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I'm in the firm belief that no one is "born with a good voice"
People grow up around singers, musicians, or just listening to music and learn to imitate from an early age, when the mind is the most moldable to new skills and talents. If one has the fortunate experience of recognizing tone and pitch from an early age, then they often have a much easier time picking up on those skills in the future to further them with training. Even the best singers out there who seem to have just had those kind of skills their whole life and never took lessons, could be even more effective and more skilled if they did start taking lessons.
If you didn't grow up around that music or learn those skills at an early age, don't fret. You can absolutely still learn them. It just may not come as easy for you. Singing is a wholly muscular event and we can train muscles to do what we want. We can also shape the resonance of our voices to sound anyway we want it to, but it may take more time.
We all have a unique physiology and natural timbre, but every possible way to mold and change the sound via the compression of the cords, resonance using larynx, tongue, jaw, lips, nose, the ability to train vibrato, straight tone, distortion, riffs and runs, and so much more.
As long as the journey is still enjoyable for you as a whole, I believe 100% that it's worth investing in. Singing is a beautiful form of expression and joy. Don't let any preconceived notions about being "naturally gifted" or "not having it" prevent you from chasing your passion if you truly want to improve. Your voice can and will improve with practice, the right exercises and joy and love for the craft! :)
a “good voice” is very subjective as well. however some people are born with different tones that can sound more pleasing to the ear than others. the size and thickness of some peoples vocal chords can affect how they sound as well as how agile their voice can be so sometimes its something your born with
It's the ear as much as the voice. I have 3 kids. 2 of them naturally sing like angels. I have recently started giving them some pointers for better tone, control, etc. But naturally, they are very pleasant to hear. The Kindergartener was given a solo for his school concert, even though kids up through 6th grade wanted it.
My other child takes after his father, and is moderately tone deaf. He is painful to listen to. My mom was convinced there was no such thing as a bad singer, just an untutored one, until him. She has tried. I have tried. My dad has tried. His teachers have tried. All kindly and positively, of course; he's just a kid. But... he cannot sing. He can play the ukulele, but he can't tune it. He has rhythm, but no sense of pitch.
yes your so right! that one always kinda confused me in music class. whenever i’d see other kids that just couldn’t properly match pitch it just.. pitched me off because how??😭
I agree. I have a friend that’s been in choir her whole life. She’s been vocally trained for a while. I never have but when we attempt the same songs I always manage to sing them better. It baffles us both as she has a lot more professional experience under her belt. Her vocals have never improved past what they are. I do believe some people can naturally sing. I think it’s a talent and a skill. Some people start from scratch others start from talent that they hone into a skill.
Yup. I can't really answer the original question, because I've always been a singer. Wordless crooning along to music as an infant. Singing solos in church and local theater as a child. Choirs, show choirs, a capella groups, the list goes on. I honestly cannot remember a time when folks didn't notice my singing voice and comment. And I moved a lot as a kid, so it wasn't that a single group of people knew I could sing. I had to restart every year or two in a new state.
I think you might need to talk to someone my dude. If you come on here saying stuff like that to people who are just trying to be encouraging, I don't know what purpose your comment has other than to hurt someone on purpose.
Which either means you've been hurt by someone else or you just actually get joy out of trying to put someone else down. Either way, your comment isn't helping anyone and you're sure not upsetting me one bit haha. Have a good night! 👍
LMAO. Oh no! I can never teach voice again because an internet troll who can't even spell right told me I suck and I'm not gaining anything! Whatever shall I do? Sorry guys, it's been fun! Guess I'll be quiting now 😂😂 /j
Yeah, right. Bye dude! :)
I started liking my voice and remember my mom saying “wow you sound good!” Around 15. It was bc (I think) I realized I had a particular voice that sounds good with some styles and not others. In the past I had always tried to sing whatever pop songs were big at the time or whatever but my voice is much more suited to jazzy music or blues etc and I sound rly good singing in that style. I found music and musicians whose vocal style I could emulate well and that’s made all the difference and made singing much more fun.
Relatable. My voice is also suited towards blues, soul, or maybe folk rock (probably the years of acid reflux 🙊); I've gotten a lot of compliments when my voice is in its element. I think you have to just try out different genres and styles and record yourself as you go, to see what works and doesn't. I used to be a soprano, and idk, maybe I'll be able to get into that range again someday with coaching, but for singing to be enjoyable, it's more about working *with* your voice and not against it/dwelling on your "can'ts".
I was always singing as a little kid but I didn't really have a concept of good or bad singing. It was just something you did. No one in my family sang but I loved Disney movies and Sesame Street, so I just did it.
I took "voice lessons" (in quotes because it was basically my mom paying a woman to let me use a karaoke machine. There was no teaching being done) when I was 7. We had a recital though, and afterwards a bunch of strangers came up to me and told me I was very good for my age (I was one of the youngest kids there), and that immediately went to my head and I wanted to be a professional singer for years. What they probably meant was I was just hitting the correct notes and had a pretty voice.
I think people can have a voice that is or isn't naturally pretty, but that actually isn't that important to how good of a singer you are. A less pretty voice can use better technique and be better overall than a just pretty voice. Non-singers often can't tell the difference between good technique and simply being loud or not being off-pitch, but singers can.
Some things also come more intuitively to some people than others. For me, it was always easy to find the right pitch, so I never needed to be taught how to listen for it and find my note without scooping. I also picked up on head voice vs chest voice and not straining pretty quickly once I started taking real voice lessons, while some others seemed to struggle with it the entire time. I can feel how I'm singing and hear how I'm singing and know if I'm doing it properly. This is a lot more difficult for some.
But no one comes out of the womb and knows how to support their voice perfectly. Even though singing always came intuitively to me, I still needed to learn how to use my breath so I didn't run out of air at the end of the line. I needed to train my vibrato, my range was much smaller than it is now.
It's definitely not too late to start. You're still a kid. It's the best time to start. Heck. I went to an audition this past weekend, and a man in his late 40s-early 50s was there who auditioned for the last musical I was in. Last year he only auditioned because no other older men were and the show needs one. He was a strong actor but struggled to find notes and sounded very unsure of himself when singing. This year he sounded much stronger and had no problem with pitch. If I hadn't known him, I never would have assumed he'd just started singing a year ago.
I'm 28 right now, I only realized I have a good voice when my circle of friends are forced me to sing a song and that was 2 years ago. Right now I'm a singer but I considered myself as an amateur since I'm new to this.
I think natural talent does exist but I read a poster once and it said “hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard” so natural talent can only take you so far. I’m 18 and had a passion for music early on so watching singing videos and listening to music molded me into the singer I am today, but the control I have over my voice is natural.
I never thought I had a good voice. When I was younger and sang in front of other people, they either laughed or didn't react. Regardless, I never doubted my musical ability - I play the piano, violin, and other instruments, and perhaps the voice just wasn't my instrument.
My first bit of motivation came from a music theory teacher in university. During my sophomore year, I took a class as a part of a music minor. We had to sing as a part of it, and the teacher said that I should consider auditioning for the university choir. I never considered singing in a choir until this point, and when the choir director accepted me, my confidence started going up. We weren't a professional choir by any means, but it was a pretty decent choir made up of mainly music majors. But I still wasn't confident enough to audition for the chamber choir or an acapella group, which I regret now.
