Is Singing A God Given Talent?

I am not a singer although I wish I could sing well. As for God given, I know this goes against the grain of what most people here will say but personally I think a lot does have to do with what you have to start with so I guess that is God given.

In other words you can improve to some degree but you aren't going to get to a seven octave range if you only have one to start. I think if you are a bad singer you can improve to passible but I've never heard anyone that couldn't sing a note become a fantastic singer, maybe it happens but I've never heard one.

But and not to be a naysayer with enough training you can be an adequate singer.

But I guess it's a bit subjective, Bob Dylan sings, if you could call it that. Personally i don't think he sings very well nor does he have a pleasing voice but that didn't stop him from selling a lot of records and I'm sure some people love his voice but if you were listing the top singers he'd never make any list. So I'd call him an adequate singer, it's good enough for what he needs, his strength isn't singing it's song writing.

On a more personal note my daughter has been singing pretty much all her life and from the time she started it was evident singing came naturally to her. She could sing in pitch and had a good voce. Is she the best singer around, no, but she definitely had something going on right out of the gate.

I am not a singer although I wish I could sing well. As for God given, I know this goes against the grain of what most people here will say but personally I think a lot does have to do with what you have to start with so I guess that is God given.

In other words you can improve to some degree but you aren't going to get to a seven octave range if you only have one to start. I think if you are a bad singer you can improve to passible but I've never heard anyone that couldn't sing a note become a fantastic singer, maybe it happens but I've never heard one.

But and not to be a naysayer with enough training you can be a adequate singer.

Hi Nev, What you say makes sense to me. I am working with a vocal coach now and she said I have a beautiful voice, I'm just not a good singer, YET. She also feels she can turn me into an excellent singer. She does have a client list of over 50 people you have heard of. I feel if I work hard enough maybe i'll surprise myself. We'll see.

Well God knows I never worked at it much. Well until recently.

But here are some things you can work on that aren't:

Phrasing
Breathing
Choosing dynamics
Emoting
Engaging
Entertaining
Connecting
Smiling
Confidence

I work on that stuff all the time. I'm a pretty good singer. But since I'm aware of and practice the list above I'm a much better front man than singer.

Hey Nick, you're list is a good one! I'm very close with who I think is the best vocal coach on the planet. She works with every major country singer in Nashville and everyone from Christina Aguelara, Bob Weir, Huey, Ronstad, several great rock bands etc. Even know every coach believes their techniques are the best... her's are different and unique. She really dosn't teach people to sing, she helps remove the obstacles that keeps you from being your very best. She played bass in my band 18 years ago and told me I was probably the worst singer she had ever heard! Just finally started training with her. She said I had a beautiful voice...not a good singer YET! She really believes she can turn me into an excellent singer. If there's anyone that could help, it would be her. I'll post my 1st lesson after I record my next lesson. Now you can see some promise, but there are parts that you would laugh a few times.(pretty painful for me to listen to).

You're list covers several things she is teaching me. Thanks for the response!

You are given your instrument, and there is nothing you can do about that. But you can develop it to it's fullest potential.

And yes, some people seem to be able to be able to sing with little or no effort (I'm jealous)

I was a lame singer at first. Fortunately being a trained wind instrument player, I knew how to breathe with my diaphragm (note, the ribcage does not expand and contract with your breath).

Then I too some second-hand lessons from people who had formal vocal training in bands I was in and learned some of the basics. Then I practiced a lot, sang every day, vocal exercises and flat-out singing. Being in a band helped.

At first I could only sing the easy songs, limited range, moderate to quicker tempo.

I'm still not a great singer, but I am a good singer, but it took years to get there. It was definitely worth it, I enjoy singing as much as I enjoy playing the sax, guitar, flute or wind synthesizer. But I'll never be as good as the other singer in my duo. She is blessed with a wonderful voice, great range, great versatility, and great control -- she sings the most difficult songs -- but we sing about half and half through the gigs.

