How long does it take to become an amazing singer?
One of the most common questions I get asked by new students (and people when they find out I am a vocal coach), is how long does it take to become an amazing singer.
First and foremost, you need to define what does being an amazing singer means TO YOU. Because when you put the word “amazing” near the word “singing”, you are talking about a subjective topic. What makes a singer amazing is not something that everyone agrees on. Especially in the contemporary singing world!
So before we can explore the question “how long does it take to become an amazing singer?”, you might want to ask yourself the following questions that might clarify what being an amazing singer means TO YOU.
Defining what makes a singer amazing (according to yourself)
1-What genres of music do you most often listen to? Hint: If your answer is “I listen to all kinds of music” that probably means you don’t know many styles of music. What music do you listen to the most? Country, singer-songwriter style, R&B, rock, pop, dance, hip hop, classical, blues, Celtic? You might listen to a few different genres but there are always one or two that probably catch your attention the most.
2-What qualities do you admire the most about your favourite singers? (vocal technique, emotion, vocal style, vocal agility, creativity, on-stage performance, etc)
3-Make a list of at least three different singers that you consider to be amazing, and list at least three qualities they have that make you think that. Remember that there is no judgment here, adjectives such as “amazing” are subjective in music so you won’t make any mistakes here 🙂
BEING CLEAR in what you consider to be amazing is crucial to becoming an amazing singer. You can’t become an amazing singer if you don’t know what that means TO YOU. So first take some time to think about this, start paying attention to music a little bit more. Maybe take a few days to just listen to your chosen music and deeply reflect on what it is that makes you feel so good.
How long does it take to become an amazing singer?
Alright, so now you know what being an amazing singer means according to yourself. Now is the time to talk about the raw truth: how long you does it take to become an amazing singer? that depends on many factors. Let’s name a few:
1-Where you are now vs where do you want to be
This is going to be a different path for every single person on the planet. It is not the same to start from absolute scratch, never having played any instrument or singing before, aspiring to sing like Whitney Houston, and being an already trained singer that just needs to work a bit on their vocal style. It is not the same! And you shouldn’t get upset about being a beginner either. None of the great singers you listen to were born with the ability to sing that way. Whether trained with a vocal coach or self-taught singers, they have surely worked a lot on their craft.
So first let’s try to get a little more clear on this. Take your time to write about where you are right now in regards to singing. What are you actively doing to develop your singing? Have you ever had vocal lessons? For how long? Do you practice at home? How many times a week do you train your singing? How long do your sessions last? Do you have any vocal pathology? Do you know how your voice works? What songs can you sing comfortably? Have you ever sung in public yet?
Take your time to write down a bit more about the singer that you want to be. What songs would you like to sing comfortably? What vocal effects would you like to master? What voice qualities would you like to have? How do you want your voice to sound? What do you want to do with your singing? Singing at home, for your friends, at karaoke bars, at a stadium, at weddings?
Clarity, my friends, is absolutely essential in the path of becoming what you want to be. It doesn’t matter if your ideas change over time (they will), but you need some direction to become the singer you want to be.
2- How high is your motivation to achieve your wild singing dreams? Motivation is an important part of the process. And I am not talking here about a mysterious goddess that pops up in your life to give you inspiration when she feels like it and if you are lucky. I am talking about purposely CREATING motivation. Motivation will give you the drive you need to go after your dreams.
If you don’t work on creating motivation for yourself, guess what’s going to happen? You are going to get motivated for one or two days, like when you do your new year resolutions, then when motivation is gone after a few days you will just get lazy and not do the work anymore. NO! Singing is not about that. In fact, let me tell you that learning an instrument is not all parties and fun. All great musicians have to go through the “boring” stuff. The daily practice, the routine, the repetition, the long hours, the deep work. And that is not possible if your motivation is not high enough! You need the FUEL that motivation gives you to be able to keep going.
You can create motivation in many ways. Again, it is about what works for you. For me, it is enough to listen to a couple of Jason Mraz songs to remember not to skip my music practice of the day. What is for you? It might be watching a Lady Gaga concert, or going to a live show, or to an open mic, or checking out a music store. Whatever it is, make sure you make it part of your music practice routine. Motivated singers progress faster and better!
HINT: If every week you create a new excuse not to have done any work at all in your singing (such as “I didn’t feel like it”, “it was too hot”, “it was too cold”, “I was too tired”, I can guarantee that you are not making almost any progress at all in your singing right now. I urge you to reconsider what do you want to be a singer for; to remember your purpose, and to get the motivation you need to gain that energy back again.
3- how long do you practice for?
So you know now where you are at, where you want to be, and you are ready to build up motivation every day to get that energy you need to go get your wild singing dreams. Now comes, and this is the part everyone hates, THE REAL WORK. I’m sorry to break it to you but a couple of “singing tips” here and there will NOT make you a great singer. Singing is a complete art in itself. It requires transformation at so many levels. It is not enough to just learn a 5-minute warm-up routine on YouTube. If it was that easy, everyone would sing like Celine Dion! The good news is that you can achieve your singing dreams if you work for them. But yes, you have to work for it. You have to do what it takes!
It is said that muscle memory lasts 72 hours. This means that if you want to build new singing skills and habits, it is not enough to just take a singing lesson here and there when you have time or you feel like it. No. If you want to make the most of your practice, you have to at least practice three times a week on separate days.
The amount of time you practice is also important. You might have heard of the 10,000 hours rule to become an expert in a field. However, it is not wise, if you are a beginner singer, to try doing this in one go and practice 8 hours a day. It is not how it works. Your voice system is quite delicate and requires quite a bit of sense perception to be developed properly. At the beginning of the training, twenty to thirty minutes a day is more than enough. More than that would probably mean you are forcing your voice system and creating the opposite effect that the desired one.
Practice quality
The QUALITY of your practice is crucial as well. If you practice mindlessly you will just be repeating and reinforcing bad habits. Good practice requires you to be deeply involved in what you are doing, paying attention to the sensations, taking notes, investigating, observing what feels good and what feels wrong. No distractions are allowed in a deep practice session.
Have in mind that this particular aspect of singing is about vocal technique. Other aspects of singing require a different approach, but right now we are focusing on the absolute foundation. Because without a good vocal technique all the other aspects of singing (including creativity) will be limited, and we are looking for voice freedom here.
And if you are ready to take the next step, contact me today to get some professional voice training!
Holistic singing lessons in Auckland:
I offer professional vocal coaching in Auckland (North Shore area- Unsworth Heights) for adults, and I also offer online singing lessons for adults. My approach is integral and holistic. This allows you to do deeply work on your voice and your expression rather than doing shallow voice training that won’t create any lasting changes! You will also have the chance to take a complementary group class weekly.
Singing lessons for kids in Auckland:
I also offer voice training programs for kids and teens 8+ with the Rockschool Syllabus (all grades). Your child will have the chance to train like a pro and gain certificates that will make you proud!
We also offer singing and music lessons for super young kids (4-7 year olds) in Auckland (North Shore area – Unsworth Heights). Contact us today!
I help people to develop their voice and singing from a holistic approach. I teach vocal lessons in person in Auckland, NZ, and online. Also stay tuned for my new online singing programs!❤️
My greatest passion has always been the voice, music and energy arts.
My personal and artistic journey has led me to understand that the voice and the body are fully connected, and that includes not only the physical body but also the mental, emotional and spiritual body.
Through holistic vocal training you not only learn to become a great singer while taking care of your voice, but you also improve your mental and physical wellbeing❤️
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