Karaoke Forums

Hello again,

Maybe this should be in the singers forum but I figure that everyone who sings on here might come here anyway and so will put the question on here.

My wife loves to sing and she is not bad and I have just kind of built her a set up so she can turn it on and just have fun with it but here's the rub, I sit there like a bump on a log and that's about it but I will be danged if I will get up and make a fool out of myself trying to sing.

Now here's the deal, I would love to be able to sing a song and join in but I have never sang before and I am 59 and this all brings me to my question..what is truth and fiction when it comes to singing..can someone learn to sing with limited talent or is it a lost cause? Not talking about trying to be the best on karaoke night but good enough that people are not cutting their wrist as they listen to me. Sometime I think I can carry a tune and other times it sounds dreadful in my head.

If it is possible can you steer me toward the best possible learning program, preferably something online or order a set of disk or ???

If not I will continue to be my wife's biggest fan and that will just have to be ok.

Thanks for your time and sorry if this is in the wrong place.

Anyone can learn to sing. Anyone. I didn't learn to sing until I was 51 years old.

But it takes 1) practice and 2) patience. It used to be that there wasn't much alternative to a voice teacher, but now you can get quite a bit of instruction on YouTube.

I recommend you search for "learn to sing" on Youtube and try some of the videos. Get some privacy if you can and then let it all hang out. Don't worry about how you sound. You will sound better and better if you keep at it.

I used to practice with my gigging gear, but now by far my favorite way to practice is with headphones and a microphone. I bring the karaoke track and mic into a mixer, and monitor with the headphones. I can hear myself much better that way.

You will improve just as long as you keep practicing. Like most anything you do, the more you practice the more you improve.

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[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

The question is more finding the right song for you.

Most people can't sing just anything. They can however sing a subset of songs that work with thier voice, personal tempo etc.

It also helps a lot to sing songs that you personally like.

With the range of modern music there are MANY very famous singers that from a technical standpoint "can't sing". Ignoring that fact some of these singers have made millions of dollars just singing their way.

There is a DVD a voice training system out there called "Paula Abdul & Randy Jackson presents ULTIMATE VOICE COACH" ..they are sold at Kmart and if you cant find it there look on line..its a great learning tool for the begginner...and it runs about $40.00...good luck

It can be done...it just takes practice.

My wife, and I love the woman like no other...is absolutely TONE DEAF. (She also doesn't read this forum. )

Now...she has four or five songs that she does over & over again. Over time she has gone from "god awful" to "not so bad" and is still improving. Singing is an exercise and the more you work out, the stronger/better you get.

The KEY is to pick the right song for your range. The biggest mistake newbies make is by trying to sing the songs they LIKE instead of the songs they can SING which are often completely different. "Don't Stop Believing" is a prime example. People love it...but only one out of a thousand can actually sing it due to it's very high range.

You could always start with something crazy-simple like "Tequila", just to get used to being on stage with a mic or a song with lots of talking parts like "The Devil Went Down to Georgia".

Of course you can. There's two parts to it. 1) Learn to hear the intervals between the pitches of a melody. 2) Learn to reproduce those intervals with your voice.

You don't have to have a "pretty" voice for the result to be pleasing. As evidence I'll give three artists I personally enjoy very much:

Bob Dylan
Mark Knopfler
Bjork

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Dave's not here.

Like others have said it takes practice. Your vocal cords are a muscle and just like any other muscle group, they have to be exercised regularly in order to operate at peak condition. Similar with your ear. If you start listening to music more critically, listening for all the nuances and such, you'll develop a better ear and in so doing will also improve your singing ability. It's never too late to try something new, that old dog adage is a bunch of bunk.

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

Listen..you're not going to just "learn" how to sing. You KNOW in your mind whether you can hold a tune or not. Only you can know for sure.
The key to singing KARAOKE is this....

#1) Sing a song you like
#2) SIng a song you know well
#3) Dont try and sing a song out of your range
#4) Have FUN and let loose

As long as you have fun , how you sound is secondary !!!

Yep, have fun with it. A person that isn't the best singer, but is having fun with it, and it shows, is just as much fun for me to watch and listen to. And if you can pull off both, god bless.

