Singing Lessons

I've never had singing lessons, I didn't have them at school, or privately. This makes me wonder about the quality of my singing. I have a fairly nice voice, it has only a fair range, and low stamina for long drawn out notes. At times it can get gravelie, like stones in the throat, if I am straining too much.

I do all my songwriting and guitar playing and singing by ear. I am not a trained musician. I really wonder how much better I would be if I had taken more music in school and college. I did take some music theory in college, but it was only a low depth class, I did get a 4 point grade for it though.

So I have entitled this image "Singing Lessons" as it shows the parts of the body that are used in singing and it is backed up by the guitar image.

I looked up "singing" and found that Wikipedia talked about how singing takes place physically: "In its physical aspect, singing has a well-defined technique that depends on the use of the lungs, which act as an air supply, or bellows; on the larynx, which acts as a reed or vibrator; on the chest and head cavities, which have the function of an amplifier, as the tube in a wind instrument; and on the tongue, which together with the palate, teeth, and lips articulate and impose consonants and vowels on the amplified sound. Though these four mechanisms function independently, they are nevertheless coordinated in the establishment of a vocal technique and are made to interact upon one another.^[2] During passive breathing, air is inhaled with the diaphragm while exhalation occurs without any effort. Exhalation may be aided by the abdominal, internal intercostal and lower pelvic muscles. Inhalation is aided by use of external intercostals, scalenes and sternocleidomastoid muscles. The pitch is altered with the vocal cords. With the lips closed, this is called humming."

Hmmm, humming, always with the lips closed. The image goes right along with this description. Singing involves a lot more than we usually think about when doing it. We just 'sing' and don't give it much thought.

I have found that the use of a capo allows me more range if used on the 2nd or 3rd fret. But musically I don't know what that means as far as what key I am singing in. Pathetic isn't it. A songwriter not knowing these things. I know the 3rd fret is the note 'G' on the 'E' string but that doesn't translate into anything intellectually for me.

I am certain I have many bad habits I have learned over the years without musical training. I know basics like the tuning of the guitar, some harmonics, some of the fret notes, but I am woefully lost in reading music or even tabulature. I can 'sight' read music by knowing that the note is either going higher or lower on the scale, and know that 'Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge' and 'FACE'. But is that really reading music scales, hardly.

All I do know is that by ear much can be accomplished. I do write songs, or do I "make them up"? I guess that is for the professional musicians to debate. I like what I do and that enjoyment for me is making music, even if I am untrained.

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