If a singing career is your goal, while you make a
commitment to pursue a professional singing career, you should also make a
commitment to become a multi-instrument player. A good voice and the ability to
execute a well turned phrase are simply not enough any more. If you want to
have a career in singing it’s important that you become a well-rounded
musician.
Learn to play an instrument. In fact, learn to play several:
guitar, piano and drums at the very least.
Guitar
I highly recommend studying the guitar first -- it’s easy to
learn to strum a few chords and you can get started playing music right away.
The guitar will teach you about the relationship between the keys and how
repeating patterns form and transfer.
Piano
I also recommend learning to play the piano because it will
teach you the language of music. It’s all laid out for you (quite literally!)
right there in black and white on the keyboard.
The wise student will learn to develop two piano skills,
playing by ear without written music or from chord charts, and by learning to
read music by sight. If you cannot find a teacher who can teach both systems,
find yourself two teachers.
Drums
If you want to develop your rhythmic integrity, it's also a
good idea to take a few drum lessons. You will be expected to know the
difference between a shuffle, a disco beat and a waltz, and how to accurately
indicate the tempos you prefer. An error in setting the tempo could lead to a
nightmare as the song progresses.
Get as much onstage experience as possible, this is
imperative for those who want to have a career in singing. Join a band or put a
band together; you need to experience how to run a band and entertain an
audience under every kind of condition.
Touring drives record sales and creates a fan base. When you
are ready to approach record executives they need to see that you have honed
your craft through extensive onstage experience and that you can command the
attention of a crowd and build a following. Without it, you have no proven
history and you will find it difficult to convince anyone to make a high-dollar
investment gamble on your singing career.
Nashville producer Paul Worley, (Lady Antebellum, Dixie
Chicks. Martina McBride, The Band Perry. . .) has a program that he makes his
unseasoned young singing clients go through. They must schedule, book and play
90 gigs in 99 days. Now if that sounds difficult, think ahead to when you could
be playing 99 shows in 99 days. If you're not tough enough, there are plenty of
others who are ready and willing to jump in.
In order for a career in singing to be hassle-limited
(notice I didn't say "hassle-free ) you have to give yourself every
advantage when you communicate with your band, your producer, your audience.
You have to know what you want before you can get it. Everything you learn
about the mysterious inner workings of the music you make will make you a
better singer and a stronger leader.
Nashville
vocal coach Renee Grant-Williams reveals the trade secrets that have already
helped hundreds of aspiring singers become celebrities: Tim McGraw, Martina
McBride, Dixie Chicks, Miley Cyrus, Huey Lewis, Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill,
Jason Aldean, Christina Aguilera...
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