PG Music Home Forums General Discussion Off-Topic 1. Transitioning from guitar playing to guitar playing AND singing -2. Singing into a Microphone...

I'm not sure I'd consider myself a "natural" singer, as I'd always sung. Listening to my father and uncle try to out-sing each other in church, I learned it could also be a competitive sport.

As a teenager, I joined a church choir for the opportunity to not only sing, but more importantly, get better at singing and playing guitar.

I was accepted as a singer, but when I pulled out my guitar and played, the choir director told me to put it back in the case, and not bring it back until learned how to play it. I stayed with that choir, but joined another choir and played guitar in that one.

I took a voice class in college, but honestly, I was too embarrassed to practice as much as I should have, so didn't get as much from the class as I could have.

I've also taken free voice clinics from the local barbershop quartet when they were offered, which were great at reinforcing fundamentals I theoretically already knew, as well as try to sing some super-fun stuff that was way out of my league.

Other things that have been valuable: recording myself, as well as using pitch-correction software. Like everyone else who's heard me, I dislike the sound of my voice.

But listening to recordings helps me hear what I really sound like, which is necessary to get better.

And pitch-correction software helps show intonation problems, as well as "completely missed the pitch" problems.

So yes - I've had lessons at every point where I could manage to sneak them in, and I'd recommend them to anyone who wants to get better.

As far as singing soft, I suspect that your vocal chords are just weak, so they can't take too much pressure (yet).

Fortunately, the microphone is your friend!

Also, singing soft instead of over-singing will tend to give you a better sound. So loud isn't always better (but something you'll eventually get).

So sing as loudly as you can and still sound good, and with practice you will be able to increase the volume.

What's going to sell people isn't your vocal range, but your ability to tell the story and emote.

So even when you're singing quietly, you can still "own the room" by making sure you're projecting confidence - use what you can use as skillfully and confidently as possible.