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Chuck Stewart in Paris My wife, Sheree, took this one. LATEST BLOG: CHECK WITH CHUCK How good are online singing lessons?  The value and effectiveness of online singing lessons has everything to do with what is being taught.  The reason for this is that there is very little standardization in the arts, in general.  So, you might be getting a lesson that is fifty or a hundred years behind the times.  All singing lessons are not the same.  Shopping for singing lessons is like shopping for new and used cars.  The differences are vast.  You sometimes do not know what you are paying for until you run into the disappointment of having made a bad decision.  Some people say that the most important thing about singing is breathing.  Some say that you “sing from your diaphragm”.   Not only do they say that, they are adamant about this being the only correct way to sing, as if they are religious zealots.  They sometimes get angry when you question this.  They let you know that “everybody knows that.”  This is simply untrue.  You do not and cannot sing from your diaphragm.  Physicians have known this for a long time.  For over a hundred years, physicians have known the function of the diaphragm.  I’ve asked several doctors about this and they all agree that the diaphragm is your “inhale muscle”, not your  “exhale muscle.”   Ask your own doctor next time you get a chance to visit with him or her.  How much is a useless lie worth to you?   Here is a free online singing lesson: “Sing from your diaphragm!”  Since this is an impossible thing to do, it is useless advice.  Did you know that your diaphragm does not have propreoceptive nerves in it?  This means you cannot feel it, let alone manipulate it in magical ways to make it work upside down.   You could get a lesson on singing classical music.  What if you want to do R&B, pop, jazz, or country music?  Some classical teachers would say that what you are doing isn’t even music.  Some would say there is only one way to sing and that is opera.  Some classical singing teachers would tell you that R&B, pop, jazz, and country music is all junk and isn’t even music.  There is even a term, which I have heard from some jazz musicians use, calling classical music “legit”, short for legitimate music.  What is the rest?  Illegitimate?  Is that not at least a distasteful term?  If you do want to sing classical music, what if your teacher only teaches country?  CLICK BELOW TO READ THE REST:   LATEST AND PREVIOUS BLOGS

What is the difference between a good singer and a great singer? If you are a good singer but not a great singer (name your favorites), it is because great singers are hearing things that you do not hear.  I’ll say that again: GREAT singers hear things that you don’t!   What are these things?  Do they hear voices in their heads?  Probably not.  But they are hearing things that other people do not recognize or understand.  They are operating at a higher level of musicianship than those who do not sound great. Vocal technique, more precisely, lack of vocal technique can certainly impede a singer’s artistic expression at times but the greatest single problem is musicianship.  Musicianship is the ability to recognize, identify, create, and perform many of the smallest of details, or nuances, of singing.   Some singers do not know what these things are even called, but they still can hear and execute these things.  Other singers know exactly what they are, because they took the time and effort to learn them. Artistic acumen and talent certainly do play a part in singing and are not to be discounted, but more often than not, the single biggest stumbling block is a deficiency in musicianship.  Fortunately, this can be rectified through understanding music theory and through melodic and harmonic ear training.  This has to be done at a profound level as opposed to the superficial approach too many of us (who have been infected by bad habits in school of “studying for the grade”, instead of studying for the knowledge) have.  After gaining the knowledge, it has to be assimilated and practiced until it becomes a part of the singer and transcends mere thought.   There is a reason that music theory and piano are required and are taught in vocal performance programs at the top universities.  Even though this is done at that level, principles are omitted, causing confusion or a lack of ability to harmonize melodic lines or to write or compose songs or pieces, which have significance.  Musicianship can stretch to depths and breadths beyond what a singer actually needs but are needed by any singer/songwriter who desires a professional career.   The difference between a good song and a great song comes back to…you guessed it: musicianship.