While some factors are genetic, Rutkowski says that growing up in a musical environment strongly influences whether someone sings well and confidently. Starting to Sing is an audio-enhanced e-book that is different from all the “singing for beginners” material out there. It doesn't mean you can already sing in tune or have control over your voice. Instead, it starts from the basics and takes you step by step to learn to control your voice and sing with precision and reliability.
In more than 100 pages and with dozens of audio examples, Starting to Sing shows you how to break each of the 5 barriers and quickly become a capable and confident singer. Getting started singing is for beginning singers who are looking for a fairly comprehensive overview of all aspects of developing a pleasant singing voice. Learning to sing is not the same as talking, but self-taught singers can learn a lot from the mechanics of speech. Think about the difference between talking in front of a crowd and having a quiet conversation between two people.
When you're talking, you don't need to project your voice to be heard. However, when you speak on behalf of a crowd, you project your voice. It's a lot like yoga or self-disciplined sports. You always have to develop patience, inner mental strength, breathing technique through listening to yourself, feeling yourself, and a good vocalist, because you have to approach all that even with a mentor.
I highly recommend Berklee Vocal for Performance with Donna McElroy DVD, and then some practice, and then some silence, and then some listening, and rinsing and repeating. While learning to sing can be an enjoyable activity, being a self-taught singer isn't without its dangers. This is because it's hard to tell if you're singing correctly with your chest or head voice on your own. If you are a person who tries to sing well but always ends up missing the pitch, listening to someone without professional training do it effortlessly will play tricks with your mind.
Pick a comfortable note at the bottom of your range (try C3 for boys and G3 for girls) and then sing and hold an “ee” vowel (like “eat”) on that note. Sing this word in your low, chested voice, and rise to the highest, above your voice and back down. To practice singing songs, a useful tip is that if there is a particular lyrics or part of the song that you can't understand, you can substitute each word with a single word and practice singing the lyrics that way to help you. In the same way that you naturally speak out loud and announce to be heard, you can naturally project your voice when singing.
Then, find a comfortable note at the bottom of your voice (try C3 for boys and G3 for girls) and sing the word “Gug” on that note with the same force you were speaking it with. And while you may not think that singing is a physical exercise, it's important to remember that the physical structures involved in singing can be injured. If your singing voice has been criticized and left you reluctant or afraid to sing, this is the barrier that prevents you from learning to sing. The surprising thing is that singing a little louder will give you a much better base for singing across your entire range.
After having taught more than 500 students, I can tell you that, no matter who you are, you can learn to sing in the field.
