learning to sing

I have a baritone voice, and for the longest time I thought I couldn't sing, then someone clued me in to the fact that basically nothing in pop music is written for baritone.

So, how can I get started singing, and not sounding like {censored}?

Well, first of all, transpose. If nothing is specifically written for baritone, place the song where you need it to be. It's true that certain songs will sound odd in this register because we're used to hearing them in the tenor range, but you may find that some of these songs come to life in interesting ways if you rework them to fit your baritone..

Your purpose, as an artist, is to reimagine these tunes, not to copy them. Having a baritone voice may well be a way to make the music your own.

Now, before everyone starts yelling, two points:

1. There are baritone singers out there (e.g., Eddie Vedder), so there are songs written for a baritone voice--maybe not as many as you'd like, but they are out there.

2. You can, through vocal training, extend your range and become capable of signing in the tenor register.

As Jersey Jack said, there are several routes, one being to "embrace your baritone" and the other to get some coaching and extend your range.

Actually, the latter approach won't "take away" any of your current abilities as a baritone, it only adds to your arsenal by giving you a richer palette to draw from, and can even help to make it more relaxed and comfortable to sing songs that are already in your current range.

So this is one of those few things in life that, with some effort and time, you can have your cake and eat it too.

As Jersey Jack said, there are several routes, one being to "embrace your baritone" and the other to get some coaching and extend your range. Actually, the latter approach won't "take away" any of your current abilities as a baritone, it only adds to your arsenal by giving you a richer palette to draw from, and can even help to make it more relaxed and comfortable to sing songs that are already in your current range. So this is one of those few things in life that, with some effort and time, you can have your cake and eat it too.

Ok, I guess my question is: how to get started? I have no training at all, not even sure how to start. How does one find a good vocal coach? With guitar, I ended up ordering metalmethod.com DVDs cause I found that in-person tutors were overly expensive and not necessarily any good. Is there a similarly good course for singing?

I've never done any vocal method CDs or DVDs, so I can't answer that part.

But at one point, I DID find a great voice teacher who really knew how to break me of bad habits, and to help me open up my range in a pretty dramatic way. He was worth every penny.

Part of the attraction of this particular voice teacher is that not only is he a well respected coach of rock singers, his own voice sounded like Chris Cornell on steroids, but on a dime, he could turn around and do Dio or Queensryche, or anything. I once walked in on him warming up to Mariah Carey. Point is, I could definitely relate to the guy in terms of musical influences and styles, and he knew EXACTLY what I wanted/needed in terms of teaching.

As a side note, I'm a bass that can now comfortably sing tenor, and a lot of it is because of good coaching.

I am actually the other way around, I fall more naturally into a tenor voice, but I am a big guy, and all my favourite singers and songs seemed to be in lower registers, so I'm learning to use my bottom end.

So you already have something people would consider a really cool talent, and as has been said, it can be extended...Eddie Vedder is a baritone, if you listen to "Elderly woman behind the counter...." by Pearl Jam he gets the note of G in three octaves, and gets all the words clearly.

I'd sooner have the option of getting down there, and work up, if I had the choice.

[YOUTUBE]l1wQ8cOJbtY[/YOUTUBE]

I would take some of Pearl Jam or Greg Brown, and sing along as they move through the registers, just to see where you falter, and then you know where to tell a teacher/ask helpful forumites you are stuck or struggling.

I'm also a baritone, and have limited range (no voice lessons yet, maybe someday). Finding appropriate songs can be tough, but they are out there. I find songs sung by female altos translate well to baritone. I sing songs by Jennifer Nettles (Sugarland), Stevie Nicks, Natasha Bedingfield, and Natalie Merchant, and they always go over well.

I'm a pretty awful singer. I hardly ever try, mostly just in the car rocking out.

I do find Pearl Jam really fun and "easy" to sing. It just seems to fit my natural "resonance" when i project his notes. So i wonder if i'm a baritone, too. I have no idea.

Is there like a range i can play on my guitar i can sing along with to find my limits and thus know?

I think the thing with singers is that too much emphasis can be put on how high one can sing. Sure there are great singers with huge vocal ranges out there, but how often are they using that vocal range on a tour. Rob Halford from Judas priest has a great range, in the studio. But listening to some live stuff on tour, there are some nights and recordings where he just doesn't have it. Freddie Mercury is another. studio recordings have him effortlessly switching between head voice and falsetto, but live he rearranges the vocal lines and used chest voice. So one has to ask themselves what's the value of a huge range if it can't be used consistently,

Me, I'm a baritone and I've learned to accept that. With some voice training I've learned how to project my lower range and make use of the range that I have.

Wilton

Unfortunately, to cut through the mix with certain types of music, the higher vocal notes provide the "sweet spot". For instance, if you want to sing melodic metal or certain types of hard rock, a good range is pretty much expected for the genre.

I think the argument of "recorded" versus "live" is a bit of a red herring, because even if I DID have to adjust my vocal delivery for a live performance, at least I would still HAVE the ability to go into the studio and record a more "dynamic" performance in terms of range. Why would I not want that?

Being able to sing high takes nothing away from my ability to sing low, and it gives me a lot more flexibility in terms of writing original material, or in the choices I have regarding what I can perform in cover bands. I never lost my ability to sing with a rich baritone voice, or even sing low bass parts. I can still sing "daddy sang bass" in a bluegrass band, but I can also sing in a progressive metal original project, or rock out with some Deep Purple or Kansas in a cover band. All because I decided to go for it. It took a long time and some good coaching, but it was totally worth it, and I'm glad I didn't give up.

There is really no reason to NOT pursue the ability to sing with a wider range, as long as that pursuit is done in a healthy manner, and with a good voice teacher.