Singing is 90% confidence and 10% skill. Choose a song you are familiar with; take the time to learn it very, very well before you get up to sing it. If you can, listen to the karaoke version first so there are no surprises. Once you get over the first song, and feel comfortable with it, you can choose a second. People doubt my percentages but I have seen it happen over and over and over again.

Evilstepdad -

I am impressed by the responses you've received here. All excellent advice !

Your never to old to join in the fun. Remember this is supposed to be fun and don't put to much pressure on yourself.

My first thought for you was to find the right song. If you are familiar with Johnny Cash songs I'd say that maybe a good start. Some of his songs are almost like talking than singing.

Staying in key isn't the only challenge. Singing to the beat of the song is also important. Try tapping your foot while singing to stay on beat.

If confidence is what your lacking try singing with your wife the first time your in public. Many of my first timers started out by singing songs with their spouses like: Jackson, I Got You Babe etc...

Good luck ! I'm excited for you and please update us on your first adventure.

Babs

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

Or you can get it at WalMart for $24.86, however the suggestions given are solid, lots of practice, check for self guides & if you can record yourself when you sing this way you can listen & hear where you can try to improve.

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LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

For karaoke (and much singing in general) I feel the "emotional key" is more important than the vocal key.

By this you are essentially saying (singing) something to tell a feeling/story. If by the way you sing it it is believable to the listener that can be more important than being in the same key as the origional.

I have heard singers who's lungs sound like tar deposits, and perception of key is either non existant or distorted. But when they care about their singing and are clearly trying (and singing it their way) they can be among the most entertainers of the night.

I didn't learn to sing until I was 69..

Go for it..

Want to thank everyone for all of the replies. I have been looking around online at some of the vocal stuff for singing and I am going to give it a try...without my wife knowing .

I do know about the songs to pick thing, all the ones I really want to do are pretty much the ones I can't.

But there are some I like that I think I can get to a point and have some fun with.

I really don't care that if we ever would do this out and about that someone would be saying after I got done singing, "Hey I want to follow that guy!" that would not bother me but if everyone in the place was saying it..you get the drift ..

Again thanks and if I pull it together I will put something in the singers showcase for ya.

I think you have the right spirit for doing it--humor always helps to soften the "blow" when you are in your early stages and helps to get the crowd with you. Like many, I didn't even attempt singing (not even "Happy Birthday--always pretended to be singing along) until I was 50 something. Now, I've gotten to the point where I can fool some people into thinking I know what I'm doing.

Since March I've worked a gig in a small local lounge. There have been pre-karaoke patrons there the entire time -- most just enjoying the talent now coming in as regulars to the place. Last night I was finally able to convince (mostly by the element of surprise) one of my favorite people ever to get up and sing on his own. He has always shared the stage with someone else. He ended up singing four songs last night on his own -- WOOHOOO! He had had a very rough week - one of the guys he worked with was ambushed, beaten up badly and died of the wounds ... At the end of the evening he thanked me profusely for "putting up" with him, and that singing had made him feel SOOOOO much better. I told him it was my pleasure.

He had developed JUST enough confidence to actually get up -- by the second song he had moved up another notch or two on the confidence scale. By the end of the night he was grinning and chuckling to himself, saying he was going to go home and make a list of songs he wants to do. Still makes me very happy when this happens. I hope you're able to find a host who will understand what it takes to get up for the first time. No GET UP AND SING!

K

Karen what a great story !

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

Another option is Carry-A-Tune's "Singing Coach" software. I improved a LOT using that. It gives you graphic feedback on whether you're flat or sharp.

Once you get to where you can hear the resonance that occurs when you're on key then you're ready for the Voice Lessons To Go cds (available on Amazon). Volume 2 will give you lots of great practice with singing on key.

I hope this helps.

Tom

Here is an idea for you to give it a try. Since you don't want to look like a danged fool in front of anyone, sing a few songs when nobody is home. Pick some easy songs to get started and sing them each more than once to get the hang of it. If after doing this a few times you still don't feel like you can sing in front of other people then keep practicing until you feel more confident or just go back to being your wife's fan.

You don't have to be a great singer to sing Karaoke. Go out some time and watch other people sing at a bar or restaurant. Most people are not very good, but it's fun for them. If you look at the audience, a lot of the time many or most people aren't even paying attention to the singer. They're talking, watching whatever game is on, eating, drinking or whatever. You're your own worst critic, believe me.

I can tell you from personal experience that practice does help a lot.