All descriptions aside, my favorite music has always been the stuff that got the point across. Virtuosity has its’ place, but feeling it is a different experience. There are very few singers that make me feel involved in their performance unless the song itself carries me along. Joe Cocker comes to mind; he elevated a Beatles classic with nothing but attitude and made a career out of it just by adding a higher level of emotion to a great composition with no real vocal chops other than emotion. I’ll take that over a singer every time.
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That’s another thing we have in common, Bob… Joe is one of my all time favorites.
I remember first hearing Mad Dogs and Englishman on my older brother’s on the eight track cartridge he had in his car in the early '70s. I was under primary school age, but I can still remember just being totally taken by it…this wild man making a glorious roaring noise with a fantastically soulful band.
… I finally got to see Joe live in 2010, not long before he passed away… of course it was all very polished by then, but the soulful no-holds-barred let it all out on the stage approach was still there… Still rates as one of the best concerts I’ve been to!
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Never sang in public - which is to the advantage of all - but this post reminds me of something I went through in the 80’s. My classical guitar teacher put me down to perform a piece in concert at school. It was very well attended, and all my friends were there. For some reason this night, I was petrified. I was playing a Brazilian piece, and it was quite a few notches higher than my “on paper” ability.
When time came to play, I took my chair on a very big stage and started playing. About 3 notes in, my nose started to run. Like streaming. With all my power I was sniffing away trying not to lose it. It wouldn’t stop. So being a logical fellow, I started scanning the piece in my head, but while I was playing. I knew I was playing section A, repeating that section A1, going to section B, repeating that section B1, and then going back to A3. As I’m scanning this music in my head, I’m trying to work out if I have at least a single note rest where I could hit a string, wipe my nose and then continue.
No - the music is pretty full on, and there are literally no rests in the piece. So I start editing the piece as I play it. Shave half off A1, don’t repeat B, and then hit A3 hard. So that’s what I did. A few minutes later I took my bow, ran off stage and wiped my nose. I then went and sat next to my guitar teacher. He leans over and says “I’ve never heard you play that well… it was amazing, full of passion” Suffice to say, praise from him was like being in heaven. I admitted to him that my nose was running and I had to edit the piece, and I didn’t even realise what I was playing. He just smiled and said “that’s why…”
Every time I’ve played in public since, I have been able to just forget where I am for that time, and put my mind somewhere else. I sometimes find a spot in a room and just start thinking about that spot - kind of like “Is that paint flaking there? If I get the chance, I’ll get a ladder and touch that paint up a bit” and before you know it, I’m playing away without having to think about it.
Just for laughs, here’s the piece that 14 year old me (after 7 months of guitar lessons) was tasked to play…
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I love that Villa-Lobos piece, and damn near everything he composed… Back in my classical days I managed to learn his Etude no. 1 in E minor, but it’s been a looooong time since I attempted that one… probably my favorite composer for classical guitar.
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Seriously beautiful music. I’ve recently got back into playing that stuff. Muscle memory after 30 odd years is still there. If ever you’re in the mood, do check out the music of Isaias Savio, possibly the most underrated classical guitar composer every.
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I still dont have enough courage to sing. I think it is because of some form of perfectionist ocd. I prefer instruments because its easy to hide behind em and they dont make pitch errors. Its still hard to listen to my own vocals, though people think I sing well.
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Have you heard some of the out-of-tune guitarists performing in the Social Distance Fest …and everywhere else? Come to think of it, there’s instrumentalists of every instrument that sound as if they’re murdering a cat! 
Think of those sax players or those violinists that just can’t stay in tune. But having said that, I agree that voice control can be easily knocked out of whack. It’s a delicate instrument.
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You mean their instruments are not properly tuned ? In today’s age of $10 electronic tuners that problem shouldn’t exist.
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The tuning was more of a figure of speech. I do respect singers who build the courage to sing in public. Wish I could do the same without being a nervous wreck. When it comes to instruments, i can hide behind a flute and play anywhere.
Either they don’t have a tuner, can’t tune by ear, don’t even realize they’re out of tune, realize they’re out of tune but don’t care enough to tune their instrument, or a combination of any of those 4 reasons. There are also some “musicians” who unintentionally bend strings when they’re playing chords/ notes, which causes them to sound out of tune. It’s not uncommon at all. Social media is a big cringe-fest with many of the performances that are airing on Facebook. Come to think of it, social media is often a cringe-fest in others ways, much of the time. 
