If someone can sing, do they have a better chance of being able to teach me?!
Question: Like, my dad can has been singing his whole life, and was in a band that almost made it(one of the members died before the album) and I can't really get taught from anyone else, so do you think he could teach me? idk if he's ever had formal instruction or anything, so does that mean i risk picking up bad habits or anything from him if I do ask and he teaches me? I want to sing really bad, but i don't want to screw up my chances by just learning from my dad.
Answers: Like, my dad can has been singing his whole life, and was in a band that almost made it(one of the members died before the album) and I can't really get taught from anyone else, so do you think he could teach me? idk if he's ever had formal instruction or anything, so does that mean i risk picking up bad habits or anything from him if I do ask and he teaches me? I want to sing really bad, but i don't want to screw up my chances by just learning from my dad.
You are very wise for concerns. There is a misconception that if a person can sing, they automatically are able to teach others to sing. This is so not true. I once heard an opera singer /teacher well into her 50's after having a pretty good career tell me she has worked with many great singers who cannot teach. Some singers just aren't good with being able to relay information to another. Teaching should be considered a skill just like singing.
How singing feels to you may not be how it feels to me. We all have different body structures and different voice types. There are different vocal approaches for different singers. This is why one who wants to teach should be trained through an education facility to not only understand the basis concepts of singing (diaphragmatic breathing, posture, etc), but how different vocal problems affect different people. I had to learn outside of my own experiences how other's function vocally. I couldn't depend on my own experience to teach others, unless we were the same voice pairing. I could possibly teach you a technique that doesn't work for you, and in essence cause you to backtrack your progress. For example, an answer about said something about lifting your soft palate. Yes, this might work for some singers, but some will be prone to lift the palate too much depending on one's anatomy. That technique does NOT work for all singers. It didn't work for me, because it didn't take any effort on my part to lift my soft palate. I got with the wrong teacher and started lifting my palate too high. This is an example of taking advice that doesn't cater to YOU. Also, warming up and breathing correctly is great, but you could still have vocal damage by incorrect technique outside of those two things. This is not a 99% way to keep you from vocal damage. Singing involves so much more than that. You could be singing wrong material, you could be using the wrong technique for your voice catagory, you could be sick and straining over recovery. The vocal chords are sensitive and it takes more than those two things to keep from staying vocally healthy. Even opera singers who depend on those two things can find themselves with vocal damage. I would look into seeing a professional, unless you know your dad understands how your instrument works.
Also, parenting can get in the way of teaching. I tried to teach my son piano, and he had a horrible time. He wasn't bad at it, but because it was "mommy" he was quick to either overachieve, would get overemotional when he didn't get it right, and lost patience. Too often with children of musicians, they get more frustrated when they can't immediately sound or play as "good" as momma or daddy. They lose patience quickly. And sometimes the same is true for momma and daddy. We think our children should "catch on" quicker than our own students, because our kids are more exposed to our art. Sometimes it is a conflict of interest. Now that my son is older and had different training with another teacher, he has an open view of how the music process works. Now I can teach him freely. However, many of my friends who teach had the same experience with their own children.
I don't know your relationship with your father, but even if you have a great relationship...it might cause a little tension between the two of you. I would suggest getting tips from your father (letting dad aid or listen to you and get his opinion when you need it), but train with someone else. That way, dad can feel like he is being used by you for singing help, but with the meaty things that can be difficult (all voice students go through it). he will not have to bear total responsibility. That way, you can get what you need and you can acknowledge his skills at the same time.
A singing teacher is trained at what he/she does. If that person doesn't seem to know any more than you, get rid of them. Don't be afraid to shop for a good teacher. Just like there are wanna be singer teachers giving bad adivce on yahoo, there are even more untrained teachers in the world. Check their credentials first, check the vibe between the two of you, and go from there. Good luck! I know you inherited some good skills from daddy. He's gonna be proud!
If you have a good voice and really can sing then get instruction from a music teacher or take voice lessons. Because unless you want to sing like your dad and he has a really good singing talent naturally then yes you could pick up the wrong way to sing.
It does help if the person has a good ear for music and has good tone and diction. Here are a couple of tips for sounding your best.
1. Lift your soft palate. This is the soft portion of the roof of your mouth and lifting it will keep you from singing through your nose. To lift your soft palate, pretend you have hot food in your mouth and you are taking a breath in to cool it. It also helps to shape your lips in an "O" configuration.
2.Make sure you breath with your diaphragm. A sure-fire way to strain your voice (and sound breathy) is to breathe with your chest. To breathe with your diaphragm, do this little exercise. Sit on a chair with your behind almost all the way to the forward edge. Lay completely over your legs and place your hands on your lower back, fingertips almost touching at your spine. Take a deep breath. If your hands move apart, you are breathing with your diaphragm. If not, think about breathing with your stomach rather than your chest and repeat the exercise.
Another way to ensure that you breathe with your diaphragm is to do the "Von Trapp": lock your fists together with your finger tips and place against your stomach. When you breathe, visualize pushing your fists away from your body with your stomach.
3.Always, always, ALWAYS warm up if you'll be doing some serious singing. I'm not talking in the car or while you're doing the dishes, but more like you'll be doing fifteen minutes or more of focused singing. Scales are an excellent warm up. Going back to the Von Trapp family, "Do-re-mi" is an easy way to warm up.
Most importantly, don't push your voice too hard. If your throat hurts, you're doing something wrong. If you warm up and breathe correctly, you'll avoid hurting 99.9% of the time. Hope this helps!
a teacher has to have a real good ear and a good understanding in people voices, you could be an ok singer and teach people how to sing, they could probably be horrible singers as well.
u would have a better chance with him than payin money for a singing teacher ok. just ask him "dad can u teach me how to sing"