I have a goal of singing better than Anyone Alive. Even though I’ve never really sung outside of second grade choir – which I lip-synced, hilariously. There were a couple of channels I found, but one called Healthy Vocal Technique stood out to me. She has hundreds of videos covering many topics. I am a total vocal newbie. I want to learn in the simplest way possible, while I know a few things about breath control and the diaphragm.
Though, with this knowledge alone, I wouldn’t become the Best Living Singer. The pros of YouTube tutorials include taking them wherever you are, you needn’t worry about embarrassing yourself and you can go at your own pace. However, the cons include not having feedback, losing motivation from not having someone push you, and feeling like a loser.
Day 1: Singing From Scratch
Victoria Rapanan is my teacher. The first few minutes summarize the importance of breathe control and simple speaking exercises. All of her instructions are so simple and sweet and she demonstrates them super easily. I’m essentially just using my speaking voice to sing for a prolonged time. She seems like she would be very patient in person. At this point, the instructions are so simple that I don’t think you’d even need someone to watch over you. You could ensure you’re doing the tasks correctly da solo. She continues to do some simple scales. Yes, me doing this alone in my room makes me feel like I am a seal! Anyways, I think I’m off the note but I can’t hear myself enough to judge. And I am not going to record myself singing. I listen to myself and then immediately delete it. I already did that before in high school and it was traumatizing.
Day 2: Progressing
Rapanan’s video focuses on the AHHHH sound. I’ve noticed the views on the following video have gone down drastically. I believe this is because while the first video is explicitly labelled “for beginners” this one isn’t. Her videos don’t follow a trajectory as a typical class would. Many of her videos seem very informative. They troubleshoot specific problems singers might have – too tight a jaw, too flat, etc. Beginners like myself don’t know if we have these problems yet. But, those more trained could get a lot of use from those videos.
Day 3: New Teacher
While I liked Rapanan, I tried to see how someone else was working. I’m trying a woman named Freya Casey on YouTube. One of the ads before her video was promoting a website that teaches you how to sing. This ad went on to say YouTube singing lessons don’t work. Ha! Anyways, Casey’s video, on finding the natural voice. Her video, unlike Rapanan’s, doesn’t demonstrate or show scales. Instead, she’s more focused on teaching how to find your register. While I do think this is good for beginners, and her video was very informative and educational, I could understand if viewers want a typical lesson on singing and finding their voice.
Day 4: Singing from Demonstration
I tried a video from a creator named EricArceneaux on how to find your voice. He, like Casey, is mostly talking about how to find your whole voice, but not actually teaching it. While the content in his video is really informative and interesting, I could understand if viewers wanted more from the video. He demonstrates with his own body and vocally demonstrates proper vocal posture, which I think illuminates what he’s talking about. Regardless, he’s super well-versed in singing and how to sing properly. Many of his other videos demonstrate the various ways you can improve your voice. He demonstrates how both correct and incorrect vocal posture sounds.
What I’m trying to find is a video or a series that will step-by-step show me how to sing. I’m becoming more and more aware I might have to pay for it. While this is fine were I to want to become a singer, and I understand vocal coaches need to make a living as well, I would love to find an informative tutorial video that begins from no experience and progresses.
There are seldom videos in that category. Most offer fixes for singing problems or very basic beginning singing videos. There’s a market for people who have the time and the know-how to turn these kinds of viewers into steady participants. These kinds of videos, I feel, could bring in consistent numbers and engagements that could turn into a steady profit. Even if teaching paid singing lessons is more profitable, I could see how step-by-step YouTube tutorials could turn lucrative.
Is There a Home for Newbies?
The main qualm I felt with YouTube singing lessons is that I can’t really hear myself well enough. Therefore, I can’t judge if I’m doing what’s asked correctly. I think it would be best to have someone near who could judge me, or record myself and hear back. People who want to get into singing but don’t have the funds could find ways around these obstacles. Those who want to teach could offer good enough YouTube singing lessons that could teach them the basics. They could monetize these videos. Regardless, I did not learn to master my craft in the week I tried YouTube singing lessons.
Featured image by Valeria Diaz Gallegos
