Natural Versus Trained Singers. "Ignorance Is Bliss?"

Natural Versus Trained Singers. My observations...

 

I've had the great opportunity to teach many singers from all backgrounds and skill levels and I want to share some observations I've made regarding some of the differences between natural versus trained vocalists.

 

Natural singers often "beat out" the trained singer when it comes to singing in a convincing and captivating way artistically. Why is this?

How could it be that singers who many times have poor technique and limited function sound so good?

One reason is that singing with emotion and feeling comes more from the subconscious mind (right brain) and less from the analytical mind (left brain.)

 

Because the natural singer hasn't studied vocal technique that requires the left side of the brain to process much of the information, the right side is free to develop and becomes very strong. There's not much to analyze technically, but instead the "feel" and sound of the voice is the focus. The final sound, feeling and emotion is what the listener connects with, not a perfect display of vocal technique!

 

That said, there are problems that can arise from not having a solid vocal technique. I have worked with countless singers who are extremely talented but have had challenges with the health and function of their voices. This is caused by a variety of reasons including; no proper warm up/warm down, lack of customized vocal exercises that are tailored to the singer's needs, abuse from range limitations/an unrealistic desire to make the voice sound like they want it to sound rather than being true to the voice type, overuse, forcing the voice, bad diet and lack of hydration among other vocal issues. I could probably add a few more but I think you get the idea.

 

There really seems to be a general ignorance when it comes to understanding how the human voice functions and the importance of good technique as a means to not only develop the freedom to sing smoothly from the bottom to the top of the voice, but also to protect and maintain their amazing gift.

 

What's really interesting to me is that his ignorance is part of why they sound sound good when they sing songs. This is a perfect example of the saying "ignorance is bliss." There is truth and beauty in this ignorance, but the difference between a good singer and great singer is that there is a balance between talent and technique.


Let's be free to express without limitation and keep singing for life!

 

 

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