Did you know that the most famous, the most successful and the most guaranteed way to learn to be a great singer is to purchase videos about singing through the web?
It seems sensible to think that learning to sing alone, without anyone to guide you, or let you know whether what you are doing has anything whatsoever to do with what is on the videos, is a great way to become an expert vocalist. Why, following the instructions on a video will make you better than anyone else, even the people who have bought another video by another teacher who also claims to make you the best ever. Thousands of people have become international stars by learning to sing strictly through the videos they have purchased on the web.
Of course, there are a few individuals who think that maybe someone who is an expert listener still needs to hear you sing live and in person to help you in your development of vocal skills. I suppose that’s a quaint and old-fashioned notion, and it seems that more and more the idea is that a living breathing teacher is just old hat. You don’t really need personal guidance, since all good popular singers sound exactly the same anyway. What you need is to be able to believe in yourself. If you really understand the method of the teacher on the video, what else is necessary?
Of course, you have to know which method to buy. There are so many out there. The ones that offer you the shortest course of training are probably the best purchase for your money. Why spend lots on extras when you can get the quicky cheaper version? However, maybe the longer ones are better, as they have more ways to present things. If one segment escapes you, there will be so many others that might work better for you. If the person who developed the method tells you how many fantastic people he or she has trained, and then shows you all of them endorsing his approarch, or has a “teaser” lesson of his or her method, then you can really decide if that approach seems to suit you or not. And, if they provide “scientific” information like “breathe from your diaphragm” or “there’s no such thing as vocal registers”, you can absolutely rely on their technique, because they can prove that what they know is correct.
Some of these folks have actually done real research with a real scientist. That can be a good thing. If the scientist, however, doesn’t know himself (or herself) whether the vocalist is good or bad, and many of them do not know, then the “scientific research” might be of no great use. You would have to know about voice science yourself in order to determine that, so when you go shopping, keep that in mind. Check with your local voice scientist first, to be clear about what you need to know.
Finally, if the person selling you her method on line has many different kinds of degrees from various college programs, that could be a real determining factor. It seems that if you have a degree in an applied skill/art like singing, that means you know how to sing yourself, you sound good when you sing and you know how to convey the specifics about singing to anyone else, even if you don’t ever meet them in person. Unfortunately, you rarely get to hear the teacher sing a whole song on the videos they sell. Perhaps they don’t want to intimidate the buyers with their great vocal gifts? Try to find a YouTube of the teacher singing anything. Try.
It is a wonderment that we have so many good resources on the internet. “How To Sing” videos are absolutely the way to go if you need training. In fact, trying lots of different videos from many different instructors could be even more helpful, particularly if you have lots of extra money to invest.
One more thing. If you do end up singing well enough to go out into the world and sing in front of an audience but you don’t end up with a lot of fans or a big career, be sure to ask for your money back.