To become an exceptional singer is a process. This process of becoming is a tedious but interesting one and the duration of outcome varies with personality.

People ask the question, how do I improve my singing voice? 

Well, we listen to songs and various singers that we sometimes have as favourite and want to sound like them. The becoming has a lot of work and effort attached to it.

There are times I have a picture of what I want to sound like in my head and then I sing but alas on listening to my recording, I realize I’ve committed a VOCALIZING BLUNDER (if there’s anything like that) and I’m like “WHAT IS THIS?”

You might have also experienced such at a time or the other and you try again and again but something’s not just right. At times, we get it right and that’s why I had to put some few things together in this article.

We all have various reasons for desiring a beautiful voice. Some desire it for the fun of it (as a hobby). I mean, who wants to sound horrible anytime he or she tries to make sound and words in a rhythmical manner? What if the person happens to be your fiancee? (How embarrassing). Let’s take a look at these;

ACQUIRED SKILLS (Skill) AND INHERENT SKILLS (Talent)

Acquired skill is also known as skill while inherent skill can also be known as talent.

TALENT

Refers to a marked natural ability or skill. It is an inherent ability of a person to do something without actually learning and acquiring it. Talent is inborn and is mostly hidden.  Therefore, it requires discovery.

Talent is possessed by few people only. Guiding one on the use of talent requires COACHING.

SKILL

Skill is the expertise to do a particular task efficiently. It is a learnt ability, and it can be developed in someone if he/she put his time and efforts in it. The efforts need to be voluntary, systematic and consistent, to acquire a skill and satisfactorily undertake various tasks and activities. Anyone can possess it through learning.

It can be possessed by anybody , but it requires lots of hard work, time and other resources of the person to develop it.

Guiding one on its use requires TRAINING. Unlike talent that is about discovery, skill is about DEVELOPMENT. 

Skill enables you to perform a task efficiently. As there are no criteria for acquiring skills, it can be practiced by any person, but it requires lots of hard work, time and other resources of the person to develop it.

Both skills have to be developed known as SKILL DEVELOPMENT.

I read a writeup that said skills development is the process of (1) identifying your skill gaps, and (2) developing and honing these skills. This is actually very important. Whether it is natural or acquired, DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS.

Now that you know you can acquire skill or talented, I believe it is such a relief. I was actually driving at a point that, even if you feel you’re not talented in singing but you love it- You love to have a beautiful voice, singing techniques etc, you can acquire it.

It is up to you to work hard for your passion. Whether acquired or inherent, the result is what matters and there might not be much difference in the result. We’ve heard stories of people that were bad at a thing before and due to persistent hardworking, they became an icon in that field. If they can do it, YOU CAN DO IT!

THE A – Z OF AN EXCEPTIONAL SINGER

Let’s look at the A – Z of how to become an exceptional singer;

A – AVAILABILITY: You want to develop your skills and you move up and down like chicken without being available for training. There should be time allocated for skill development. Without that, then you’re not ready. Do not also hesitate to pay rapt attention while learning for maximum benefit.

B – BELIEF: Some people don’t believe in themselves and this can go a long way into affecting their development process. It is mostly due to the fact that we look at successful people in this field and feel it is impossible or will take a decade to get there. We forget that they all started somewhere. It took lots of hardwork, patience, persistence for them to attain that level.

If you put in the right effort, you’ll get there. BELIEVE IN YOUR SELF AND WORK ON YOURSELF.

 C – CONFIDENCE AND CHARISMA: I haven’t seen an exceptional singer that lacks this quality. It’s a must. Even if you’re sure that you’re about to rant rubbish, BE CONFIDENT ABOUT IT. You can’t be confident if you don’t believe in yourself. Being confident and charismatic is way of packaging your song. If you have a bad packaging, you’ll loose your audience. Being charismatic helps to attract people’s attention.

D – DISCIPLINE: Self denial is very important. As you begin to learn the do’s and dont’s of a good vocalist, you discover that there are some habits to abstain from in terms of diet, use of the voice and so on RECOGNIZE THEM AND CORRECT THEM. Without discipline, it might seem as such an impossible task. I told one of my students that he might need to abstain from milk because it can trigger mucus formation which is not good for the voice and, he was like “ARGH”. There’s actually a price to pay on this journey.

 E – ENDURANCE: In order not to gasp for breath like someone struggling for life after hours of singing, you need to work on your endurance. Most especially classical pieces that may be very lengthy, some up to three pages. Working on endurance makes you dynamic and exceptional and takes practice. Although, some have this natural ability. Some singers loose their voice after using it for a while which is not good for a dynamic singer.

F – FLEXIBILITY: You should be able to adjust to several styles and methods of singing, having your audience in mind. SING FOR THE STYLE.  Don’t be uptight about just one style or way. You might need to try new things at times although you should be careful about still maintaining your unique voice. Know the kind of music that fits into different environment.

G – GOAL: With a goal in mind, success is sure because you know what you want. Don’t move randomly. You are not a molecule. Have a goal and work towards it. Know what you want. Your goal may be to sing like a particular person, in a particular way etc. Just have at least one.

H – HUMILITY: Some people would have been at the peak of their profession but blew up their opportunity through pride. Pride comes before a fall. You must be humble. Don’t act like you know it all irrespective of your reputation. There are people who know more than you. Be humble enough to learn from them. That single quality might make you the most preferred even if you’re not the best.

I – INVESTMENT: If You refuse to get materials, watch videos, read books, and so on, how do you get the right information that will help you? Yet you’re lamenting about not improving. I’ll advice you to get a bundle of tissue because the tears will not dry unless God’s intervention (lol). There is a wealth of insights advice and tactics you have not even thought of embedded in those materials. Sometimes, all you need is a coach but you have to pay. Sometimes, you need to read but you have to purchase the books because some are not free. INVEST SO AS TO REAP THE HARVEST FOR WHAT YOU SOW, YOU SHALL REAP.

Watch out for part 2 of how to become an exceptional singer…