Singing lessons questions

thecolourbox

Hi all 

Hope people like @monquixote may be able to offer any help here.

I've indefinitely bailed on the guitar for now as it's definitely past the point of boring habit. 

I'm not much of a singer, I can hear perfectly well and can pitch pretty well if a little lacking in strength and confidence, from years of classical piano you have to have an ear and at least relative mental pitch to get you through exams. But my tone isn't great, breathing isn't either but it used to be when I was in the college chamber choir so I know that can be improve. 

With lessons...how much do they try to change things? 

Hard to fully convey what I mean by this, but say like when I've had guitar lessons (and gave them up quickly) it was all about "no ignore your own way of playing This is the right way to play because that's what they teach you to pass your exams in it". And however much you say you want to play your own way just with improved technique, they'll make you sound like every other guitar pupil? I had that for years with piano, but now when I occasionally play what I've lost in technique, I make up for with my own style, and my own feel for it. And I get much better comments about it than I did before. 

So what I'm asking, is how much would their teaching change my ability to be individual with it? Does this make sense? With guitar my greatest fear (and indeed one reason I've given it up) is sounding like a Clapton type, in my eyes generic and safe - I'd like to be able to do stuff wrong if it sounds better

As a reference, singers I might like to use as an influence would be Jim Morrison (for dynamics), Jack White (for attack and attitude), Julian Casablancas, Lou Reed, both for the less clear vocals and phrasing

Thanks peoples

monquixote

To give the completely cop out answer it depends on who your teacher is. 

A lot of singing teachers are geared up to do show tunes, or opera etc so you have to find someone who is going to match your stylistic interests. My teacher for example works quite a bit with "Screamo" type singers to prevent them hurting themselves when they sing (that's not what I'm learning mind) and clearly that's a fair way from learning songs from "Les Mis"

I've spoken to a few people who've had lessons which were months of breathing and scales so you have to make sure you get someone who isn't going to take that approach. 

I think everyone to an extent could benefit from a certain amount of the base skills that aren't like breathing and warming up etc, but if you've done choral stuff then I guess you know that stuff anyway. 

In my lessons the structure is essentially we agree a song I want to be able to sing and then we work on the song and exercises that will help me to learn how to sing it. 

An awful lot of what I've learned is understanding what happens when I do certain things so I'm better in control of myself. This is all a bit abstract so here are a couple of examples:

At the moment I'm working on singing with a high or low larynx. I now know that singing with a high larynx lets me do "rock voice" easier, but burns up my throat and makes me sound thinner whereas singing "low larynx" saves my voice, but isn't so good for hitting an aggressive high note. 

Recently I learned to sing "Unintended" by Muse it has a line "Pieces of the life I had before" with before being over a really high note that I couldn't hit cleanly. My teacher pointed out that most singers (including Matt Bellamy) won't actually sing "Before" as I was trying to do, but will change it to "Befur" because for various physiological reasons it's easier to sing high. 

Armed with both of those pieces of knowledge I can do whatever I like. I can do it the way everyone else does, or not, but having the knowledge gives me options.

It goes to a slightly more fundamental question of if education makes you into a cliche. For me I think the way it works is. 

I thought I had a style. 

I learned enough to realise I was actually a cliche

I started to learn enough to stop being a cliche. (I'm still working on part 3) 

So I suppose I'm in the camp of thinking it's useful to know the rules so you can choose to break them. I find an awful lot of bands that say "I don't know any theory so I have my own unique style" are the same bands whose songs are all 3 chord tricks and melodies are largely pentatonic. That said I'm also someone more likely to be listening to Herbie Hancock than the Libertines. 

I do know where you are coming from though. As I think I mentioned I got so sick of my guitar playing at one point that I pretty much quit for several years.

thecolourbox

Thank you so much for the detailed answer, much appreciated and All taken on board!

I suppose my hesitance is based on what I know of my piano and (very few) guitar lessons. Whilst I understand the idea of learning the rules to break them I was never able to do so! Also, I fear It's a bit like taking fashion advice from Gok Wan - to an extent I know what would be the standard conforming clothes I'd be put in, but I'd prefer red trousers and yellow jackets, how ever crap they might look too trained eyes!

I have emailed a place in brum city, as lunchtime seems to be the only time I regularly have to waste. They seem to have somebody who looks a but indie, hopefully they aren't going to teach me Music of the Night or Stairway to Heaven.

I will recreate your post on the train an respond better, as I want to take if all in properly, but also wanted to say thanks

Drew_TNBD

Some great stuff there Monqi... has given me some food for thought too. I've been banging on about vowels recently whenever this topic has come up - like your teacher said about the word 'before' sometimes you need to modify the vowel to give your larynx a fighting chance.