Is a great singing voice a talent or just happenstance?

[Wilbur ★]

?

[Randomguy]

Happenstance, at least 90% of it is.  The rest is work, otherwise, just luck.

[maddmaxx ★]

You're born with the voice.  You can train it to be better.

[Kzoo]

It didn't happen here....

[Kzoo]

Just now, maddmaxx said:

You're born with the voice.  You can train it to be better.

Or not.

[Road Runner]

15 minutes ago, maddmaxx said:

You're born with the voice.

Yes.  It is in your DNA.  Kind of like those of us who were born with large doodles.    

[maddmaxx ★]

1 minute ago, Kzoo said:

Or not.

 Always with the negative waves Moriarty, always with the negative waves.

[Kzoo]

4 minutes ago, maddmaxx said:

 Always with the negative waves Moriarty, always with the negative waves.

If you ever heard me sing you would know the true meaning of negative waves.

[maddmaxx ★]

Just now, Kzoo said:

If you ever heard me sing you would know the true meaning of negative waves.

You need to sing with one of those Bose noise cancelling microphones.

[Kzoo]

1 minute ago, maddmaxx said:

You need to sing with one of those Bose noise cancelling microphones.

It's cheaper to just perfect the art of the lip synch.

[Kzoo]

Just now, Kzoo said:

It's cheaper to just perfect the art of the lip synch.

Oh, and I can't do that either.

[maddmaxx ★]

Learn to play the Kzoo.

[UglyBob]

Just now, maddmaxx said:

Learn to play the Kzoo.

I ain't puttin' my mouth anywhere that...

[Green Grass]

It is, by definition, talent.

[BuffJim]

3 Irish Tenors:I'm going to this tonight. Should know the answer afterwards:

https://bpo.org/event/the-irish-tenors-holiday-tour/

Finbar Wright, Anthony Kearns and Buffalo favorite Ronan Tynan combine their talents to present a holiday concert that touches hearts and stirs the emotions with dazzling technique and a depth of feeling that permeates the holiday gems featured on their legendary Christmas tour.

Program

The Harp that Once through Tara’s Halls

Dublin Medley

Spanish Lady

Forty Shades of Green

The Old Man

Green Isle of Erin

Waxies Dargle Overture

Love Me Tender

Shelter Me

If I Can Help Somebody

On Eagles Wings

Let There Be Peace

INTERMISSION

Hark the Herald Angels Sing

We Three Kings

Jingle Bell Rock

Christmas Song

I’ll Be Home for Christmas

The Lord’s Prayer

Kerry Bears Picnic

Danny Boy

Fairytale of New York

Winter Wonderland Medley

[Wilbur ★]

There is actually a lot to it.  Everything from testosterone levels during developmental years, environment and structure of the vocal region, sinuses and mouth.   That sets the basis for what you can do, then practice which becomes a talent finishes the product.  So, you are born with it and then train it to the best it can be.  I noticed a huge change after my sinus surgery.  As the structure changes, so does the voice.  The performance aspect is 100% talent.  That can be learned and perfected.  

[12string]

Isn't talent happenstance anyway?

For a GREAT voice, you must have the right DNA, then work your butt off.  For a good voice, you can have pretty common DNA, and work hard.  Some people have DNA that precludes even a passable singing voice, not matter how much work, and that's all about the pitch.  I encourage people with the idea that if you can tell me when you are off pitch, you can learn to be on pitch.  From there, tonality and shaping can be taught.  Which brings me to one of the guitarists in the band.  He's in that no chance group.  Joined another band, they made him buy a mic and sing.  Ummmm - no.  Recently, he started showing up with his mic plugged into a pitch correcter.  Rather than point out that the best it can do is correct him to the 3-1/2 steps he's off by while singing almost monotone, I just push his channel down to about -80

[Chris...]

I have a fiend that is a great singer. I asked her if it was something she had to work at. She said no, it just come natural. 

[parodybot]

2 hours ago, UglyBob said:

I ain't puttin' my mouth anywhere that...

Nominated for POTD!

[Ltdskilz]

1 hour ago, Wilbur said:

There is actually a lot to it.  Everything from testosterone levels during developmental years, environment and structure of the vocal region, sinuses and mouth.   That sets the basis for what you can do, then practice which becomes a talent finishes the product.  So, you are born with it and then train it to the best it can be.  I noticed a huge change after my sinus surgery.  As the structure changes, so does the voice.  The performance aspect is 100% talent.  That can be learned and perfected.  

So did you know the answer all along or did you UTFG?  

[Randomguy]

15 minutes ago, Chris... said:

I have a fiend that is a great singer. I asked her if it was something she had to work at. She said no, it just come natural. 

Lots of fiends are good singers, but they are better at crimes.  I am a better criminal than a singer, which I suck at.

I would be a good fiend.

[Chris...]

44 minutes ago, Randomguy said:

Lots of fiends are good singers, but they are better at crimes.  I am a better criminal than a singer, which I suck at.

I would be a good fiend.

I’m on my phone and don’t have my glasses on. Jerk

[Randomguy]

2 minutes ago, Chris... said:

I’m on my phone and don’t have my glasses on. Jerk

I really would be a good fiend, though.

[MickinMD ★]

A great singing voice is part luck and part work.

I spent years studying piano in the Adult Program at the world-class Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, whose faculty wins a couple grammy awards every few years. I also took both my nephews to Early Childhood classes and the older one to Jazz Alto Sax lessons.

If you want your kid to be admitted to Peabody after high school, he/she should have been practicing music - including voice - at least 4 hours/day for the past 10 years or more. Otherwise the quality won't likely be there.  My virtuosa piano teacher said that if kids start on piano later than age 6, they will have a hard time qualifying for admission to college at Peabody.  Voice is similar.

As you walk through Peabody's halls, your ears enjoy a feast of incredibly well-played instruments and singing: you often hear voice students singing scales and other drills as they warm up. That includes Classical and Jazz singers, which is mostly what's there.  Note that when the Eagles did their concerts, they practiced for an hour before the concerts to make sure their voices were warmed up and their timing was synced.

A lot of the "overnight successes" that make it in pop music actually come from similar backgrounds or at least had parents or grandparents who taught them serious music from an early age: Kat McPhee, who now stars on the TV Series "Scorpion," was 1st runnerup on the 5th season of American Idol and cut several record albums. Her mother is a pro musician and voice instructor and Kat spent time at the Boston Conservatory.

Stephen Tyler's father was a classical musician and high school music teacher.  He was writing songs, including "Dream On," long before he sang for Aerosmith.

Linda Ronstadt's grandfather conducted a Tucson Mariachi Band and Linda grew up singing opera, etc: she said she was thrilled to get the part of Mabel in the movie version of Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance because she had been singing the role since she was 6 years old.  In her memoirs, she discusses the similarities of the French Classical Composer Debussy and Louisiana country music.  When Linda contracted Parkinson's Disease her manager, Peter Asher (from the old 1960's band Peter and Gordon) said she had such incredible, trained control of individual vocal chords that she could tell something was wrong even though no one else noticed any variation in her singing.