Every now and then people ask me whether they are talented enough to sing and/or whether taking lessons will be of any use for them. These questions are tricky. Let me explain why:

Unfortunately there really are people who will never be able to sing because they are tone-deaf (meaning their brains cannot distinguish which pitch a note is) or because they have absolutely no feel for their own body. These cases fortunately are very, very rare though. During my whole teaching time I have experienced one or two cases only.

If you perceive your voice as weak, not resonant, too soft, too shrill, out of tune, not nimble, trembling or something similar there are exercises that will help get rid of these problems. Those who are not physically tone-deaf also are able to learn to improvise, sing freely and interprete songs in their own way. It takes time and patience though.

The real questions are:

What are your goals? Do you want to take part in karaoke without feeling ashamed, sing in a choir or maybe become a soloist in your own band? Do you want to study music and make it your profession?

How important are your goals for you? And how much effort, time, energy and even money are you willing to spend to pursue your goals?

Even if singing is much easier than we often think (I'll explain why in another blog entry) learning still takes time. Muscles need time and practice to grow, right movements have to be repeated to become habits, and wrong habits have to be replaced by healthy ones. (I will write about how to practice effectively in another blog entry)

Anyway everybody has his or her own issues when it comes to singing. Some parts might be easier for some but they will have to train harder in other areas. Those who practice regularly will achieve more than those who rely on their talent only.