How to Treat the Gift of Your Voice
by Mark Baxter
Imagine a friend showing up at your apartment with a horse. He says that because you love to ride, he decided to buy you the 4-year-old filly as a gift. He smiles proudly, hands you the reins and leaves. You are now the owner of a half-ton, grain-munching farm animal. As the horse stands in your hallway, shuffling on its hooves, it occurs to you that your friend is crazy. A gift? Apparently, your friend assumed that you would be completely willing to make all the necessary sacrifices required to maintain this gift. As absurd as this seems, we tend to make similar assumptions when it comes to singing.
Many people view singing as a gift. I agree. Singing is one of the many joys of life. What I don't agree with is the notion that only those who were born with this gift were meant to sing. It shouldn't be surprising that this line of thinking is most popular among two groups of people: those who sing easily and those who hate to practice. It's hard for born singers, who for the most part simply open their mouths and sing beautifully, to relate to those of us troubled with pitch, projection and tone. Yet ease of singing does not mean it's easy to be a singer. There is still work involved. Just as with a horse, taking the voice out for a run takes more preparation than some would expect. If a natural ability is not combined with a love of singing, the package is incomplete.
Most troublesome to would-be singers are the practice-haters. Unlike natural singers, who are simply unsympathetic, practice-haters feel the need to pull the reins in on all who dare improve on what God or Mother Nature didn't finish. It's a classic case of misery loves company. Rather than apply some effort toward change, they let themselves off the hook by claiming to be saddled by poor genetics. Be warned: It will be difficult to embark on a journey of vocal improvement if you have roommates, bandmates, parents or siblings that are members of this group. They will cite your current inabilities as evidence that you were not meant to sing. Forgive these pessimists, for they know not what they say.
Singing is a gift you give yourself. There is no panel of judges out there awarding you permission to sing. You can either let your voice be heard or not; ability doesn't have to be a factor. Although you can't return your larynx to the music store if you don't like the way it performs, any voice can be trained. Think of it as learning to ride a horse. At first you may have very little command. In time, though, you can develop a feel, a relationship with singing that will allow you full control. It is extremely rewarding to corral what was first perceived as unruly into an obedient show-horse of a voice, but you have to put in the time.
Don't be fooled by the illusion that talent comes easily. We love to think of our idols as being otherworldly, as having a free ride. Michaelangelo once said that if the general public knew how hard he labored on each piece, it would diminish the magic of his work. In other words, without sweating the details there would be no Luciano Pavorotti, Ella Fitzgerald, Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan. While it's easy to feel humbled in comparison to the greats, don't count yourself out. We were all given the same gift at birth—it's called life. What we do with this gift is what defines us. If you feel you have singing in your soul, then let it run free. Don't worry about standing out from the pack; having the courage to follow your heart is what makes you a horse of a different color.
