44-Year Old Virgin (singer)
Cheeseman
Pro Posts: 2
Hello, I'm Cheese - which is a nickname from college that's stuck with me over the years. I just signed up as a Pro member yesterday and tonight I'll be diving head first into the program. A little about me:
Music has always been a part of my life. My mom had me taking piano lessons around age 9, so I can read sheet music and know some theory. When I graduated from high school I bought my first cheap acoustic guitar and a Beginner's guitar book and taught myself. Regretfully, I really never touched a piano again, but I kept playing guitar over the years and I'd say that at this point I'm alright. I can play the rhythm to just about any song I hear and I know enough scales to string enough notes together to pass as a solo. I learned how to play guitar by listening to stuff like Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Metallica, GnR, STP, Nirvana, so I tend to play on the harder side of rock.
Of course, the missing part has always been the vocals, which is why I'm here. A few months ago I hooked up with a buddy of mine who plays drums and after a few jam sessions we decided that: a) the music we played sounded pretty good, b) we like the same styles of music, c) we both have this mid-life crisis kind of desire to get a little garage band together and play in front of friends. Hey, it's cheaper than buying a Porsche! He actually has a decent setup in his basement/studio, so we have the basic necessities of a garage band, we're just missing a few components - mainly, a capable singer.
So a couple of months ago I started some voice lessons at a local music academy. They've done an okay job of at least showing me where I am and giving me confidence that, hey, I can do this. But progress seems so slow - really, what can be accomplished in one 30-minute session a week? Plus, the lessons don't seem to have the structure of what I saw when I looked through Ken's videos in Volume 1. The lessons have been mostly, "ok, what song do you want to work on this week?" but seem to be missing the basic groundwork of warming up, correct breathing, etc. I came here not because I'm looking for a get-rich-quick solution, but because I want a more structured approach which will develop good basic technique over time.
I have, however, had a lot of fun with trying to sing, working through some Johnny Cash, Neil Diamond, and Social Distortion - nothing heavy yet, and none of it sounding great. I just had this awesome feeling the first time a few weeks ago when I plugged in my guitar, started playing AND started singing for really the first time. Playing AND singing is completely new, but it feels so good when it starts to gel - it just doesn't sound good right now, haha! But that's what is driving me - to get that same feeling I get when I sing that I do when I've just nailed a song on the guitar. One year from now I hope to be able to plug-in, crank-up, and at least put out something passable as singing in front of some friends. Beyond that, who knows? For me, it's really a hobby, but I'd be lying if I said that I didn't have this deep-down desire of being a rock star, even if it's just performing in front of 35 strangers at a local dive-bar.
- Cheese
Music has always been a part of my life. My mom had me taking piano lessons around age 9, so I can read sheet music and know some theory. When I graduated from high school I bought my first cheap acoustic guitar and a Beginner's guitar book and taught myself. Regretfully, I really never touched a piano again, but I kept playing guitar over the years and I'd say that at this point I'm alright. I can play the rhythm to just about any song I hear and I know enough scales to string enough notes together to pass as a solo. I learned how to play guitar by listening to stuff like Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Metallica, GnR, STP, Nirvana, so I tend to play on the harder side of rock.
Of course, the missing part has always been the vocals, which is why I'm here. A few months ago I hooked up with a buddy of mine who plays drums and after a few jam sessions we decided that: a) the music we played sounded pretty good, b) we like the same styles of music, c) we both have this mid-life crisis kind of desire to get a little garage band together and play in front of friends. Hey, it's cheaper than buying a Porsche! He actually has a decent setup in his basement/studio, so we have the basic necessities of a garage band, we're just missing a few components - mainly, a capable singer.
So a couple of months ago I started some voice lessons at a local music academy. They've done an okay job of at least showing me where I am and giving me confidence that, hey, I can do this. But progress seems so slow - really, what can be accomplished in one 30-minute session a week? Plus, the lessons don't seem to have the structure of what I saw when I looked through Ken's videos in Volume 1. The lessons have been mostly, "ok, what song do you want to work on this week?" but seem to be missing the basic groundwork of warming up, correct breathing, etc. I came here not because I'm looking for a get-rich-quick solution, but because I want a more structured approach which will develop good basic technique over time.
I have, however, had a lot of fun with trying to sing, working through some Johnny Cash, Neil Diamond, and Social Distortion - nothing heavy yet, and none of it sounding great. I just had this awesome feeling the first time a few weeks ago when I plugged in my guitar, started playing AND started singing for really the first time. Playing AND singing is completely new, but it feels so good when it starts to gel - it just doesn't sound good right now, haha! But that's what is driving me - to get that same feeling I get when I sing that I do when I've just nailed a song on the guitar. One year from now I hope to be able to plug-in, crank-up, and at least put out something passable as singing in front of some friends. Beyond that, who knows? For me, it's really a hobby, but I'd be lying if I said that I didn't have this deep-down desire of being a rock star, even if it's just performing in front of 35 strangers at a local dive-bar.
- Cheese
Comments
With your pro course and your desire to spend some quality time doing quality exercising and training, you have begun your singing journey that will actually take you somewhere. Follow the instructions, and come here for more info and company if you need it. There are a lot of us on this road, and there's always room for more.
This IS like studying an instrument. You get back what you put in. Work out the little details. Practice correctly. Train. Listen to what Ken says and do it.
One year from now, you will look back and say WOW!
Bob