Members Codeseven Posted October 20, 2015 Members Share Posted October 20, 2015 Hi everyone. I'm 57 and decided to learn to sing (well, my wife gave me the push I needed by buying me a couple vocal lessons to start off ). I play the drums and guitar so I can hear pitch pretty well and I feel musically inclined (if that'll help). The teacher (voice coach?) was suggested by a friend of a friend of a friend I just had my first lesson. He seems like a nice guy and knowledgeable about singing. To evaluate me he had me sing a simple song along with him while replayed a piano. Then we went thru some scales and takes about correct breathing "the foundation of singing". My homework is to work on correct breathing while practicing scales or a song I want to learn. I was most happy that I felt comfortable around him and that I didn't seem to suck too bad at trying to sing (he seemed t be pleasantly surprised (relieved?) that I was able to stay in key for the most part and I had a decent range when doing scales for a beginner). So, one of my concerns is, like evaluating any teacher, how do I know if I'm being taught correctly or being steered down the right path? One of my questions to him was, 'how does one know if they can even sing (other than Happy Birthday) and what does my natural voice tell you about what genre of singing I fit into? (since I like many genre's, Folk, R&B, Rock, Country). Questions definitely coming from a beginner that has no idea what he is talking about but bring to figure it all out. His answer was it's almost impossible at this early stage to answer questions like that and we need to give your voice a chance to reveal itself thru practice and coaching. Do you guys have advice for evaluating if you have a good vocal coach? Should I be 'trying out' a couple others in my area (near San Diego) at the same time? What else should I be doing at home during this early stage of learning to sing? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kickingtone Posted October 20, 2015 Members Share Posted October 20, 2015 I think that the most important thing to assess is progress. If you have a realistic idea of how that should take shape, then it's a matter of, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". And, as you most likely know already, record yourself and listen, to get a better idea of how your voice sounds to other people. Keep your recordings and cringe in a year's time, and every time you look back a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Codeseven Posted October 20, 2015 Author Members Share Posted October 20, 2015 Thanks. I wish it were more clear cut but suppose the fact that I feel comfortable enough to attempt to sing in front of him (ok, actually, the first time we sang together I purposely sat behind him out of embarrassment ) and that I feel he seems to know what he's talking about should be good enough for now. I was just Googling iOS apps for vocal training and there are too many to choose from. I was thinking just something to help with exercises and pitch would be nice. Is there an app you would recommend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kickingtone Posted October 20, 2015 Members Share Posted October 20, 2015 For pitch, I get by using Audacity, which you can download for free onto a laptop. It allows you to examine the raw frequency spectrum of any note that you sustain for more than about half a second (and indicates the actual note sung). But then again, even pitch perception is subjective, especially for something as complex as the voice. I don't have the experience to say how useful it is compared to any other App, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Codeseven Posted October 21, 2015 Author Members Share Posted October 21, 2015 Thanks, I'll check Audacity. A couple apps that currently seem popular are Sing Harmonies and Erol Singers Studio. http://www.appgrabber.com/app/sing-harmonies http://appcrawlr.com/ios/erol-singers-studio-voice-less Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kickingtone Posted October 23, 2015 Members Share Posted October 23, 2015 First one seems marginally interesting. But wouldn't it be better to just join/found a choir or something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dendy Jarrett Posted October 23, 2015 Members Share Posted October 23, 2015 Code 7: One our Content Share partners at Harmony Central is takelessons.com They have teachers who have been researched, back ground checked, and will have someone (most likely) who is local to you. They can be both in person lessons or online (Skype) lessons.Just wanted to point it out as they are a very well vetted program. ThanksD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Codeseven Posted October 23, 2015 Author Members Share Posted October 23, 2015 Code 7: One our Content Share partners at Harmony Central is takelessons.com They have teachers who have been researched, back ground checked, and will have someone (most likely) who is local to you. They can be both in person lessons or online (Skype) lessons. Just wanted to point it out as they are a very well vetted program. Thanks D Thank you Dendy, I'll check into that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members highmtn Posted October 26, 2015 Members Share Posted October 26, 2015 As far as evaluating your vocal teacher, does he sound the way you would like to eventually be able to sing? That's kind of important. What kind of singer would you like to be? Is anyone teaching that style, that genre? If they are a "ho-hum" singer, that's what they will be teaching you to become. If you want to be able to sing like your present vocal teacher, then that's a good sign. All the Best! Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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