Not everyone has command over their singing voice and it’s understandable. Not everyone can sing very well.
Most people pick up singing in their childhood and literally grow up with it and learn to wield this ability with a lot more command.
This post will therefore discuss whether or not it’s possible for a terrible singer to learn how to sing properly. This is quite the popular discussion in many singing forums which is I took it upon myself to carry out an investigation into this.
With that said, Can a terrible singer become good?
First things first, there’s no such thing as a terrible singer, only an untrained one. Even somebody with a terrible singing voice can become a good singer through practice and training. What differentiates the bad, average, good, and great singers is simply training and practice.
The voice is a tool that you can learn to control through practice.
How long will it take a bad singer to become good?
Singing is no easy job and there are a lot of things that influence how long it takes someone to become a good singer.
With that said, a person practicing everyday can notice improvements in their singing within the first year of taking up singing.
After practicing for another year, they’d know how to sing and could go about singing without making a lot of notable mistakes.
Therefore if you’re looking to learn how to sing, it’s best to focus on becoming better and not necessarily how long it will take you.
Your first year of taking singing seriously will redeem you from being a “terrible singer”. The second year will teach you more and you’ll have more control over your voice.
Why do I have a terrible singing voice?
You have a terrible singing voice because you’re not a trained singer.
Trained singers have a good ear and the ability to have almost full control and command of their voice.
What you hear as terrible singing is just you singing with no playbook to follow or practical and theoretical knowledge about singing.
This is why most professional singers would rather call a person an untrained singer rather than a terrible or bad singer. Because without foundational singing knowledge, one does not have the motor and vocal cord control to sing well.
Will singing lessons help a terrible singer?
Lessons will certainly help a terrible singer become better if they follow the lessons up with practice and the desire to never stop learning.
Even the best of singers can become better through practice and learning.
How to Know if you’re a good singer
Assess yourself
The simplest way you can carry this out, is by recording yourself singing.
You can record yourself using a smart phone or tablet or handheld recorder if you have access to it.
After recording, play your recording and go with your intuition or gut feeling about your performance.
If you’re honest with yourself, you’ll know whether you’re actually good at singing or not.
Feedback
Feedback is a very helpful mechanism in all areas involving art.
The opinion of others about your singing should tell you enough about it.
And I advise you to get feedback from people that can be brutally honest with you. These kinds of people will give you a good idea of how your singing sounds outside of your own body.
You can then use your own intuition and the feedback to come up with a definitive conclusion.
Technique
Another great way to know whether you’re a good singer or not is to evaluate how you go about singing or in short, your technique.
Start with the stance; the best vocal performances come from people who are stood up and not sitting down.
Posture
Good singing technique involves having good posture in order to sing as well as possible.
This means shoulders and neck back and your hips in a neutral position.
Breathing
Breath control is one of the fundamental parts of singing well.
You’ll need to be able to breathe deeply to be able to sing well.
This prevents you singing with shallow breathing.
Shallow breathes will have you singing from the throat which leads to a weak sound.
Therefore, if you want to get a good idea of your singing, assess your breath control.
Relaxation
Your ability to relax when singing is another thing that should tell you whether you’re a good singer or not.
Great singers relax even if they’re nervous and most of the times you won’t even hear any nervousness translate into their singing.
