hi,

I can't sing a note, Never could, Always out of tune.

I want to know if it is possible to train my voice or learn to sing proper, I want to sing proper so bad.

Please tell me it is possible to change a bad voice...

I want to sing proper so much...

[This message has been edited by Rebel (edited 01-08-2005).]

I just wondering if there is a surgical operation I can have done to my voice box that would help???

I never could stand the sound of my voice, and I really struggled to stay on key. I used to practice at home and record myself and then couldn't stand to listen to it.
Then I bought an Echoplex (this was mid-70's).
I discovered e.q. and turned all the bass up and all the highs down. The result was that it was nearly unintelligible. Still, for some reason it gave me some confidence.
A girl that used to sing with me kept encouraging me to sing. She said she liked my voice. Gradually I began gaining confidence and started being able to stand the sound of my voice.
I remember buying a new Peavey p.a. that the band used. I was really proud of it. One night another musicican came in and I asked him what it sounded like. He said "way too much bass and no highs". So I changed the e.q. Everybody started saying how much better it sounded, so, despite my own ears, I trusted them and went to the old "v" curve on my voice.
Anyway, gradually, over the years I became known as a singer--the last thing I ever expected to be. Still, you couldn't get me to sing without some reverb and a little e.q. enhancement. It's a security blanket I suppose.
Take encouragement. If you really want to sing, you can. Play the melody line with your right hand while singing it. It gets easier as you go. Don't worry about the "quality" of your voice. There are many great artists whose voices don't match the accepted norm of singers. Think Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Rod Stewart, Don Mason and many more.
Just some personal experiences.
DonM

I must echo what Don M says here, even though I am surprised that he was ever uncertain about his vocal talent. (The man can really sing!)

When I first started writing songs I had no option but to record them myself if I wanted them to be heard. I HATED my voice and when listening to it recorded I would cringe with embarrasment.

It took a massive amount of willpower to actually post a song on here even though I had known people here for years. Like Don says a smidgin of reverb and a bit of eq go a long long way.

The more I recorded and listened to my own voice, the more confident I got and now I don't think twice before posting a song. I still wish I could sing like some of the guys on here and whilst I will never be totally happy with my voice I am learning to make what I have sound the best that it can.

Most of all I enjoy doing it! It really does not matter that I may not sound like Don or Donny, Scott or Dave or numerous others I can mention. I sound like me!! Accept what you have and work with that!

When I sit here on my own and play, warbling away to myself, I am having the best time.

So... a little confidence, a little reverb, tweak the eq and just ENJOY it. You will be amazed what you can do.

Remember, some of the best (hairs on the back of your neck) entertainers are not the most technically perfect singers. Billie Holiday, Liza, to name but two are prime examples of What Donny was saying about singing coming from the soul. It makes a world of difference.

Best wishes to you
Tony

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Yes it is possible to change your voice. But not surgically. First of all, learn breathing technique. Human beings do not have to learn to breathe to survive. Breathing to produce a musical sound is a different matter. Yoga can help here, and ultimately you will need a voice teacher. Your voice will change when you develop the ability to support it with proper breathing and to control the various resonaces of your chest, throat and head.

You will also have to learn solfeggion in order to sing on pitch. A coach can help you here too.

Check at your local community college to see what classes are available. You may be able to find a church or community choir that is willing to take you on.

The reason I know that these methods work is that once I was one of those terrible-sounding, can't-carry-a-tune people. Now I get paid to sing. Today, in fact. Gotta go.

Douglas Wolfe

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A year or so ago I was listening to one of Don’s song from his website. My mother was up for a visit and she heard the recording. I now owe her a vacation to Louisiana.

A week ago I heard Tony sing “Daddy Please Don’t Cry” an absolutely beautiful rendering.

Now today I see both of them giving heart felt advice and encouragement.

Rebel, you are at the right place at the right time. Don’t you dare give up on singing or playing.

Just look at the two men I mentioned above. Clearly from their words you can see they are at peace with their music and with themselves. And that is more than enough reason to keep on keeping on with your music.

Someday Rebel that heart felt advice and encouragement may be coming from you to help another. Music can do that to you.

Floyd

I used to try to sing, but I was never very good at it... same thing as what others have said: terrible tone, always off key, and mostly I was surrounded by better singers. So I focused on what I can do best which is play keyboards. I wound up playing behind a lot of singers but eventually I decided to go solo and play instrumental music only. It has turned out to be a much better situation than any of my former gigs with singers. So the moral of the story is to focus on your musical strengths and develop good business and interpersonal skills.

By the way, I DO know a guy who had surgery on his nose, and it definitely changed his voice for the better. I'm not certain of the procedure. He has since moved to Texas and I don't see him anymore.
DonM

DonM you forgot to list me... BTW I knew a fella that couldn't sing..he had a sex change operation and now she is a good singer...

Fran, that's an interesting one. I can relate with a friend of mine to your story. The guy had a terrible (male singing voice), but what was so odd is that he could change his pitch to sound like a woman and WHAM the boy had pipes!!!!!! He had to sing falsetto (if I spelled that right). All he needed was a wig and a dress, and vegas would have been his

Squeak