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Ain’t this the truth…
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I’m in a covers band. I sing lead vocals on probably no more than five or six songs. When I joined the band I didn’t sing at all, then I did some backing vocals, then I volunteered to sing ‘Chasing Cars’ by Snow Patrol. (When my wife heard me practicing it at home she asked “Is that the right key for you?”. I pointed out to her that “Nothing’s in the right key for me…”)
I also did lead vox on ‘Use Somebody’, which is probably not a good key for me, but we’ve dropped that song. I also do ‘Sunny Afternoon’, and ‘Chelsea Dagger’, ‘I Predict A Riot’, and the part of the dodgy doctor in ‘Comfortably Numb’.
Do I have a good voice? Well, in the sense that I have volume, and can hit and hold the notes, yes. But really it’s not a good sounding voice, and there’s nothing anyone can do about that.
Thankfully our proper singer, Jacqueline, and her predecessor Lisa, are excellent singers, so really it’s just when there’s a ‘boyish’/hooligan song that we want to do where we employ my limited talents.
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The very reason I won’t sing - my timing and phrasing is good, I can sing in tune and in harmonies. But the actual colour of my voice is nothing to be desired. Not at all.
I feel this way too about my voice, although maybe not quite so strongly-- but I just go with it anyway. And staying in my limited range is key for that…
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I kept singing at home while practicing guitar and keyboards. After a while, I started recording it (on a mono cassette recorder and cheap reel-to-reel), and after a while, I realized I could do it. Tape is brutal… there’s nowhere to hide. But, it makes you better.
However, the stage fright was ever-present, even after I was our band’s lead singer. I did acoustic duets, and a few wedding services, and sometimes I thought I would die of fright. Playing with other bands and dealing with the primadonna lead singers (who usually couldn’t play any instrument) got on my nerves, especially when I knew I could do as good, or better. And years later, I just said “screw it” and I quit worrying about it… and I got better.
Now I’ll go and do karaoke, or go onstage with a band I’ve never played with. Somehow, I pull it off.
I am more relaxed, and have enough confidence going up there that it will be OK, and sometimes great, but never bad.
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This! Whether it’s music, acting, public speaking, or any other performance, reviewing a recording is hugely educational. Forces one to take stock of the reality instead of what we picture inside our heads…
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If you can hit and hold notes in pitch, you have a good voice. Tweaking the tone of your voice is a physical exercise; it can be learned.
Don’t sell yourself short. Find, or better yet, write a song that is in your wheelhouse, and record it phrase by phrase if necessary, and comp a good vocal track. Singing with good phrasing is 90% of the battle. It doesn’t matter if it takes 50 takes. Prove to yourself you are a singer.
Attitude with a little aptitude has sold millions of records. Convince yourself and go for it.
Mick Jagger, Jim Morrison, Eddie Vedder, Kurt Cobain, Bon Scott, Dave Grohl, Elvis Costello, Jon Hiatt, Jon Prine, Johnny Cash, etc. etc. etc.
All those famous guys would have been kicked out of Glee Club.
Sing what you feel and let it rip. After social distancing, if you are in a room with 100 people, you will be one of maybe 3 who can sing in tune. The other 97 will love you.
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This should be printed on a plaque somewhere 
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Say what you will about @StylesBitchley - the man knows how to motivate a fellow. Thanks brother - I feel like that advice might just apply to any part of anyone’s life. I’ll make you a promise - the next time there’s an opportunity to sing - I’m going to take it. Much appreciated advice!
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The list goes on,
I mean… Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Lou Reed…
I know my voice isn’t particularly interesting, but I can sing in tune more or less, I can us my sense of rythm to make my phrasing stand out. I’m an emotional person, so I know I come across as real. My biggest worry is that I can’t go very high, and rock music tends to be just that. I’m still scared shitless the first few minutes on stage even at my age (63) and despite quite a lot of experience as a public speaker. Just go for it, feel the adrenalin rush and conquer your own fear. Because that’s all it is… And conquering that fear, getting a bit of applause for the effort, it’s still worth it all.
You know, I’m not sure I even really enjoy the moment, even if I’m playing well and my audience loves what I do. But I wouldn’t want to miss it. Being a musician is such a big part of who I am, even if I never got any further than playing local bars, even if people take me a lot more seriously in my professional career.
Just go for it and, shout out loud:
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