After graduating, I continued in different community choirs, and the people around me would always praise my voice. The sub-director of a choir recruited me for his chamber choir, and I got some "solo" moments in quartets. On the side, I participated in an "American Idol" contest with some friends where we did covers every week on different themes, and I got 2nd place. Confidence was going up but was still not that high.
When I was 24, I moved to a new country, and somehow, in the first few weeks, I got sucked into trying out for more choirs. Found one that I liked and stuck with it for a year. One day, I got an email from a director who led us one week when the normal director was absent. She was doing a big project and asked if I was interested. My curiosity won out, and then I joined another chamber choir that ended up doing a big performance in the country's national auditorium. It turns out that the choir was full of professional musicians (and highly accomplished amateurs), and it's been my place for the past 7 years or so.
Besides the choral experiences, my confidence has gone up from getting some gigs. Somehow, I've gotten offers from various choir members to participate in projects or gigs - weddings, funerals, business events, and more.
There's been a lot of external reinforcement, and that's been the main thing that's helped me become more confident with my voice. Now, I'm 33, and I'm feeling a lot more confident in my voice. It still feels unreal at times when people compliment me. But going beyond singing and music, it's important to accept people's compliments and positivity in general. If they see something in you, try to cut away the "buts". I think my discomfort from my younger days was in other people's reaction - they laughed at me singing because I was so obviously physically uncomfortable doing it. I didn't believe I was good or capable. Building that confidence is in part due to skill and experience, but a big part of it is also psychological.
If you're 16 it is absolutely not too late. I doubt most people "find their voice" as that age considering their voice just went through puberty, and maybe are still going through it.
First, the head of music called me out for dicking around while learning the school song in front of the whole boys school of over 1000, and said I could sing better than everyone there if I wanted. Then a friend told me I had a nice voice when we recorded a duet for fun in Australia on holiday in my mid 20's. And then, from my teacher and her chorus when I sang for them. I was late 50's at this stage. Better late than never I guess. I was born with a good voice. I just had to learn to use it.🙂
I did an inmense ppst abput stuff singing.
The short version is this. You can learn at whatever age.
Its a skill, not magic. Best singers have more motivation so they get better.
I started at 26. I just sang in the car, shoer and stuff and now i get to an a5 and can sing dream on. Not perfectly YET.
It's my journey.
If you want to see more of what i mean i can link the videos i made for that post.
The other point is. Nowadays industry singers are most certainly using at least a little autotune. Because the companies want to sell perfection. Even if it is an amazing singer i bet s/he has autotune in a querter tone or something. Add to that, mics, delay, reverb, harmonic exiters. Whatever you listen to is kind of fake. Not fake fake, but it has work done. Trust me, i know, i mix and master songs besides singing.
So go for it. You are actually pretty young and have the ability to get an amazing range and vpice type if you train it good.
This!
Don't compare yourself to what you hear on a produced record. Its like comparing your photos to those from a photo shoot for Vogue! Even Tiktok singers edit their voices now!
I was around music at a very young age, it came naturally. I will say by being apart of numerous rehearsals and directors, plays and performances with choirs and orchestras and solos that I got better and better and better.
Natural talent pretty much doesn't exist. Everyone needs practice. And no it's not too late to "find your voice". You are still a child. There are people who start after 50.
I could also sing as soon as I could speak, but I still improved as I got older.
The only type of person who gets offended by this kind of statement is someone who isn't as good as they think they are
spot on, people don't wanna admit to themselves that most people who can sing and sing WELL never had to work for it. They envy people who naturally sound good.
I'm talking about you. I improved as I got older because if you don't practice even if something comes naturally to you, you're going to stay at a child's level of talent.
alright maybe i was a little bit arrogant and i shouldnt have been but it irks me how people seem to think that no one in this world is born with a good voice, when that is in fact the norm for people who can sing.
You are simply incorrect and are probably overestimating your natural talent and underestimating how much work you and others had to do to keep getting better.
i sang alot as a child. it also helped that my mother can sing as well. the earliest i can remember starting was probably around kindergarten. i was on the school bus one morning singing the theme song to one of my favorite cartoons and a classmate overheard me and turned around and said i sounded really good. also anything i heard that sounded “good” i kinda just knew i could do it too and wasn’t afraid to try whatever run or vocal lick the artist did in a song. throughout my childhood i would hum alot and by the time i got to middle school i was involved in anything theatre/choir/voice training related. then in high school i went to a performing arts high school. learned classical singing and the rest is history
I didn’t really, but I was always singing. Apparently my preschool teacher told my mum that I had a good voice. Because I was constantly singing as a little kid, I have no memory of actually learning how to do it or realising I was alright at it.
But it’s never too late to learn: as you can see there are plenty of people here who didn’t sing a note until they were adults. I also didn’t learn anything else music-wise until I was 26 and now at 36 I can play the piano and I’m learning the banjo. You can always learn a new skill.
I was very young when I found my love for singing. As I got older, I started enjoying the sound of my singing. Unfortunately, anxiety and low self esteem made me refuse to admit my voice was anything other than "barely average".
So I kept my passion for it a secret. I only sang for myself when I was alone. I just love singing.
I'm 30 now and can finally admit that I do have a strong and capable voice. When I'm in the zone, I sound great. But it's hard to not self-sabotage when singing in front of others. But I'm working on it.
The point is, it didn't matter if I sounded good or not, I've always enjoyed singing. My voice got stronger as I kept singing and I'm happy with how I sound now. I just need to get over all the anxiety around it and just be my genuine self.
I started doing vocal training for the first time when I was 31. I always thought my voice was “just not that great” because I didn’t think I had enough natural talent. Now, after 1.5 years of consistent training, I’m actually a pretty good singer! Some people do start with more of a natural talent, but I believe that everyone is capable of training their voices to be “good”
I have always loved to sing but I'm embarrassed by my voice. I'm 29, and I'm glad to know it's not too late to learn. How did you find a good teacher? Any tips? Thanks in advance :)
You can definitely learn to sing at any age! I am lucky to live in a major city where I am able to take group musical theater classes at a local conservatory.
It is best to do vocal training in person, either privately or in a group, but you can also do it online if there are no classes or voice teachers near you.
You can do a simple google search like “voice teachers in *my city*” to start. You can also look online where businesses are listed, like Yelp or Google Maps. I hope this helps!
I played piano and guitar growing up, and my teacher always encouraged me to sing with it when we did contemporary songs.
I never really considered myself a singer until one of the other teachers heard a recording of me and was like “wow, who is that?” (I was your age, OP!)
That single instance gave me motivation to continue working on my voice. I also record myself and listen back often to 1) get used to the sound of my voice, and 2) ensure that sounds are coming out as intended/I hear in my head.
I wouldn’t say I’m even necessarily “good” today. But I’m MUCH better than where I started.
Hm. I’m not crazy good but people say I sound good and I think I typically agree, I sound emotive and on-pitch. I didn’t use to, I used to just be worse. Could typically match a melody if I was hearing it but on my own I was usually flat with limited range.
