Tone Deaf Does Not Make Good Music

You have a friend who loves to sing. Your singing friend sings all different styles of music. Your stylish, singing friend is tone deaf. Your flat-sounding, stylish, singing friend needs intervention.

I could stop right there with today's blog entry, but that wouldn't be very helpful. Today, I want to help out the tone deaf folks who want a singing career.

You know who you are. In spite of your mama telling you that you sing like a dove, deep down you know its more like a screech owl. I have good news. I'm here to help.

The first thing you need to do as a singer is determine how far you really want to take your vocalizing. If you're just singing at the local karaoke bar, then warm up those pipes and cut loose. You need no further help.

But, if mama has you convinced that you have a future in the music biz, and you want to pursue it further, you need someone else's evaluation other than your mama. Why? Because mama's lie, so they won't hurt your feelings.

So, look up someone who doesn't have any kind of interest in your singing. This means, don't as your best friend, your spouse/significant other, etc. Also, don't go to the local recording studio, unless they have a reputation for helping up and coming artists. Otherwise, they'll sell you on how right mama is, and you'll walk out with your screeching on an mp3 player...and minus a bunch of cash.

You want someone who is willing to invest in analyzing your abilities and giving you good feedback. If you're lucky, you might find someone willing to give their opinion for free. Most likely, you'll need to pay them for their time.

From here, you'll get a "don't quit your day job" or "you have potential." The first has an obvious result (see: karaoke bar). The second probably means that you need some help to work on your skills, or lack of skills.

That's where the vocal coach steps in. Hire a good one that can train you on the proper techniques to singing the style that you like. Be prepared for this to be a lenghty process. If your more out-of-tune than in-tune, you'll need a lot more work.

If done properly, eventually you will see a payoff in your talent. And, doors will open from there.