How can I sing without having a good voice?

Many people have been told at some stage in their lives that they do not have a good voice. I've heard countless stories of primary school teachers telling children they can't sing (who are all these awful teachers?) and it usually creates a belief of being a "bad" singer which people sadly carry through life with them.

The truth is: singing is a birthright and everybody—really everybody—has a good voice! Singing is an ancestral practice for all of us, no matter where you come from on the globe. It's a basic human practice. And I can't say it enough: there are no bad voices. There are definitely confidence crises or deeply instilled beliefs about the inability to sing, and it's these beliefs that are usually causing the problem, not the voice itself.

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When you can begin to treat yourself with more compassion, you will notice that singing starts to become easier and more natural.

But the practice of changing your mindset is much easier said than done. A lack of confidence in singing can point to some very deeply instilled conditioning. That's why I tend to go in gently with singing and start with sounding rather than singing full songs. This can help you to get used to the sound of your voice, and to begin to make friends with it. "Making sounds" often feels much less intimidating to new singers than "singing," so try it!

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Beginner's Singing Exercise: Making Friends With Your Voice

You can start with vowel sounds and begin by saying them out loud: a e i o u. Try out how they feel in your mouth and notice where your tongue and teeth have to be for each different vowel. Once you've done a few rounds of speaking, try elongating each vowel until you bring it into a sung tone. It does not have to sound beautiful! You don't have to try to sing, you can just be playful and curious. Pretend you are a baby trying out sounds for the first time.

Once you've got the hang of this (and gotten over the embarrassment of making funny sounds), try to slide between vowels. How does a to e sound? U to i?

Then you can try to sing a song you know using only vowel sounds. Try something silly and simple, like Happy Birthday or Three Blind Mice. Try to sing the song using only one vowel and then try to sing the song using only the vowels of the song, so that Happy Birthday would become "a-e-ur-ay".

If you laugh, great! Laughing is a great vocal warm-up, so don't get overly serious.

This exercise will help you to tune into the pure sound of your voice, rather than getting hung up on performance. That's usually where we mess up–by starting to think about how we might sound to others. So way before you start worrying about that, carve out some time and space where you can be alone with your voice and begin to play. It might seem silly and pointless, but what you are doing with simple exercises like these is beginning to build a relationship with your voice, which is really the key to singing that sounds "good" to us. A beautiful voice is one that is in connection with its singer.

So go and start building a connection with your voice, and start private tuition today!