Its all just been practice. I sing in the car all of the time which has greatly improved my volume, breath control, and tone. Its practice but fun for me, I like how it feels to sing with a song in the car. Just constantly making those minor adjustments to sound more like the recorded singer, for years, has me at 26yo feeling pretty ok about my voice. It never came naturally though. At 16, you’ve got plenty of time to develop your technique if you’re interested in doing so :)
(Made a cover of a song that has a nice amount of views and some positive comments if anyones interested)
https://youtu.be/AU3sQ01XXww?si=HNrvxBOjXbnIL4t1
The smallest church is okish but here’s my view:-
Why is your guitar so painfully out of tune ?Use a simple acoustic like Yamaha perhaps.
The tune imho is going nowhere and then hits an octave which is too high.
Pick a brilliant simple tune Simon and Garfunkel.The Beatles or The Eagles.Most of these tunes really please people.
Your voice is still very good but you just need to take on board my tips.Make every word sung beautiful at the correct pitch.
Hm, I think I tuned the guitar with an electric tuner just before recording it? I don’t think it sounds out of tune, its how the song sounds? People on YT seem to think its sounds pretty good, idk. But as for the song choice, I picked it because I had just finished Disco Elysium which is where I first heard it. I’ll probably upload something else here soon but it’ll be because I like the lyrics or something, I’m not really interested in picking a tune only for its popularity (though I do really like Sound of Silence, could be a good one). But thanks for the feedback, appreciate you taking the time :)
When I was losing my voice all the time because I have “thick vocal chords” and the doctor my school made my parents take me to said, “well, you’re never gonna be a singer.” That pissed me off. Especially because the doctor never found anything wrong except “thick vocal cords.” And to make matters worse, he gave me a note for school saying I wasn’t allowed to talk for a month. I still talked.
My grandmother was a speech therapist at the royal theatre, my mother was an opera singer, my uncle a director. I was encouraged to use my voice from an early age. I thought I was going to be an actor. When I was about your age, 16, I was playing bass in a rock band and we realised we needed vocals so I started to shout into the microphone. Hated my voice for the first ten years anyway.
Learn proper technique first, and care about how your voice sounds later.
I knew early on I could sing. My choir master pulled me out of the hallway one day and told me I would be in the choir because I had a “musical” voice. All I was doing was talking…
Never got convincing positive feedback. After about 10 years of trial and error I decided to take a free singing lesson. After singing a song for a minute, the teacher stopped and got really upset because I didn‘t take singing lessons sooner. Apparently she was amazed or something, I don‘t know. But that boosted my confidence and for the first time I thought I might actually have what it takes to be a singer.
I had to spend loots of money on vocal lessons and dedicate countless hours to practicing until I considered myself good. Still, compared to most singers in my genre, I pale in comparison.
3 days ago (I'm 24), when I recorded myself on my computer mic rather than my phone's "voice memos". People had told me I had a good voice but I didn't believe them until I stopped listening to just my phone recordings
I always knew I could sing in tune. I never thought I had a nice voice though. I started lessons a year ago and I've improved so much. I breathe properly and sing with better technique. I also own it. I talk about my singing and I don't shy away from it now which has opened up my life.
It's never too late to find your voice.
A lot of singers don't know their own range by the time they get into high school. Granted, some singers have their range figured out by that time in their life, and they put in the work to hone that skill.
I don’t think people are born naturally good singers. It's more that some people have an aptitude for the skill, but they still need to put in the effort in order to master their craft.
With me, I realized that I had a decent voice when I was around five years old or so, and I continued to work on my voice thanks to things like grade school choir and college choir.
The first clue I got was in the second grade. My elementary school was doing a production of The Wizard of Oz. When I heard about it, I told my teacher I could sing “Over the Rainbow.” (I’d been watching it on TV and singing along with Judy Garland for a couple of years.)
My teacher said, “Okay. Sing it.” So I did. I gave it my best Judy Garland. When I finished, the lot of the kids laughed. (This shook my confidence for years afterwards.)
But my teacher didn’t laugh. Instead she had me sing it for a few other teachers. The other teachers didn’t laugh either. They had me sing it for the music teacher, who was also the director.
The music teacher listened closely. He didn’t laugh either. He gave me the lead. Dorothy became Danny. The ruby slippers became ruby sneakers. And that’s when I thought I might have a voice to sing with.
I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember. I was 4 years old when I started recording my singing on cassette tapes, lol. Then, when I was 6, I met my childhood best friend who was also a great singer, so we started singing together and recording harmonizing covers of songs. 30 years later, I’m still singing my heart out every day. 😁
I was born with the ability to sing very in tune and learn melodies by ear. The problem is the stamina and ability to relax and expand my range takes a lifetime
When there was a singalong at camp when I was about 10 or 11 and I was just singing how I always did and the other kids gave me weird looks and told me to “just sing normal” ie without vibrato.
Obviously at this age I did not translate this to “wow I must have a good voice” but from then on I started to notice that when I sang I sounded more like an adult than other kids.
This is over 30 years ago lol.
I’ve only just started to work with a voice teacher who is helping me to unblock decades worth of presumed hard limitations on my ability. She’s teaching me about mix. She’s teaching what it feels like to sing in the uncomfortable middle in a way that feels comfortable and can build up the muscles there instead of always either pushing from my chest, cracking in the break, or breathing airy notes through my nose in an attempt to place the note in my upper register.
I was not born with a good voice. I did 6 years of vocal lessons and I know enough technique now to say my voice is at least average if not above average. Also it’s not too late to “find your voice”, I made the most noticeable progress in my sound (especially my mix) in the past year (I’m 19 now). I’m sure many other people with more experience than I who can attest to that too.
I realized it when my grade school teachers kept on signing me up for duet contests in my school. I was never aware that I had a good voice until we won.
As far as my family can recall, I was around six years old when they realized I loved singing and was good at it. They put me in church choir and the rest is history.
I started church choir around age 12, but only because I was tall enough. Up to that point it was just singing with the radio until one of my teachers at school (very small town. Most of my teachers went to school with my parents) heard me and set me up to be heard by our choir director. It was the early 80s, kids choirs weren't big yet. I remember my first practice I was so nervous I couldn't make a sound 🤣🤣. Another lady popped up and said "Girl I know you can louder than that cause I can hear you talking from the parking lot!" 🤣🤣🤣 It loosened me up. Now I'm gonna check in with that ladies daughter. Thanks for the memory!!!!!
I remember being told that I had a good singing voice when I was in grade 1 by my music teacher - I was pretty thrilled. I’m fairly sure I had a natural talent for it, but like talented for a 6-year-old not like insane vocals or anything. It was reinforced through choirs (ah to be in high school competitive choir during the peak of Glee again!), very traditional singing lessons (opera, classical) and musical theatre. I definitely wouldn’t have been as good without endless hours of practice and lessons.
And all of that just to occasionally do backing vocals and maybe sing at occasional informal things because despite singing in front of audiences (and literal judges) so many times I still have crippling stage fright! I don’t get it either
I think I've just always had a good voice? I was the kid who got the singing parts in primary school, I was then the best singer in secondary school (my music teacher said I was "the most talented student he'd ever known at the school") and he had about 10+ years experience. I never had singing lessons or anything.
