r/singing • u/Remo2976 • 19h ago
Question Can any average person (or one that is not naturally vocally talented) be taught (or trained) to be a decent or competent singer?
I've always wondered if one needs some level of natural talent to be able to be a decent singer. Thanks
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u/eggplantbren 19h ago
Yes, but some people might make fast progress whereas others will be slower (also a type of talent I guess).
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u/MrharmOcd 18h ago
Yeah 100%. A tiny percentage of singers were born with a gift, the rest just worked their butts off, with some of the latter surpassing the gifted
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u/JesparSakaresh 19h ago
With enough effort and time, you can become very good at most skills in life. Maybe you’ll have “natural talent” and progress faster but even if you were slow to adapt, I’d imagine you’d make good progress after a year, and be an excellent singer after 5 years of consistent practice. Who’s to say where you’d be after 7-10 years etc
There will be limits to what your voice can and can’t do, but no matter what your genetic limits are, you’ll still be able to find a play in which your voice can soar with enough effort.
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u/yitzhakszn 5h ago
Crazy cuz someone with natural talent could deadass forget they can sing, and within 2 months be out here making the craziest runs and using good breath control
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u/Marty_Short4Martin Formal Lessons 5+ Years 19h ago
This is asked all the time... the answer is always yes.
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u/TheCutestWaifu 19h ago
Yes, the only thing that technically stops you are disabilities that are rare. Very very few people are actually tone deaf. Most people who struggle with pitch will hear that there's a different note but don't know how to hit the right note.
But yes, and if you want to sing then you should do it. Keep in mind that singing is art and that the point of art isn't skill, it's expression. Expression is messy and imperfect so just remember not to fixate on being a specific level of good. Plenty of popular amazing singers have shit technique but people connect with them because of the imperfections.
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u/bmilohill 17h ago
Natural singing talent is like being born 7ft tall and wanting to play basketball.
At school, everyone is going to pick the tall kid for basketball, and that kid will be encouraged all their life to play. So the naturally tall kid gets to play the game and learn, and they get positive reinforcement for doing so. Which means by the time they get to college they seem amazing - but most of that amazingness comes from the time put in.
If someone short works just as hard, and the tall kid never plays, the hard working short guy will absolutely dominate. Because in the end, natural talent is absolutely nothing compared to putting in the work. Everyone can be a decent singer if they try.
The trap, though, is people tend to compare themselves to the best in the world. There are tons of decent singers who will never have a top 10 hit. To be the best in the world, you need natural talent AND a lifetime of work. Just like basketball, there are tens of thousands of people who are willing to put the work in, so those lucky hundred guys who put the work in 24/7 all their lives AND are 7ft tall are going to be the ones in the NBA.
So can you be not only decent, but better than every other person you know despite having no talent? Absolutely. It just takes time.
None of us will ever be Beyoncé, but that is okay.
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u/dod6666 Self Taught 5+ Years 14h ago
The hardest part about actually making it big, is that you need skills beyond just singing. Karaoke singers and cover bands generally go nowhere.
You generally need to have excellent song writing skills, or be in a band with someone else who does. If you are relying on someone else then you may need the skills to motivate them.
There is also no money in music when you are getting started, so you need some money making skill outside of music to get started. A good PA system isn't cheap.
There are all these little things that people often don't think about, but they will need to overcome.
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u/Vangelys 18h ago
Talent is usually just a time saver.
I'm not a talented singer for instance; I learned and practiced for years just to reach a “decent” level.
On the other hand, I'm good at drawing, photography/images in general, or anything involving visuals. It's always come easily to me. I knew a guy who was in my class at the time, and he was really terrible at it (really). He's now very good at it, and he also inspired me at one point.
And as a mediocre/average singer, I can tell that you can become good at it, just with patience and work.
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u/Troldkvinde 2h ago
Time is a precious resource, though. For someone who cannot dedicate their life to full-time learning how to sing, a talent can make or break it.
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u/Annual-Yak-4330 19h ago
I have made a lot of progress and I was very bad and I am still not that great but compared to where I was I’m much better. I get a feeling I’m stuck though
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u/yeismarVwriter 18h ago
Honestly, it's half and half, I know people with a tremendous voice but no stage management skills, also people who worked very hard to achieve and polish their voice.
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u/FurryLionDaddy 18h ago
You can always learn and become the best version of yourself by mastering everything to the best of your ability if you so desire.
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u/LutherHadegates 17h ago
Unless you have a severe condition which impairs your ability to discern pitch or have a vocal disorder, you very likely can learn to become a decent singer with practice. Everyone can achieve different levels at much different paces.
