“If you can walk you can dance and if you can talk you can sing”

Do I have potential? Is my voice good enough to sing professionally? And will I improve?

I have received a considerable amount of e-mails and messages on our website and Facebook over the last few months regarding different questions and concerns regarding the voice and singing. Thanks for your support and please keep them coming. Most of these questions I can answer via correspondence but some I need to actually hear the voice.

Quite a few of these e-mails and messages have brought up the following concerns of self doubt, lack of confidence or lack of technique. And strangely enough, not lack of ability.

Because the bottom line is that everybody has the ability to sing. It is just a matter of getting the right skills, singing in the right key and coming to terms with your own voice and tone.

I have a saying “If you can walk you can dance and if you can talk you can sing”. Because we are using the same vocal chords to sing as we are to to speak and converse.

So here are a few tips to get rid of those demons, self doubt and lack of confidence and set you on your way to becoming a great singer.

1. Please come to terms with and embrace the tone and sound of your own voice. Bob Dylan, Al Jolson, Freddie Mercury and Amy Winehouse have all got the most distinctive voices and have all embraced their own distinctive tone and range and so must you ! The tone of your speaking voice is generally a good indication of what the tone of your singing voice will sound like. E.g if you’re speaking voice is light and airy your singing voice will generally be light and airy or if you’re speaking voice is husky and rough your singing voice will generally be the same. And also accept the natural range of your voice, or in other words, how low and High your voice can go.You can work on extending your range higher and lower with a good teacher, scales and techniques. But please be patient, as everyone’s voice and vocal range is different,like a fingerprint, they are all unique and beautiful.
2. To the best of your natural ability you need to try to focus on singing the right notes or what we call singing in key or in pitch. Myself and everyone else listening to you sing would rather hear you sing a song in key than out of key. One of the main points of scale practice is to improve your ear and musicianship. This is where good technique generally comes into play. If you’re breathing, articulation (mouth) and ear are all working spontaneously together you will generally be singing well.
3. I know every body out there likes particular songs or artists, but just while you’re starting out, make sure that the 1st few songs you sing are songs that are comfortable for you to sing in your natural range. Do not do songs that are too high or too low for you! No pulling faces, sounding like someone else, straining or hurting your voice.
4. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you make a few mistakes or are not progressing as fast as you would like. Life is a marathon not a sprint. Have some fun and do the best you can. Remember, practice makes perfect. So the more quality practice you do, the quicker you will improve. *Guidance on picking out songs and keys to best suit your vocal range.

At Vox Singing Academy, we promote you choosing your own songs to sing for your enjoyment. A lot of students ask me what style of singing best suits their voice. And I respond by saying please choose the style of singing that you love.

If I said you would be a great rock singer and you don’ t like rock, you are not going to enjoy it and potentially lose motivation and passion for it very quickly. So pick a style or genre you love .The main point it is to have fun singing the songs of your choice.

Do you think I can improve?

Everybody will improve with the right training, guidance, work ethic and practice routine. A little bit of practice every day is the best. Always remember focus and quality over quantity any time.

Do I have potential?

Everyone has the potential and ability to sing. As I’ve said before, if you can walk you can dance and if you can talk you can Sing. It’s really all about your dedication and how far you want to take it. You might just want to be a hobby singer, to sing in the choir, in few talent quests, karaoke or want to record a song for your loved one. Or you may want to become a star, a professional singer and make a living out of it. The choice is yours, the world is your oyster, chase your dreams, believe in yourself because you only live once!!

Do I sound okay?

When doing your scales or singing I don’t want you to listen to yourself, I simply just want you to hear yourself and monitor what you are hearing. Listening and hearing are to completely different things. In the future you may want to record yourself doing scales and singing songs. And you will find out how well you are progressing for yourself. The proof is in the pudding, listen back to yourself and the recordings and go back and work on those bits and pieces that you think needed improvement . This is where a good teacher comes in handy to tell you what you need to work on and show you how to fix or correct your concerns or problems.

How do I gain more confidence?

It is my job when I teach to build confidence in your abilities so that when you open up your mouth the right notes and sounds will come out all the time. The best way to gain confidence in your abilities is to keep practising your craft. Practice makes perfect.
 Once you are singing well by yourself in your room, start singing in front of your friends and relatives and then up on stage or at karaoke at every opportunity. But make sure you know the song 110% before you step up on stage.


Also practice what you are going to say to the crowed if you are going to introduce the song or yourself before you get up on stage. Just remember the stage is a sacred place and should never be disrespected, so before you get up on stage please know your songs 110% and also what you’re going to say to the audience.

How long will it be before I sound good?

This all depends on how long you practice for everyday, how many times a week you practice and how good the focus and quality of your practice is. The more good quality practice you put in, the quicker you will progress. It’s that simple.
Recapturing our 4 main points:

1.Always sing songs in a vocal range that is comfortable for you and sing in your own voice and personality.

2.Focused and quality practice, practice, practice makes perfect.

3.Believe in yourself and your vision because if you do not know what else will.

4.Have fun! If it is not fun don’t do it!

Until next time, Rock On!

Peter Vox