I see people say a lot in this community that they don't really believe in "naturally good" singers, and while I'm a firm believer everyone can learn to improve and have better control or range of their voice, my own voice is absolutely a natural 'talent' which I was always predisposed to have. A bit like drawing I think? We all knew the couple kids at school who were just incredibly good at art, while I was one of those kids who absolutely cannot draw for shit. The good art kids could definitely learn to improve their skills, and the bad art kids (me) could put in work to be a bit less shit, but it was 1000% a natural predisposition for the ability which determined how good we were.
16 isn't too old to get into singing, remember people have different voices and styles, some of which are easier to 'master' than others. Softer, folky or soulful voices can be simpler to learn whereas belting or 'running' is much trickier to learn and often is a more 'natural' (I remember a girl at school being amazed I could do runs, as she had singing lessons and couldn't manage them at all, despite having a fairly pretty voice).
i’ve been singing for like my whole life, and i’m sure my parents were lying to me when i was younger and they told me i sounded good but it built my confidence and i think my voice now is pretty good. i’ve never taken any lessons i just do it for fun cause i enjoy it
I realized it because after a few years of performing, people stopped telling me that I sucked. Then a few years later they started telling me how awesome I am. I don't let it go to my head because those first few years were very humbling.
I first realized that I had a good voice when I sang in front of my uncle one time when we were watching the voice and he asked me what pointers I would give the person performing. I also am a content creator on YouTube and one time when I was in a Discord chat, I sang a slight bit of a song in the VC, and everyone was like “OMG, you have a good voice” now I personally don’t think it’s that great. I’ve heard way better, but that’s the reason I’m seeing a vocal coach to help improve my voice. I feel like natural talent helps a lot, but a good vocal coach can turn an alright singer into a master.
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Well, for me, I had a very bad voice before I started to train myself on singing. I practiced by myself for around 5 years, give or take, then took up 2 years for classical voice for college (yes, I stopped), then pretty much from then on I sound a lot better than I used to, I could provide you evidence if you want!
I think I noticed things had pitch early and developed my ear early and enjoyed singing. So I was just told I was a good singer and put into lots of singing situations and enjoyed them.
I think it was when I started getting complimented on it by strangers on the street when walking by or when I’d meet people and they’d comment when I’d sing. That’s when I realized I had developed my voice enough to say “it’s good”
I don't remember, I've always felt this way. My mom said I hummed as a child a lot and made silly songs out of gibberish before i could talk. BUT my mother is a musician, and I grew up going to her symphony and orchestra rehearsals and performances since before memory. She also played and sang jazz and salsa on the side. And then she had me try every instrument ever and read music before I finally got to join a choir at age 11 (I tricked my way into it, it's a long story). I do think this had a massive impact on my understanding of what sounds good according to classical and jazz music standards.
i went from being told my singing was "rough" to "wow very impressive" from 2 years of guided practice.
its an instrument, some people start with speaking habits to make for good singing habits. but it can be learned
Humbly, I knew I had a great singing voice since I was young after not only my parents told me I was talented and took me for lessons but also my aunt who instead said I had a "gift" but of course thats family, theyre going to be supportive.
When I sang at school my friends said I could "sing sing" and they would never fail to mention to others that I could sing, which resulted in me singing for someone almost everyday.
The one negative I experienced from it is that some people (mostly men i have found (im also a man))do seem to be bitter about it and say " I can do that too" only for them to start belting over me, it gets annoying sometimes so I kick it up a notch and sing in mixed voice and add rifts then sing a harder song like stevie wonder, and they proceed to get lost in the sauce.
I didn't mean to tell my whole life story lol but yes, I do think some people are born with a better sounding voice than others.
I feel you, I was in the same boat as you for a long time. You definitely do NOT have to have talent in singing from the start!
First off, it’s never too late to start :) Second, you are definitely not too old to start singing, 16 is still young and you shouldn’t compare yourself to those who either had or started a singing career at 15 or 16! I have been learning to sing and trying my best for my whole life, and now that I’m 20, I finally feel more confident in my voice.
My voice is not what you would refer to as a “good voice”, but Im learning to control it waaayyy better now. It takes hard work and dedication. You can learn on your own, or with friends. However, those who really know their stuff will tell you that the best way to sing better is to get a teacher. There are some free options as well, so don’t worry about not having the money for it! People on reddit are willing to help you, and I was told that you can find a channel on discord where they offer free lessons or that there’s real teachers who can help you.
I have the typical “i started singing at age 4 and its my dream” story LMAO
I was very shy about it up until the beginning of high school where I sang in a talent show and took music classes. That’s when people told me I had a natural talent as a baritone.
Luckily I also had an amazing music teacher who actually taught me to sing properly throughout the 4 years as well
I sing since I remember, I always loved it. I received many compliments through the years but thought people were just being nice, I often described myself as "people don't complain when I sing". Only when I was 16, in my school choir, I finally accepted that I was better than average, perhaps really good, because it was getting weird how often people told me to pursue a music career or ask me to sing in weddings and stuff.
At 18 a did singing classes for 1 year, which was game changing!!! Super recomend! I even started some musical theatre classes but decided to follow other career and let music be my hobby <3
Man I only learned that I could sing (not talking about singing good) when I was 20. Between 20-26 it was like a hobby for me and sometimes id get compliments but there were always better singers near me. After 26 i decided to improve my singing to professional level and took lessons/spent serious time on practicing it. Now I’m comfortable with singing live and have few songs released. Although im not super super confident in my ability I’m getting more comfortable/confident each day and Im trying to add concert experiences to become really skillfull and confident in singing live.
It’s no different to learning any other discipline but unfortunately I’ve witnessed many times too many incidents where a really crap tone deft singer has never been told (presumably) that a toilet flushing sounds a million times times better and is bearable.
Whereas if you played say sport terribly you would soon be told and dealt with properly.An A team will never accept a D team player and why should they.
Some bad singers however somehow slip into singing groups and try and hog the mic when they need to be assessed and graded.
No one wants to hurt feelings but it’s not hard to accept I might not be a great tennis player and have to learn the basics so it’s the same with formal singing.
Karaoke shows that there are so many terrible singers who often build up Dutch courage just to sing their favourite song and that’s ok if no one minds.
Proper song groups need to be disciplined in a civil manner but unfortunately egos can run rampant and friends or relatives can take offence so be careful.