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u/ExpertNo8717 17h ago
the only difference between talented singers & untalented singers is the time it takes to get to the same result
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u/Newduuud 15h ago
imo yes, but you have to work with your voice rather than against it. Everyone can sing, but you can’t sing everything. But I believe that everyone’s voice can excel at something
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u/Space_Ninja_7 15h ago
Yes, barring a (very) few select medical reasons. Some people will have wildly different starting points and rates of learning, but with a competent teacher and dedicated practice, there is nothing stopping you from learning.
Anyone (barring a few for medical reasons) can also learn to run a marathon with proper training and time. Just because Olympians exist doesn’t prevent other people from running too. The voice is also muscle that can be trained. Commit to the workout and get there one step at a time.
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u/Prestigious-Type-496 14h ago
Noon talking about listening and the ear - some pick up intonation naturally without effort, same with the rythm.
Yeasterday I talked with professional teacher - asked if I could learn to sing better (at 50y). He said I'd need a good teacher to work with my throat tensions ect and its a good thing I hear I sing bad 8D (Prof. was my customer and I've played instruments all my adult life more or less).
He said if you dont have any talent you cant really learn singing.
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u/Specialist_Kick_5281 14h ago
Yes. You'd be surprised the difference just opening your mouth wider and lifting your soft palate can do in terms of sound quality
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u/dod6666 Self Taught 5+ Years 14h ago
I suspect natural talent is actually acquired early in life, as opposed to something you are born with.
For me, I could hold a tune with my voice by the time I turned 4. Simply by imitating songs that my dad would play. Although I didn't develop it further until my early 30's.
If your basic singing ability develops along side you speaking ability, then you are going to have a much easier time learning if you eventually decide you want to take it further. But that is not to say that someone who didn't develop their voice that early, cannot learn later. It's just going to be a lot harder. Kinda like how it's difficult to learn a second language later in life.
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u/JerichoKnight 13h ago
Talent is work. Yes, some people have a natural affinity to it but that is like any skill. Natural talent has limits and rarely does it carry you all the way. Always learn. Research. Practice. Keep ego in check and you will be as great as you can be. I didn't pick up things as fast as some and got put down all over the place. Now I'm further along and doing great, recording and performing.
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u/JustOneRedDot 9h ago
I remember watching the progress of my friend who was learning to draw. While I never practiced much (I actually barely practiced) I was quite decent compared to him. Now he's entering hyperrealistic territory and I can't even begin to try to match his skills. Talent is nothing if you don't put in the work, it's also nothing if you can't connect with the audience. Our voices are merely a medium, there's millions of good singers out there and it's the personal perspective that matters and gives the meaning. I'm trying to unlearn the unhealthy approach towards voice comparison that we've been taught. Art isn't a sport and our personal relationship with music isn't a race.
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u/Equivalent-Pop4499 9h ago
Yes, or at least that’s what i’m doing; not quite there yet but working towards it
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u/delulunarde 8h ago
If you want to save time, money, and anguish, play musical instruments (piano, clarinet, etc.) as a teenager then do a lot of karaoke as a fully grown adult. So many people destroy their voices from oversinging or singing the wrong way as teenagers or get fached over by puberty (huge bruh moment since not just amabs but some cis women believe it or not end up as tenors or baritones having to drop octaves on typical girl songs if they haven't figured out head voice).
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u/One-Position4239 8h ago
It's basically like gym. Can any average guy go to the gym, eat and sleep well and get a nice body? Yes. Would it be impressive to most people? Also, Yes. Would they look like Arnold? No.
You could definitely become a pleasant to listen to singer in like 2 or 3 years with a good vocal teacher and good amount of effort.
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u/YetMoreSpaceDust 4h ago
Decent or competent enough for what, though? If you want to actually make a living singing, you have to start very young, be very very lucky, probably be pretty good looking and have quite a few connections (plus you have to learn how to sing).
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u/Resipa99 3h ago
No because it’s like any hobby some pursuits will prove impossible.If you don’t believe me beware of tutors who sign you up for months in advance for loads of dough never telling you the truth but good luck. 👍
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u/Former_Yogurt6331 15h ago
Well, as a kid I liked singing into the microphone, hearing my voice, and it was interesting enough to try and manipulate for different effects.
A bit later I joined in school choir. After trying to learn saxophone left me looking for another path.
I did like choir, and the teacher liked me also. It was just a thing I could read.
So by 16 years old, my father asked me, very nonchalant, "what do you want to do boy?". I answered quite quickly. "I want to be either a country western singer, or a car designer."
To my surprise, he answered back even quicker.
He said, "be a car designer, there's lots of good singers.".
I spent 4 years in design school, just to get the paper. I was already thinking like a car designer, and I was good. I rose quickly and to the top spot over the coarse of 30+ years. Retired @ 59.
I still sing any chance I get.
I don't really have to wonder too much about the "what might have been", had I chosen differently. Trained, or not.
There's no doubt.
I would have been a famous country music singer, and you'd all know my name.
And who knows, I might still get there.
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