Want to live my dream but I can't sing?

[IamHo]

I want to live my dream up to be a famous singer but it seems like I'm just not made of singing? Can I really work for it?

[Owen Korzec]

Yes you can but you won't get there through self teaching, or if you try it will take decades instead of months. Get ready to drop thousands of dollars on weekly or bi-weekly voice lessons, and spending 5-10 hours a week practicing. That's the sacrifice you'll have to make to chase your dream. And if fame is a goal as well, you'll probably also have to invest a lot of money into a music business education. That is what the work to get there entails and even so, luck is always going to be involved and you may still not make it.

Sounds harsh but it's the truth. I'd be doing a disservice to sugarcoat how much time and money chasing the dream can entail and how hard it is to approach it from the standpoint of starting from square one with no natural talent and having to work for everything. But in the end you will find that these are worthwhile investments. Even if you don't live your dream you're likely to come close.

[MDEW]

You are starting out with the wrong goal. Fame. If your passion is singing.... Sing .... regardless of how you think you sound. Sing anywhere you can. Whenever you can. Fame is fickle. Even those stars who are now Famous if they take one mistep they are back to the beginning trying to recapture what they thought they once had. Sing for the sake of singing not for the sake of fame.

[IamHo]

Yes I'll be taking singing lessons! And why not dream bigger?

[MDEW]

To dream big is fine. Nothing wrong with that, but if you feel that that you cannot sing now, Sing for the sake of singing and learning. Keep that other goal in the back of your mind to keep your hunger for the learning and training in the mean time.

[Jim Brewster]

This sort of post always makes me wonder, "what's really going on here." Is it because of comments on this post?

http://themodernvocalist.punbb-hosting.com/viewtopic.php?id=9063

Don't get discouraged by that, get motivated. Otherwise you're never going to stretch and grow. Even Felipe, in his terse way, said "study," not "pack it in."

I don't think there's too many "naturally gifted" singers on this forum, who never had to put in some long and hard effort to develop their vocal talents. If they were, why would they be here in the first place?

[Jens]

The problem is being a famous singer is like winning the lottery. You can be the best singer in the world and still not be famous.

If we look at singing as a skill, sure you can be as good as the stars but remember thats a fulltime job, thats the ammount you need to put down.

[ronws]

Jens has it right. You can take lessons and become proficient. You could even be a great singer. But being famous for it? A mixture of hard work, dedication, and some luck.

Look at Anvil. A band that has influenced so many other bands. But they only became famous through a documentary highlighting their "Spinnal Tap" existence.

Then, there was Johnny Lang. Full album and tour deal at 17 years old. Meanwhile, local legend (where I live) Bugs Henderson, with decades and twice the chops never really got bigger than touring around the South. Then, again, Bugs may have liked his lower profile.

But, yes, first, you have to gain proficiency. You also need patience.

I read the memoirs of Michael Bolton. He could always sing well and had that raspy voice from the start. He thought of himself as a "rock" singer. He went through 8 failed album deals and tours. While working on his next album, his producer pointed how good his cover of "Dock of the Bay" was. Point being, his voice was previously hidden by the arrangements on rock songs. So, he took the advice and put out an album of soul and blues. And exploded.

But there is no crystal ball to foretell.

[Jugulator]

Being a famous singer and a good singer is not the same :)

[AmirMaor]

I think it's hard even if you are the best singer in time, don't think like this :)

[MDEW]

Now for practical advice. Vowel, Pitch, Intensity(thanks Daniel). Note in the head, Motion in the stomach(Thanks Ronws). Orientation( Thanks Felipe). Resonance.

Certain vowels aid in different areas of the voice. They help tune the voice. There are reasons for using Italian vowels for exercising......... Lots of things to learn. Take it one step at a time.

Good Luck with your goals. :)

[IamHo]

I really appreciate help and support from you guys. I'll be taking singing lesson and I'll work on it. I guess I was just being distracted by people who always tell me not to keep dreaming and just concentrate on what I'm good at. And yeah I'll firstly improve my singing first and won't be thinking of fame. I have back up plans as well! Thanks guys.