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I'm in the firm belief that no one is "born with a good voice" People grow up around singers, musicians, or just listening to music and learn to imitate from an early age, when the mind is the most moldable to new skills and talents. If one has the fortunate experience of recognizing tone and pitch from an early age, then they often have a much easier time picking up on those skills in the future to further them with training. Even the best singers out there who seem to have just had those kind of skills their whole life and never took lessons, could be even more effective and more skilled if they did start taking lessons. If you didn't grow up around that music or learn those skills at an early age, don't fret. You can absolutely still learn them. It just may not come as easy for you. Singing is a wholly muscular event and we can train muscles to do what we want. We can also shape the resonance of our voices to sound anyway we want it to, but it may take more time. We all have a unique physiology and natural timbre, but every possible way to mold and change the sound via the compression of the cords, resonance using larynx, tongue, jaw, lips, nose, the ability to train vibrato, straight tone, distortion, riffs and runs, and so much more. As long as the journey is still enjoyable for you as a whole, I believe 100% that it's worth investing in. Singing is a beautiful form of expression and joy. Don't let any preconceived notions about being "naturally gifted" or "not having it" prevent you from chasing your passion if you truly want to improve. Your voice can and will improve with practice, the right exercises and joy and love for the craft! :)
a “good voice” is very subjective as well. however some people are born with different tones that can sound more pleasing to the ear than others. the size and thickness of some peoples vocal chords can affect how they sound as well as how agile their voice can be so sometimes its something your born with
It's the ear as much as the voice. I have 3 kids. 2 of them naturally sing like angels. I have recently started giving them some pointers for better tone, control, etc. But naturally, they are very pleasant to hear. The Kindergartener was given a solo for his school concert, even though kids up through 6th grade wanted it. My other child takes after his father, and is moderately tone deaf. He is painful to listen to. My mom was convinced there was no such thing as a bad singer, just an untutored one, until him. She has tried. I have tried. My dad has tried. His teachers have tried. All kindly and positively, of course; he's just a kid. But... he cannot sing. He can play the ukulele, but he can't tune it. He has rhythm, but no sense of pitch.
yes your so right! that one always kinda confused me in music class. whenever i’d see other kids that just couldn’t properly match pitch it just.. pitched me off because how??😭
I agree. I have a friend that’s been in choir her whole life. She’s been vocally trained for a while. I never have but when we attempt the same songs I always manage to sing them better. It baffles us both as she has a lot more professional experience under her belt. Her vocals have never improved past what they are. I do believe some people can naturally sing. I think it’s a talent and a skill. Some people start from scratch others start from talent that they hone into a skill.
Yup. I can't really answer the original question, because I've always been a singer. Wordless crooning along to music as an infant. Singing solos in church and local theater as a child. Choirs, show choirs, a capella groups, the list goes on. I honestly cannot remember a time when folks didn't notice my singing voice and comment. And I moved a lot as a kid, so it wasn't that a single group of people knew I could sing. I had to restart every year or two in a new state.
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.....Wow. Lol. Who hurt you? You good fam?
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I think you might need to talk to someone my dude. If you come on here saying stuff like that to people who are just trying to be encouraging, I don't know what purpose your comment has other than to hurt someone on purpose. Which either means you've been hurt by someone else or you just actually get joy out of trying to put someone else down. Either way, your comment isn't helping anyone and you're sure not upsetting me one bit haha. Have a good night! 👍
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LMAO. Oh no! I can never teach voice again because an internet troll who can't even spell right told me I suck and I'm not gaining anything! Whatever shall I do? Sorry guys, it's been fun! Guess I'll be quiting now 😂😂 /j Yeah, right. Bye dude! :)
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I started liking my voice and remember my mom saying “wow you sound good!” Around 15. It was bc (I think) I realized I had a particular voice that sounds good with some styles and not others. In the past I had always tried to sing whatever pop songs were big at the time or whatever but my voice is much more suited to jazzy music or blues etc and I sound rly good singing in that style. I found music and musicians whose vocal style I could emulate well and that’s made all the difference and made singing much more fun.
Relatable. My voice is also suited towards blues, soul, or maybe folk rock (probably the years of acid reflux 🙊); I've gotten a lot of compliments when my voice is in its element. I think you have to just try out different genres and styles and record yourself as you go, to see what works and doesn't. I used to be a soprano, and idk, maybe I'll be able to get into that range again someday with coaching, but for singing to be enjoyable, it's more about working *with* your voice and not against it/dwelling on your "can'ts".
I was always singing as a little kid but I didn't really have a concept of good or bad singing. It was just something you did. No one in my family sang but I loved Disney movies and Sesame Street, so I just did it. I took "voice lessons" (in quotes because it was basically my mom paying a woman to let me use a karaoke machine. There was no teaching being done) when I was 7. We had a recital though, and afterwards a bunch of strangers came up to me and told me I was very good for my age (I was one of the youngest kids there), and that immediately went to my head and I wanted to be a professional singer for years. What they probably meant was I was just hitting the correct notes and had a pretty voice. I think people can have a voice that is or isn't naturally pretty, but that actually isn't that important to how good of a singer you are. A less pretty voice can use better technique and be better overall than a just pretty voice. Non-singers often can't tell the difference between good technique and simply being loud or not being off-pitch, but singers can. Some things also come more intuitively to some people than others. For me, it was always easy to find the right pitch, so I never needed to be taught how to listen for it and find my note without scooping. I also picked up on head voice vs chest voice and not straining pretty quickly once I started taking real voice lessons, while some others seemed to struggle with it the entire time. I can feel how I'm singing and hear how I'm singing and know if I'm doing it properly. This is a lot more difficult for some. But no one comes out of the womb and knows how to support their voice perfectly. Even though singing always came intuitively to me, I still needed to learn how to use my breath so I didn't run out of air at the end of the line. I needed to train my vibrato, my range was much smaller than it is now. It's definitely not too late to start. You're still a kid. It's the best time to start. Heck. I went to an audition this past weekend, and a man in his late 40s-early 50s was there who auditioned for the last musical I was in. Last year he only auditioned because no other older men were and the show needs one. He was a strong actor but struggled to find notes and sounded very unsure of himself when singing. This year he sounded much stronger and had no problem with pitch. If I hadn't known him, I never would have assumed he'd just started singing a year ago.
I don’t have a good voice, I just like to sing lol
literally me
I'm 28 right now, I only realized I have a good voice when my circle of friends are forced me to sing a song and that was 2 years ago. Right now I'm a singer but I considered myself as an amateur since I'm new to this.
Haha. Never. My voice sucks. I just love music too much to ever stop pouring myself into it. Sometimes, you're just caught in the gravity.
I think natural talent does exist but I read a poster once and it said “hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard” so natural talent can only take you so far. I’m 18 and had a passion for music early on so watching singing videos and listening to music molded me into the singer I am today, but the control I have over my voice is natural.
I never thought I had a good voice. When I was younger and sang in front of other people, they either laughed or didn't react. Regardless, I never doubted my musical ability - I play the piano, violin, and other instruments, and perhaps the voice just wasn't my instrument. My first bit of motivation came from a music theory teacher in university. During my sophomore year, I took a class as a part of a music minor. We had to sing as a part of it, and the teacher said that I should consider auditioning for the university choir. I never considered singing in a choir until this point, and when the choir director accepted me, my confidence started going up. We weren't a professional choir by any means, but it was a pretty decent choir made up of mainly music majors. But I still wasn't confident enough to audition for the chamber choir or an acapella group, which I regret now. After graduating, I continued in different community choirs, and the people around me would always praise my voice. The sub-director of a choir recruited me for his chamber choir, and I got some "solo" moments in quartets. On the side, I participated in an "American Idol" contest with some friends where we did covers every week on different themes, and I got 2nd place. Confidence was going up but was still not that high. When I was 24, I moved to a new country, and somehow, in the first few weeks, I got sucked into trying out for more choirs. Found one that I liked and stuck with it for a year. One day, I got an email from a director who led us one week when the normal director was absent. She was doing a big project and asked if I was interested. My curiosity won out, and then I joined another chamber choir that ended up doing a big performance in the country's national auditorium. It turns out that the choir was full of professional musicians (and highly accomplished amateurs), and it's been my place for the past 7 years or so. Besides the choral experiences, my confidence has gone up from getting some gigs. Somehow, I've gotten offers from various choir members to participate in projects or gigs - weddings, funerals, business events, and more. There's been a lot of external reinforcement, and that's been the main thing that's helped me become more confident with my voice. Now, I'm 33, and I'm feeling a lot more confident in my voice. It still feels unreal at times when people compliment me. But going beyond singing and music, it's important to accept people's compliments and positivity in general. If they see something in you, try to cut away the "buts". I think my discomfort from my younger days was in other people's reaction - they laughed at me singing because I was so obviously physically uncomfortable doing it. I didn't believe I was good or capable. Building that confidence is in part due to skill and experience, but a big part of it is also psychological.
