ve always heard you’re supposed to sing from your diaphragm, but what about if you’re a guy? …guys have diaphragms too, you know…:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-among-us-can-sing/744073/32 "2016-01-25T21:25:35Z")
Singing well is firstly about breathing properly. If you can use your breath to support your singing voice, you have half the battle won. Most people who think they can’t sing actually could, if they understood how to breathe properly. Secondly, there is one’s ear for music. If you can’t properly hear a melody, you can’t usually recreate it. Some people are in fact tone deaf and there’s not much that can be done about it. But they are the exceptions, not the rule. If you’d like to try to teach yourself to sing a bit, look up “breathing exercises for singers” on the internet (I got several pages of pertinent results), practice that a bit, and see if it doesn’t do quite a bit to improve your singing voice. I’ve sung since I was a small child, in various choirs, and eventually in a band. I don’t have the world’s strongest voice, but I have a very true one. Pitch and harmony come naturally to me. I’ve been given some hints, but never had any actual training. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-among-us-can-sing/744073/33 "2016-01-25T22:26:08Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > IIf you are so blessed, how did you arrive at wherever you are, talent-wise? Were you born with it? Did you work hard? Have any of you done so without formal lessons (self-taught)? Hard to say. I have had voice lessons and I did spend years in various school choruses, but I’ve always been able to sing. How well I could sing without all that, who knows? ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-among-us-can-sing/744073/34 "2016-01-25T22:32:00Z")
> [@stillownedbysetters](#): > > If you’d like to try to teach yourself to sing a bit, look up “breathing exercises for singers” on the internet (I got several pages of pertinent results), practice that a bit, and see if it doesn’t do quite a bit to improve your singing voice. If I may, I strongly recommend against this. There are two big reasons: many people have no idea what they’re talking about (even people who purport to be voice teachers), and if you don’t already know what you’re doing, you have no way to tell what is good advice and what isn’t; and doing exercises without a teacher’s supervision and input can easily lead you to doing it wrong, even if the advice is sound. If you want to learn to sing, get a voice teacher. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-among-us-can-sing/744073/35 "2016-01-25T22:39:44Z")
I’m not a working musician, but I’m a jazz singer. I’ve gotten paid to sing here and there over the years. Here’s [me on a ballad](http://picosong.com/Jfzp/) and [me on a blues-y tune](http://picosong.com/LkfQ/): both are from live performances with a professional trio (piano, bass, drums). You bet your ass I’ve worked hard. I took my first voice lessons (classical) at 16, was in a handful of groups/bands over the years, and when I discovered jazz six years ago I took more lessons (classical again, because good technique is good technique…also, I like singing some classical repertoire). I only studied for a year, but I have continued my education by regularly going to workshops and master classes and jam sessions – so important! – and I listen to as much live music and as many good singers as I can. I’ve had two shows at a club in DC. I’ve invested in a good microphone and a portable PA system. I keep a book of charts and lead sheets that I can quickly copy and take with me to jams/gigs. I know a lot of basic theory from taking piano lessons as a kid, but I want to be a good band member as well as a good singer so I’m trying to brush up on my jazz theory and my chords. I discuss jazz and how to be a better musician with any of the professional cats around here who are willing. And I PRACTICE. Being able to improv well means having chords and a vocabulary in my head/ear, which means a lot of listening and a lot of singing (I’m still getting good at that part). Frankly, it’s a lot of blood, sweat, and tears for someone who has a day job. 😃 But it’s who I am/what I do. Once I’m able to spend more time networking, I think (hope) it’ll pay off and I’ll start getting calls. > [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I don’t want to take vocal lessons, but I would like to find some way to improve on my own. I can understand this – I’d like to improve my piano technique, but I’m not interested in lessons – but I second **Kimstu** ’s recommendation to take voice lessons anyway. 🙂 > [@fachverwirrt](#): > > I’ve been transitioning voice types over the past couple of years (from lyric baritone to dramatic tenor) What the fach?!? (Sorry! I couldn’t help myself! ;)) ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2016, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-among-us-can-sing/744073/36 "2016-01-25T23:18:55Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > The only advice I can give is learn an instrument well enough to play the melody. Did you even read the OP? ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-among-us-can-sing/744073/37 "2016-01-26T00:52:44Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > What the fach?!? > > (Sorry! I couldn’t help myself! ;)) You know, I’ve had this handle for so long, I sometimes forget about it. But yes, more or less what you said. (Finally figured it out, though. No longer verwirrt.) ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-among-us-can-sing/744073/38 "2016-01-26T01:03:07Z")
I could until I ruined my voice by screaming way too loud too often and got nodules. Now I can only sing the way I used to, by getting louder the higher I go. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-among-us-can-sing/744073/39 "2016-01-26T01:24:32Z")
> [@fachverwirrt](#): > > If I may, I strongly recommend against this. There are two big reasons: many people have no idea what they’re talking about (even people who purport to be voice teachers), and if you don’t already know what you’re doing, you have no way to tell what is good advice and what isn’t; and doing exercises without a teacher’s supervision and input can easily lead you to doing it wrong, even if the advice is sound. > > If you want to learn to sing, get a voice teacher. Just to clarify lest I confuse anyone else. I did mean strictly BREATHING exercises. I wouldn’t trust a DIY video on youtube for how to sing, either. I do know that if you breathe better, your current singing voice, just as it is today, will improve because you will both be better able to control your phrasing and be better able to achieve and stay on pitch. So let me restate what fachverwirrt said…if you want to learn how to sing, get a bona fide vocal teacher. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-among-us-can-sing/744073/40 "2016-01-26T01:27:36Z")
I was in school choirs from junior high through a year of community college. Did a musical or two in high school. Took lessons, which helped immensely. I have a nice voice, buy my range just doesn’t match any male pop/rock songs. It works best more or less imitating Nat King Cole. Never got into doing much more than an occasional karaoke song, but singing in the car or while cooking or whatever makes me happy. Then a few years ago radiation therapy to treat cancer totally wrecked my throat. I can still sing, but my range is lower now. The worst is that it hurts. Even just two or three songs leave my neck sore for an hour. If I consciously avoid straining up into higher registers it’s not as bad. I’d love to sing bass in a doo-wop group or maybe barbershop. I don’t think I could handle it anymore. ☹ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-among-us-can-sing/744073.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-among-us-can-sing/744073.md?page=3)