So (1) learn how to breathe properly, (2) get vocal tips like relaxing your throat, singing through the mask, etc., and (3) do it a lot. Half hour per day at a minimum. You won't strengthen the muscles unless you exercise them.

Insights and incites by Notes

sunnibear said she said I have a beautiful voice, I'm just not a good singer, YET. She also feels she can turn me into an excellent singer.

Did yo expect her to say anything else? I assume she charges for her services? I'd be suprised if she told you, you had a horrible voice and nothing she can do will help you.

sunnibear said she said I have a beautiful voice, I'm just not a good singer, YET. She also feels she can turn me into an excellent singer.

Did yo expect her to say anything else? I assume she charges for her services? I'd be suprised if she told you, you had a horrible voice and nothing she can do will help you.
She's a very close friend and NO she doesn't charge me!

Then you're good to go! It would really be interesting to hear how far someone can go with vocal training kind of a before and after kind of thing.

As I mentioned before I never heard of someone magically becoming a great singer if they didn't have something significant to start with. Maybe some of accomplished singers that I have heard were like that and I've just never heard about it.

I guess maybe I have to alter my original opinion, maybe you want get a 7 octave range but if you are able to sing correctly in your own range and pick the right songs you'll proabably sound pretty damn good.

Good luck with the lessons.

Then you're good to go! It would really be interesting to hear how far someone can go with vocal training kind of a before and after kind of thing.

As I mentioned before I never heard of someone magically becoming a great singer if they didn't have something significant to start with. Maybe some of accomplished singers that I have heard were like that and I've just never heard about it.

I guess maybe I have to alter my original opinion, maybe you want get a 7 octave range but if you are able to sing correctly in your own range and pick the right songs you'll proabably sound pretty damn good.

Good luck with the lessons.
Thanks, I'm video taping my lessons. I'll post them soon and let you guys be the judge.

Here's a video I wanted to post as a reply to this thread:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swtJLBOI8zU&list=UUblit35vurL8o6rY8DkB5uw&index=10&feature=plcp

This is just a single, non-commercial video I recorded in reply to another thread on another forum but it fits here too. It's not featured anywhere and not endorsing any site (although I'm wearing my ex-band's sweater but that's non-commercial too, the band's been dead and buried for three years now) just making sure it's not interpreted as a promotion of some kind.

Anyway, what I wanted to say is, as you can see I can sing OK in three octaves, visit the fourth maybe, and I think that's plenty...I don't think anyone can do like seven octaves, that'd be beyond human hearing range I think :-)

But the point is - I was a bass singer until my twenties or so...so you can change quite a lot. In fact the older I get, the higher my voice seems to get, every year I can sing higher and higher, but also it erodes my low end at the same time; my lowest notes are starting to sound garbled.

But that's something I'm fine with; I like a husky/driven voice anyway, I don't mind if my voice breaks. I don't practice myself, just scream at the band rehearsals basically.

I think it is "A God Given talent," but most people are given at least some of it. Personally, I have been studying it recently for work (and because music makes people way more attractive), and I've noticed that sometimes I can't sing and other times I can. From what I've learnt, it's important to warm up your voice and keep to your natural areas of strength.

My guitar teacher gave me a set of songs, which fitted my voice at high school and next-minute I really did sound good. Maybe try different songs and share them to this site and people, here can tell you when you are on to it, sometimes you might be too harsh on yourself otherwise.

I definitely agree that it's best to stick with your natural voice. Me, all my life I've tried to sing in anything but my natural voice. Naturally I'd sound closer to something like Elvis or, you know, the guy in Depeche mode, quite low and soft...pop voice. I briefly attended a music college for singing and they would have wanted to make a dance/tango etc. singer out of me and enter me to that kind of singing contests, but what I always wanted to do is sound like the singers (either really) of AC/DC or basically any generic metal screamer. So for 20+ years I've done my best to scream my voice broke, and it's also succeeded quite well.

Funny thing is also in my bands often my band members have begged me to sing in lower keys and nicer and claim they like it, but I don't care, I don't want to sound pretty, I want to sound ugly and raw.

Yes thats god given talent :):):):)