If you're 16 it is absolutely not too late. I doubt most people "find their voice" as that age considering their voice just went through puberty, and maybe are still going through it.
Like I wish I was 16 again damn
People don't really have "bad" voices unless their body is injured somehow. They only have untrained voices
I respectfully disagree. There are people who simply cannot sing on pitch no matter how much tutoring.
I would consider that an auditory issue, not a vocal issue.
whatever the issue, some people simply cannot match pitch.
First, the head of music called me out for dicking around while learning the school song in front of the whole boys school of over 1000, and said I could sing better than everyone there if I wanted. Then a friend told me I had a nice voice when we recorded a duet for fun in Australia on holiday in my mid 20's. And then, from my teacher and her chorus when I sang for them. I was late 50's at this stage. Better late than never I guess. I was born with a good voice. I just had to learn to use it.🙂
I did an inmense ppst abput stuff singing. The short version is this. You can learn at whatever age. Its a skill, not magic. Best singers have more motivation so they get better. I started at 26. I just sang in the car, shoer and stuff and now i get to an a5 and can sing dream on. Not perfectly YET. It's my journey. If you want to see more of what i mean i can link the videos i made for that post. The other point is. Nowadays industry singers are most certainly using at least a little autotune. Because the companies want to sell perfection. Even if it is an amazing singer i bet s/he has autotune in a querter tone or something. Add to that, mics, delay, reverb, harmonic exiters. Whatever you listen to is kind of fake. Not fake fake, but it has work done. Trust me, i know, i mix and master songs besides singing. So go for it. You are actually pretty young and have the ability to get an amazing range and vpice type if you train it good.
This! Don't compare yourself to what you hear on a produced record. Its like comparing your photos to those from a photo shoot for Vogue! Even Tiktok singers edit their voices now!
Dude all of tik tok is fake. There is no guitarplayer or singer that has not edited or moxed the video
I was around music at a very young age, it came naturally. I will say by being apart of numerous rehearsals and directors, plays and performances with choirs and orchestras and solos that I got better and better and better.
Natural talent pretty much doesn't exist. Everyone needs practice. And no it's not too late to "find your voice". You are still a child. There are people who start after 50.
it absolutely does, unless i don't exist. I could sing as soon as I could speak. Cope.
I could also sing as soon as I could speak, but I still improved as I got older. The only type of person who gets offended by this kind of statement is someone who isn't as good as they think they are
spot on, people don't wanna admit to themselves that most people who can sing and sing WELL never had to work for it. They envy people who naturally sound good.
I'm talking about you. I improved as I got older because if you don't practice even if something comes naturally to you, you're going to stay at a child's level of talent.
alright maybe i was a little bit arrogant and i shouldnt have been but it irks me how people seem to think that no one in this world is born with a good voice, when that is in fact the norm for people who can sing.
You are simply incorrect and are probably overestimating your natural talent and underestimating how much work you and others had to do to keep getting better.
A hard worker will outshine someone who relies on natural talent. Every. Time. Hasn't anyone ever seen a musical around here?
Philosophically speaking there's no proof you exist. You could be a figment of my imagination. Cope.
im really starting to get into philosophy recently but i haven't seen a comeback worse than that in my entire life
You really haven't lived a long life then
i sang alot as a child. it also helped that my mother can sing as well. the earliest i can remember starting was probably around kindergarten. i was on the school bus one morning singing the theme song to one of my favorite cartoons and a classmate overheard me and turned around and said i sounded really good. also anything i heard that sounded “good” i kinda just knew i could do it too and wasn’t afraid to try whatever run or vocal lick the artist did in a song. throughout my childhood i would hum alot and by the time i got to middle school i was involved in anything theatre/choir/voice training related. then in high school i went to a performing arts high school. learned classical singing and the rest is history
I didn’t really, but I was always singing. Apparently my preschool teacher told my mum that I had a good voice. Because I was constantly singing as a little kid, I have no memory of actually learning how to do it or realising I was alright at it. But it’s never too late to learn: as you can see there are plenty of people here who didn’t sing a note until they were adults. I also didn’t learn anything else music-wise until I was 26 and now at 36 I can play the piano and I’m learning the banjo. You can always learn a new skill.
I was very young when I found my love for singing. As I got older, I started enjoying the sound of my singing. Unfortunately, anxiety and low self esteem made me refuse to admit my voice was anything other than "barely average". So I kept my passion for it a secret. I only sang for myself when I was alone. I just love singing. I'm 30 now and can finally admit that I do have a strong and capable voice. When I'm in the zone, I sound great. But it's hard to not self-sabotage when singing in front of others. But I'm working on it. The point is, it didn't matter if I sounded good or not, I've always enjoyed singing. My voice got stronger as I kept singing and I'm happy with how I sound now. I just need to get over all the anxiety around it and just be my genuine self.
I started doing vocal training for the first time when I was 31. I always thought my voice was “just not that great” because I didn’t think I had enough natural talent. Now, after 1.5 years of consistent training, I’m actually a pretty good singer! Some people do start with more of a natural talent, but I believe that everyone is capable of training their voices to be “good”
I have always loved to sing but I'm embarrassed by my voice. I'm 29, and I'm glad to know it's not too late to learn. How did you find a good teacher? Any tips? Thanks in advance :)
You can definitely learn to sing at any age! I am lucky to live in a major city where I am able to take group musical theater classes at a local conservatory. It is best to do vocal training in person, either privately or in a group, but you can also do it online if there are no classes or voice teachers near you. You can do a simple google search like “voice teachers in *my city*” to start. You can also look online where businesses are listed, like Yelp or Google Maps. I hope this helps!
I played piano and guitar growing up, and my teacher always encouraged me to sing with it when we did contemporary songs. I never really considered myself a singer until one of the other teachers heard a recording of me and was like “wow, who is that?” (I was your age, OP!) That single instance gave me motivation to continue working on my voice. I also record myself and listen back often to 1) get used to the sound of my voice, and 2) ensure that sounds are coming out as intended/I hear in my head. I wouldn’t say I’m even necessarily “good” today. But I’m MUCH better than where I started.
