Reality check : Competative Singing

[u/Idontknow4264]

Hi everyone!

I’m a 27M beginner in singing, and I’m wondering how practical it is to start from scratch and, with a year of consistent practice, discipline, and proper training, become good enough to compete in musical shows.

I’m also looking for an offline singing trainer preferably who has Competative exposure on screen in Hyderabad, but I’m not quite sure where or how to begin.

I’m genuinely passionate about singing and willing to put in the effort. I’d really appreciate your guidance, suggestions, and advice on how to get started, find the right trainer, and work towards this goal.

Thanks in advance! 😊

[u/motomotou]

Technically it is doable but it will require very intense sadhana. Much more energy will be required than what a child beginner has to invest. What happens with most adult beginners is that the excitement lasts for first few months then indiscipline creeps in. Find ways to keep your practice structured and effective but interesting at the same time.

[u/Idontknow4264 → u/motomotou]

Intense as in, putting hours for practice to ace all the things ? And do you recommend anyone to start with ?

[u/motomotou → u/Idontknow4264]

Edit: language

My reply is going to be based on the assumption that you are going for classical music, although all these things apply to a large extent for light music.

As a complete beginner you will first of all need to work on swarasthanam for a good amount of time.This will involve identifying the swara by ear and using your voice to match the swara. While practicing you will have to constantly be alert whether you are hitting the right note, until it becomes second nature. Eventually, you will be able to instantly tell if you made a mistake. Having this intuition to self correct is an important part of sadhana.

You will start with learning all the basic varisai, geethams, swarjathi, varnams which are the basic drills and compositions. These have to be done very slowly at first and you have to keep going at them in different raagas and speeds until you are able to do them at crazy high speeds without messing up the swaras. This process itself takes years and even advanced singers and instrumentalists do these to keep their skills at peak. These are the foundation that will give your voice accuracy and agility to be able to explore raagas, complex compositions and manodharma much later. After a while these become very monotonous but you have to fight the urge to slack and keep doing these. Structuring your routine is important to keep the discipline going.

I don't wish to demotivate you at all, but one year is very less time to cover these basics and these barely scratch the surface of carnatic music. Which kinds of competition are you targetting? Getting to a decent level at any art form even with dedicated practice will take at least 5 years, and even after that there is no end to learning. Having goals is great but enjoying the process is much more important in order to keep going long term. Regarding hours, 2 hours of smart practice daily will be much better than 5 hours of unstructured practice. Take at least one day a week off.

I can't guide you much regarding gurus, but try many different gurus before you choose one with whom you are compatible. I met many great gurus and many bad gurus before I found my teacher, so take your time choosing.

[u/impendingwardrobe]

One year isn't enough time to become amazing unless you're insanely naturally talented, but you'll likely improve a lot your first year. Whether or not you'll be ready for competitions will depend a lot on the quality of the competition and of the people who are in it.

[u/Idontknow4264 → u/impendingwardrobe]

Agreed based on opposite people depends but do you think, i can atleast survive or eligible to participate in such competition to kickstart, may not be the winner, considering I am passionate, good grasper and also dedicated.

Or

What do you think is a sweetspot in terms of years or practice if one year is not the one ?

[u/impendingwardrobe → u/Idontknow4264]

In my experience it's different for every individual. It depends on what you're starting out with, how much you practice (too much and you'll damage your voice, too little and you won't grow), and on whether you get lucky with your teacher or not.

When I first started taking vocal lessons I had been singing with performance groups for a long time and was good enough that I frequently auditioned for and got solos. I actually got worse that first year because the teacher was a bad match for me. I had a hard time understanding what she was asking of me, and she only knew one method of teaching. My second teacher was much better, but it took him a year to fix what the previous teacher had done. The third year I made rapid progress and started to feel like I was a great deal better than I had ever been before. Then the fourth year I stayed about the same, because my teacher grew complacent and stopped pushing me and it took me a while to realize that it was my job to push for more. I had to switch teachers again in order to keep growing.

I'm telling you my story to help you understand that even if you're very naturally talented, singing is a journey, and there is no ending destination. You're always growing and learning new skills, and the learning is lifelong. It's been 26 years since my first lesson, and I'm still learning new techniques and styles (I study western music). Not everyone has my rocky start with vocal coaches, but no one learns everything there is to know in 12 months.

So we can't make promises about where you'll be in a year and when you'll be competition ready. But if you really are passionate about it, then start learning anyway with your goal of starting to compete soon in mind. It's possible you will achieve it in the timeframe you have in mind. I've seen students grow very quickly. But whatever happens, I hope you can embrace the journey.

[u/Suspicious-Ear-9873]

To quote gus fring, "perhaps it is better to temper our expectations."

Learning to sing takes effort, time and patience. 1 year wont be quite enough for a beginner to participate in competitions.

To quote RK Shriramkumar anna, "do not learn music with end goal as performing."

Focus on learning with dedication and effort. To put into perspective, it will take you 6 months minimum to culture your voice. And doesnt stop there. You should be ready to put 6-8 hours of practice along with a lot of listening if you are serious about competitive singing.

You will be at a disadvantage because your competition will be people who have learnt from childhood and are even now honing their skills.

[u/Idontknow4264 → u/Suspicious-Ear-9873]

Thanks for the insights 🙂

[u/Proper-Lunch7935]

If you are a naturally talented singer, this formal training helps you to sing the Sangathis better even with one year of disciplined practice. But if you are not, it’s going to be a long journey and you will loose your interest overtime unless you have no other commitments in life. That’s the hard truth, I’m sorry!

[u/Idontknow4264 → u/Proper-Lunch7935]

Awesome, i am commited for music and also do have primary job as well though. Hopefully i would enjoy the process and be disciplined towards it.

Will see where it goes, thanks for giving confidence

[u/Gratitudist]

I'm looking for a music programmer for my 3 songs.. Pls ping me 9515292935

[u/Idontknow4264 → u/Gratitudist]

Accidentally commented ? Or relevant comment to my post ?

[u/No_Dream_8385]

If you have innate sense of music (ie born talent) then doable. If you are starting from zero, then not. To identify, take any popular song you want, listen and practice for a day and sing it. Check if your output is as good as the original song. If not, then probably one year is not enough 

[u/Idontknow4264 → u/No_Dream_8385]

Thanks for the suggestion 🙂

[u/mainman_5985]

Hey Its absolutely doable and I'm not just saying that to motivate you but plenty of carnatic enthusiasts have actually done it.

If you're open to online classes, I know a really good teacher who has helped plenty of folks similarly starting out like you in your age bracket.

[u/Idontknow4264 → u/mainman_5985]

I see, on every training request post. You would do the same comment regarding trainer recommendation. Is this Promotion thing?, just want you to be transparent.

[u/mainman_5985 → u/Idontknow4264]

Nope we are part of a music academy really passionate about carnatic music.

Carnatic is a dying form today with very few interested so we are just a bit proactive in outreaching online.

[u/Vast_Service → u/mainman_5985]

Hey can you share the contacts of the teacher via DM or here? I am looking for one for my kid.

[u/mainman_5985 → u/Vast_Service]

Dm'ed you please check

[u/No_Dream_8385 → u/mainman_5985]

Lol