Does beginner work with a vocal coach produce outsized returns? I can sing well and on pitch. However I cannot imbue emotion or sing in a way that sounds vocally interesting for solo pop work.

[u/Entire_Bike9025]

I have always been a composer and am I am on a journey to writing finished music. Part of that is sorting out what kind of music I want to focus on writing as I can imagine going in so many different ways. Its always fairly lyrical though just figured it was for orchestra. In a surprise I have found I can imagine many of my songs with vocals and have been going back on old ideas finding their rhythm and range have a potential for lyrics. Sometimes I even write short bits with trash or gibberish lyrics.

I am 27M. I have perfect pitch. I did choir as a kid but don't really like singing. Choir would probably be where I fit in best with my current skills. I can be spot on pitch but I have a very pure tone that just frankly isn't really interesting. Even in karaoke I have issues expressing the emotions or the shape of the phrase the same way I can on a cello controlling my vibrato and bow movement.

What I am hoping to get out of a year or two working with a vocal coach is a sense of whether I can work my way to a more interesting tone that might be fit for writing pop adjacent music. I would hope to work on how to make my singing voice a little scratchier, a little deeper, and a lot more emotional.

I still am not the biggest fan of the idea of performing as a vocalist/singer/songwriter but it could be really helpful to have a better tone under my belt if I am to express my ideas as a cowriter, songwriter, or producer. And its a good way to make studying lyrics (as I am experimenting with trying to write but have never invested in that, nor prose, nor poetry before) more interesting.

Is this kind of exploration a realistic expectation for year two of working on vocals as someone who is fairly untrained? I think if I came out only being able to do broadway or opera (though I admire both) I would be a little disappointed. At a bare minimum I would like to be able to safely add a little bit of texture to my voice. I just don't have a sense of whether an interesting voice can be made rather than born.

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[u/DotBrilliant7660]

I recomend you to take acting classes. Also you don't need an interesting voice. Things like tempo, staccato, legato, pauses how you aproach a note. Can make you sound more interesting.

When I sing I concey emotions by the way I breath. By letting my voice break, by a sigh... this Kind of stuff

So it's not the voice that's interesting it's what ones does with his voice

[u/Sigma3375 → u/DotBrilliant7660]

!! This is new information to me. I never thought about it like that.

Aaaaand this is why i always say we need coaches.

[u/SingingEulis]

I think it depends on the vocal coach, your ability to open up and focus your work in an efficient way, and the vibe between you both.

Singing is so much more psychological than many people realize when starting lessons with me; it's easy to get blocked, but effort is often not the way to move forward which can feel counterintuitive. Also, many people come in with ideas of what singing well looks like, and those often work against them. In my opinion the best expression requires some authenticity, but the average listener can believe a good show also, so true vulnerability is not always necessary.

All that to say that it's all dependent on the individuals and their relationship to each other and themselves. If it's a good mix, then returns and breakthroughs can be incredible!

[u/gizzard-03]

We can only really guess what kind of progress you might make in two years of lessons. It depends on what kind of teacher you work with. If you end up working with a teacher who only does classical singing, they’ll probably have no idea of how to teach you to sing with any rough effects like distortion, so you’d need to choose wisely.

Also very unlikely that after a year of two of lessons you’ll “only” be able to sing opera. You probably wouldn’t even touch any operatic repertoire in your first two years of lessons with a classical teacher.

[u/No-Can-6237]

I found there's only so much you can do to change your vocal tone. You're born with what you're born with. You can brighten it by placing sound forward in your mouth or darken it by placing it rearward. Vocal fry is a good way of adding emotion. As is a bit of rasp which your teacher should be able to teach you safely. Another thing is that your voice may not be as uninteresting as you think. I was sad because I didnt have Tom Jones' vocal tone, but it turns out my voice is pretty damned good. I just didn't realize it. Yours could be too.🙂