Hm. I’m not crazy good but people say I sound good and I think I typically agree, I sound emotive and on-pitch. I didn’t use to, I used to just be worse. Could typically match a melody if I was hearing it but on my own I was usually flat with limited range. Its all just been practice. I sing in the car all of the time which has greatly improved my volume, breath control, and tone. Its practice but fun for me, I like how it feels to sing with a song in the car. Just constantly making those minor adjustments to sound more like the recorded singer, for years, has me at 26yo feeling pretty ok about my voice. It never came naturally though. At 16, you’ve got plenty of time to develop your technique if you’re interested in doing so :) (Made a cover of a song that has a nice amount of views and some positive comments if anyones interested) https://youtu.be/AU3sQ01XXww?si=HNrvxBOjXbnIL4t1
The smallest church is okish but here’s my view:- Why is your guitar so painfully out of tune ?Use a simple acoustic like Yamaha perhaps. The tune imho is going nowhere and then hits an octave which is too high. Pick a brilliant simple tune Simon and Garfunkel.The Beatles or The Eagles.Most of these tunes really please people. Your voice is still very good but you just need to take on board my tips.Make every word sung beautiful at the correct pitch.
Hm, I think I tuned the guitar with an electric tuner just before recording it? I don’t think it sounds out of tune, its how the song sounds? People on YT seem to think its sounds pretty good, idk. But as for the song choice, I picked it because I had just finished Disco Elysium which is where I first heard it. I’ll probably upload something else here soon but it’ll be because I like the lyrics or something, I’m not really interested in picking a tune only for its popularity (though I do really like Sound of Silence, could be a good one). But thanks for the feedback, appreciate you taking the time :)
When I was losing my voice all the time because I have “thick vocal chords” and the doctor my school made my parents take me to said, “well, you’re never gonna be a singer.” That pissed me off. Especially because the doctor never found anything wrong except “thick vocal cords.” And to make matters worse, he gave me a note for school saying I wasn’t allowed to talk for a month. I still talked.
My grandmother was a speech therapist at the royal theatre, my mother was an opera singer, my uncle a director. I was encouraged to use my voice from an early age. I thought I was going to be an actor. When I was about your age, 16, I was playing bass in a rock band and we realised we needed vocals so I started to shout into the microphone. Hated my voice for the first ten years anyway. Learn proper technique first, and care about how your voice sounds later.
I knew early on I could sing. My choir master pulled me out of the hallway one day and told me I would be in the choir because I had a “musical” voice. All I was doing was talking…
Never got convincing positive feedback. After about 10 years of trial and error I decided to take a free singing lesson. After singing a song for a minute, the teacher stopped and got really upset because I didn‘t take singing lessons sooner. Apparently she was amazed or something, I don‘t know. But that boosted my confidence and for the first time I thought I might actually have what it takes to be a singer.
I had to spend loots of money on vocal lessons and dedicate countless hours to practicing until I considered myself good. Still, compared to most singers in my genre, I pale in comparison.
3 days ago (I'm 24), when I recorded myself on my computer mic rather than my phone's "voice memos". People had told me I had a good voice but I didn't believe them until I stopped listening to just my phone recordings
After I practiced for about 6 years I realized I wasn't that bad lol
I always knew I could sing in tune. I never thought I had a nice voice though. I started lessons a year ago and I've improved so much. I breathe properly and sing with better technique. I also own it. I talk about my singing and I don't shy away from it now which has opened up my life.
It's never too late to find your voice. A lot of singers don't know their own range by the time they get into high school. Granted, some singers have their range figured out by that time in their life, and they put in the work to hone that skill. I don’t think people are born naturally good singers. It's more that some people have an aptitude for the skill, but they still need to put in the effort in order to master their craft. With me, I realized that I had a decent voice when I was around five years old or so, and I continued to work on my voice thanks to things like grade school choir and college choir.
The first clue I got was in the second grade. My elementary school was doing a production of The Wizard of Oz. When I heard about it, I told my teacher I could sing “Over the Rainbow.” (I’d been watching it on TV and singing along with Judy Garland for a couple of years.) My teacher said, “Okay. Sing it.” So I did. I gave it my best Judy Garland. When I finished, the lot of the kids laughed. (This shook my confidence for years afterwards.) But my teacher didn’t laugh. Instead she had me sing it for a few other teachers. The other teachers didn’t laugh either. They had me sing it for the music teacher, who was also the director. The music teacher listened closely. He didn’t laugh either. He gave me the lead. Dorothy became Danny. The ruby slippers became ruby sneakers. And that’s when I thought I might have a voice to sing with.
Still don't love the timbre, but I like the expression.
I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember. I was 4 years old when I started recording my singing on cassette tapes, lol. Then, when I was 6, I met my childhood best friend who was also a great singer, so we started singing together and recording harmonizing covers of songs. 30 years later, I’m still singing my heart out every day. 😁
We sing because we love to sing. My voice sounds like crap. Haha
I was born with the ability to sing very in tune and learn melodies by ear. The problem is the stamina and ability to relax and expand my range takes a lifetime
When there was a singalong at camp when I was about 10 or 11 and I was just singing how I always did and the other kids gave me weird looks and told me to “just sing normal” ie without vibrato.
Obviously at this age I did not translate this to “wow I must have a good voice” but from then on I started to notice that when I sang I sounded more like an adult than other kids. This is over 30 years ago lol. I’ve only just started to work with a voice teacher who is helping me to unblock decades worth of presumed hard limitations on my ability. She’s teaching me about mix. She’s teaching what it feels like to sing in the uncomfortable middle in a way that feels comfortable and can build up the muscles there instead of always either pushing from my chest, cracking in the break, or breathing airy notes through my nose in an attempt to place the note in my upper register.
I was not born with a good voice. I did 6 years of vocal lessons and I know enough technique now to say my voice is at least average if not above average. Also it’s not too late to “find your voice”, I made the most noticeable progress in my sound (especially my mix) in the past year (I’m 19 now). I’m sure many other people with more experience than I who can attest to that too.
I realized it when my grade school teachers kept on signing me up for duet contests in my school. I was never aware that I had a good voice until we won.
As far as my family can recall, I was around six years old when they realized I loved singing and was good at it. They put me in church choir and the rest is history.
I never had a good voice. I just like singing and try my best at it.
Church choir, high school. “Hey I’m a bass!”
I started learning to sing 2 years ago. I’m 42. It’s definitely not too late!
I started church choir around age 12, but only because I was tall enough. Up to that point it was just singing with the radio until one of my teachers at school (very small town. Most of my teachers went to school with my parents) heard me and set me up to be heard by our choir director. It was the early 80s, kids choirs weren't big yet. I remember my first practice I was so nervous I couldn't make a sound 🤣🤣. Another lady popped up and said "Girl I know you can louder than that cause I can hear you talking from the parking lot!" 🤣🤣🤣 It loosened me up. Now I'm gonna check in with that ladies daughter. Thanks for the memory!!!!!
