I was asked a question recently about what are naturally good singers born with that makes them “good” and others not so much.
I said, “Oh! You’re talking about the ‘it’ factor.”
Then I went on to explain that the fact is, everyone is born with “it”. Some people simply develop it faster than others.
“It” is simply the ability to conceptualize what and how to sing. The greater ones ability to get the concept of how to sing, the better they are at it. The better concept one has of how to sing the better they can do it.
I can prove it actually.
If I say to you that using an atlatl improves your accuracy and power, I’m sure that most of you would say “huh?” because you have no concept of what an atlatl is or does.
Now I tell you that an atlatl is a primitive tool used in dart and spear throwing that increased a hunters aim and power. And if I gave you an image you would be able to get a good enough concept to understand what I was talking about.
atlatl
Then if you went out and actually used one, you would have an even much better concept the next time I was talking about an atlatl. And then if you practiced with it, you could become an expert.
The process then for someone who wasn’t born with the natural concept of using an atlatl (if there is such a person) would be:
Become aware of
Define
Develop a limited concept
Use an actual atlatl
Develop a full concept
Get the concept of using it with a target
Hit the target
Learn, think, do. Simple.
Buttercream Cake
No different than baking a cake or driving to the store or walking out your door to run errands. You get an idea or concept of what you are going to do before you start right? It’s true.
If it weren’t, you would constantly walk around in life with that feeling you get when you walk into a room and not remember why you did.
The degree of concept you have of baking a cake is based on your experience of baking a cakes. The more cakes you have baked the better concept you have of how to bake them, and the better you are at baking them.
The point in fact is, we get a concept before we consciously do anything and singing is no different.
” Naturally good singers” simply develop a strong concept of relative pitch and conceptual placement earlier than others. They have a natural concept of sound and frequency separation and an ability, through practice (nobody escapes some practice) to reproduce those frequencies with their voice.
But anyone with the ability to speak can learn to sing.
Here is a book on how to do just that.
And here is an article citing the science behind conceptualization.
