Lesson 1: What Aspects of Your Voice Can You Improve Through Training?

Permanent Vocal Traits

Trainable Vocal Traits

Physical Attributes

Not everyone is built to be a belter. The size of your chest cavity, your lung capacity, and the size/strength of your diaphragm are physical attributes that contribute to the amount of air you can hold and control at one time. I'm short, but I have inherited a large rip cage and lung capacity from my father. This allows me to carry considerably more power than I seem to be capable of.

Physical Well-Being

No, you can't change the size of your rib cage. But it IS possible to expand your lung capacity and abdominal muscle strength to a small extent through lots of cardiovascular exercise. You can also help out your lungs by breathing clean air and not smoking. Smoking coats your lungs with tar and filth and decreases their cavity size, which inhibits your power and makes you prone to coughing fits which may also cause damage to your throat.

Your Vocal Cords

Not everyone's vocal cords are the same. Some are short and fat (low voices) and some are long and skinny (high voices). You can't change the shape of your vocal cords. That's why you see very few women singing bass, and very few men singing soprano. Our vocal cords are shaped differently. Believe it or not, some people find this hard to accept.

Note-for-Note Range

Through hard work and dedication, it is possible to improve your range -- gradually. The voice tends to work in plateaus..... You may find that in two months your range improves significantly, but then won't improve at all for another year (or more!). Don't expect to add an octave to your repertoire, but you might be able to stretch it enough to hit the high (or low) note in that song you've been dying to learn. The key to improving range is consistency and goal setting. Practice lots!

Vocal Talent

Either you've got it or you don't. Talent just isn't something you can learn. But remember that talent comes in many forms. One person might excel in jazz, another rock, and another show tunes. One person might have an amazing range and control, but another might have a much better stage presence, even if their actual voice isn't as strong. Don't judge yourself against other people, judge yourself by the amount of enjoyment you bring to the audience, and how you improve yourself over time. That's the whole point!

Vocal Skill

Talent is nothing without skill. You can have all the talent in the world, but if you don't have the skills to back it up then you have "raw talent." The basic definition of raw talent is commendable natural ability that is not marketable. By not marketable I mean that you can't build a career on it. Someone with a little bit of talent but considerable training and professionalism is much more likely to succeed than the "diamond in the rough" who hasn't learned the technique. It doesn't matter what kind of music you are interested in. if you are serious about singing, take lessons in technique and learn your theory.