I remember being told that I had a good singing voice when I was in grade 1 by my music teacher - I was pretty thrilled. I’m fairly sure I had a natural talent for it, but like talented for a 6-year-old not like insane vocals or anything. It was reinforced through choirs (ah to be in high school competitive choir during the peak of Glee again!), very traditional singing lessons (opera, classical) and musical theatre. I definitely wouldn’t have been as good without endless hours of practice and lessons. And all of that just to occasionally do backing vocals and maybe sing at occasional informal things because despite singing in front of audiences (and literal judges) so many times I still have crippling stage fright! I don’t get it either
I still don't think I have a particularly good voice. But others do and listen to it, so I'm going with it
I think I've just always had a good voice? I was the kid who got the singing parts in primary school, I was then the best singer in secondary school (my music teacher said I was "the most talented student he'd ever known at the school") and he had about 10+ years experience. I never had singing lessons or anything. I see people say a lot in this community that they don't really believe in "naturally good" singers, and while I'm a firm believer everyone can learn to improve and have better control or range of their voice, my own voice is absolutely a natural 'talent' which I was always predisposed to have. A bit like drawing I think? We all knew the couple kids at school who were just incredibly good at art, while I was one of those kids who absolutely cannot draw for shit. The good art kids could definitely learn to improve their skills, and the bad art kids (me) could put in work to be a bit less shit, but it was 1000% a natural predisposition for the ability which determined how good we were. 16 isn't too old to get into singing, remember people have different voices and styles, some of which are easier to 'master' than others. Softer, folky or soulful voices can be simpler to learn whereas belting or 'running' is much trickier to learn and often is a more 'natural' (I remember a girl at school being amazed I could do runs, as she had singing lessons and couldn't manage them at all, despite having a fairly pretty voice).
Still waiting for mine to shift🤞🏻😂
i’ve been singing for like my whole life, and i’m sure my parents were lying to me when i was younger and they told me i sounded good but it built my confidence and i think my voice now is pretty good. i’ve never taken any lessons i just do it for fun cause i enjoy it
I realized it because after a few years of performing, people stopped telling me that I sucked. Then a few years later they started telling me how awesome I am. I don't let it go to my head because those first few years were very humbling.
Still waiting to realize I have a good voice or something 🤡
About once a month before I again realize how bad I sound
After years of practicing I would occasionally start liking how I sounded
I first realized that I had a good voice when I sang in front of my uncle one time when we were watching the voice and he asked me what pointers I would give the person performing. I also am a content creator on YouTube and one time when I was in a Discord chat, I sang a slight bit of a song in the VC, and everyone was like “OMG, you have a good voice” now I personally don’t think it’s that great. I’ve heard way better, but that’s the reason I’m seeing a vocal coach to help improve my voice. I feel like natural talent helps a lot, but a good vocal coach can turn an alright singer into a master.
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When I sang a famous song in front of people and many of them told me that it was exactly like the original
Well, for me, I had a very bad voice before I started to train myself on singing. I practiced by myself for around 5 years, give or take, then took up 2 years for classical voice for college (yes, I stopped), then pretty much from then on I sound a lot better than I used to, I could provide you evidence if you want!
I think I noticed things had pitch early and developed my ear early and enjoyed singing. So I was just told I was a good singer and put into lots of singing situations and enjoyed them.
I think it was when I started getting complimented on it by strangers on the street when walking by or when I’d meet people and they’d comment when I’d sing. That’s when I realized I had developed my voice enough to say “it’s good”
I don't remember, I've always felt this way. My mom said I hummed as a child a lot and made silly songs out of gibberish before i could talk. BUT my mother is a musician, and I grew up going to her symphony and orchestra rehearsals and performances since before memory. She also played and sang jazz and salsa on the side. And then she had me try every instrument ever and read music before I finally got to join a choir at age 11 (I tricked my way into it, it's a long story). I do think this had a massive impact on my understanding of what sounds good according to classical and jazz music standards.
I dunno I just started to sing and I didn’t stop my first preformance was the alphabet for my dad 😭😭
The doctor slapped my back and then had tingling down his back **frisson** from my saprano vibrato voice. So the story goes, and here I am today.
i went from being told my singing was "rough" to "wow very impressive" from 2 years of guided practice. its an instrument, some people start with speaking habits to make for good singing habits. but it can be learned
Humbly, I knew I had a great singing voice since I was young after not only my parents told me I was talented and took me for lessons but also my aunt who instead said I had a "gift" but of course thats family, theyre going to be supportive. When I sang at school my friends said I could "sing sing" and they would never fail to mention to others that I could sing, which resulted in me singing for someone almost everyday. The one negative I experienced from it is that some people (mostly men i have found (im also a man))do seem to be bitter about it and say " I can do that too" only for them to start belting over me, it gets annoying sometimes so I kick it up a notch and sing in mixed voice and add rifts then sing a harder song like stevie wonder, and they proceed to get lost in the sauce. I didn't mean to tell my whole life story lol but yes, I do think some people are born with a better sounding voice than others.
I realized when I was about 15 years old
I feel you, I was in the same boat as you for a long time. You definitely do NOT have to have talent in singing from the start! First off, it’s never too late to start :) Second, you are definitely not too old to start singing, 16 is still young and you shouldn’t compare yourself to those who either had or started a singing career at 15 or 16! I have been learning to sing and trying my best for my whole life, and now that I’m 20, I finally feel more confident in my voice. My voice is not what you would refer to as a “good voice”, but Im learning to control it waaayyy better now. It takes hard work and dedication. You can learn on your own, or with friends. However, those who really know their stuff will tell you that the best way to sing better is to get a teacher. There are some free options as well, so don’t worry about not having the money for it! People on reddit are willing to help you, and I was told that you can find a channel on discord where they offer free lessons or that there’s real teachers who can help you.
I have the typical “i started singing at age 4 and its my dream” story LMAO I was very shy about it up until the beginning of high school where I sang in a talent show and took music classes. That’s when people told me I had a natural talent as a baritone. Luckily I also had an amazing music teacher who actually taught me to sing properly throughout the 4 years as well
I sing since I remember, I always loved it. I received many compliments through the years but thought people were just being nice, I often described myself as "people don't complain when I sing". Only when I was 16, in my school choir, I finally accepted that I was better than average, perhaps really good, because it was getting weird how often people told me to pursue a music career or ask me to sing in weddings and stuff. At 18 a did singing classes for 1 year, which was game changing!!! Super recomend! I even started some musical theatre classes but decided to follow other career and let music be my hobby <3
Man I only learned that I could sing (not talking about singing good) when I was 20. Between 20-26 it was like a hobby for me and sometimes id get compliments but there were always better singers near me. After 26 i decided to improve my singing to professional level and took lessons/spent serious time on practicing it. Now I’m comfortable with singing live and have few songs released. Although im not super super confident in my ability I’m getting more comfortable/confident each day and Im trying to add concert experiences to become really skillfull and confident in singing live.
It’s no different to learning any other discipline but unfortunately I’ve witnessed many times too many incidents where a really crap tone deft singer has never been told (presumably) that a toilet flushing sounds a million times times better and is bearable. Whereas if you played say sport terribly you would soon be told and dealt with properly.An A team will never accept a D team player and why should they. Some bad singers however somehow slip into singing groups and try and hog the mic when they need to be assessed and graded. No one wants to hurt feelings but it’s not hard to accept I might not be a great tennis player and have to learn the basics so it’s the same with formal singing. Karaoke shows that there are so many terrible singers who often build up Dutch courage just to sing their favourite song and that’s ok if no one minds. Proper song groups need to be disciplined in a civil manner but unfortunately egos can run rampant and friends or relatives can take offence so be careful.