Very much a beginner
BeginnerJon
Volume 1 Posts: 9
Howdy everyone!
I just turned 40. I've always wanted to sing, but my voice has always been pretty bad. I've recorded and listened to myself sing. My voice sounds about as good as the really bad auditions on American Idol (not exaggerating), so I'm starting from a pretty bad spot. I play keyboard on occasion on my church's worship team, and have always pushed the mic away from me when I play. Because of my years of keyboard playing, I can sing on pitch most of the time (when I can't, it more due to lack of control than my ear), but that's about it.
I'd been hearing from several different people that singing is more of an acquired skill than an innate talent, so I bought Volume 1. I've been practicing about a week now, and I'm excited about the changes I already am hearing in my voice.
My first goal is to enjoy singing when I sing in the car. Maybe after that, to move the mic closer to me when I play keyboard 
Comments
Hello, Jon!
We're excited to see you here. You're just a young pup, but we won't hold that against you! You have a long singing life ahead of you to enjoy your new voice. Your diligent and eager practice will be the key to growing your voice.
Being aware that you are starting out like the bad auditions on television is a reality check. If you can discern pitch and learn to correct it, you can learn good tone, good support, and a number of other factors that combine to make great singing.
So much of the outcome of this training will depend on your practice and implementation of Ken's lessons. Send us links to demos of you doing your exercises from time-to-time and we'll give feedback to help dial you in.
Since you have bought Volume One, you should upgrade your KTVA Forums status. Copy and paste into an email a copy of your purchase receipt and request a Forums Upgrade.
Send the email to ktvaforums@gmail.com
There are many Videos and thousands of postings you can't presently see from your "Member" login. That information will help you with your journey.
Get that forums upgrade and get after those vocal workouts. One step at a time, you'll get closer and closer to reaching for that microphone. That's really pretty cool that you have a mic waiting for you.
Bob
@BeginnerJon
If you send a copy of the email with the verification to ktvaforums@gmail.com it won't hurt anything, and might even happen today, but that's up to you.
ktvaforums@gmail.com takes a little bit of Lynette's workload and transfers it elsewhere. Either one can help you get going.
Question 1: lip rolls. Have a glass of water nearby and stay hydrated. Try lessening the volume and allowing the voice to shift on its own by just relaxing as you trill. Remember the "blowing on a candle without blowing it out" visual. Ease off on the pressure when the voice breaks. Do LOTS of lip rolls, more than one or two times through. They are great for your voice.
Question 2: Your basic vowels that Ken teaches need to be just like he shows you: AH!!! AA!!! EE!!! etc...
You will need to learn to sing with cord closure. True falsetto is done with the vocal cords slightly held apart and unclosed. That's not going to get it for singing. That will dry your cords out in a New York Minute and destroy them for singing. So when you do "It's the LAH!!! AHH!!!" you need to match Ken's tone and timbre and sing it like you mean it. That is the sound of good cord closure. That is where a huge part of your singing tone will develop from. That is the basic brick you are going to build this house from, so you don't want it to be mushy, flutey, wispy, or anything else other than SOLID. From there it can be modified and varied, but the basic sound needs to be established in the very beginning. It's like mixing concrete for a building or highway that is intended to last for years. You don't want it cracking and crumbling before it's finished.
Question 3: Stretching is OK. Straining is not. You may not be ready yet for all of the notes in the exercises. Don't worry, just sit them out and come back in when the notes are within your range. The notes will come later, as your strength builds and grows gradually. You want to avoid tension, but there WILL be some tension. It's the MANAGEMENT of that tension that makes the difference. Ken teaches us how to manage that tension. That's what all that juggling of moving targets is that is seemingly overwhelming at the moment. Taking on all of these new items will eventually become much more routine and easy for you. Not to worry. You're learning a ton of new skills now. As you can see, this is a turning point in your singing life.
Your voice will be measured from this point on. Your voice will grow. KTVA will give you tools to build that voice.
All the Best!
Bob
As you can see you have been upgraded. You may need to log out and then log back in. Now look around the forums and see what additional options are available to view.
You're all set.
Bob
Go to the Volume 1
Getting Started section. Good stuff there!