Vocal coach for 30-year-old male aspiring soul/reggae singer.

May 29, 2009 10:23 AM

Looking for a vocal coach for a 30-year-old guy (me.) Preferably one who is hip to soul, jazz, r&b.

I love singing (been in several rock bands, sang on a few self-released albums) and have been on a massive soul/jazz/reggae/r&b kick lately. Like anyone else with blood cells, I sing along, but no way can I manage their precision/control. At age 30 and playing music as a hobby I will never be Curtis Mayfield, but I'm starting to wonder how well I could sing if I took lessons.

I'd like to find a vocal coach who is hip to this stuff instead of choral singing / opera or rock. I've thought about it on and off for years but I don't even know how much to expect to pay, much less who to check out.

If you know of any good online resources to get started, those would be much appreciated. Exercises/etc might save me a little dough and reinforce some basic skills up front.

Located in Columbus, OH if you have any specific suggestions.

posted by rubadub to media & arts (4 answers total)

Check out the bios of music professors at area colleges. They're usually posted on the college website and can give you an insight into each person's musical tastes. Fair warning, though: even if the guy's bio says he plays the sax at the local Bistro on Fridays and organized a swing band on campus, he's still 99% likely to try to train you using classical music. There's a reason highly trained musicians of every genre are instructed in classical music: it works. So if you want to sing reggae and soul, find someone who supports that goal and knows how to get you there using Bellini and Verdi.
posted by philotes at 12:01 PM on May 29, 2009

I have an alternate view to philotes. Music professors often move you towards classical training because it's what they know, and they've internalized taste hierarchies: they consider it more 'serious'--the approach rather than an approach. I don't think learning a bel canto approach is the best, or most direct way to sound like Curtis Mayfield.

I had a voice teacher who constantly tried to push me towards learning classical pieces. I love her to death, but that was just irritating.
posted by umbú at 12:29 PM on May 29, 2009

It's interesting you should mention the first and then the second - I learned classical piano for 8 years and eventually quit because the teacher pushed me away from anything interesting and towards Mozart/Bach at every opportunity.

She was a sweet lady, and I appreciate classical music, but I have zero interest in singing/playing it myself. :)
posted by rubadub at 2:15 PM on May 29, 2009

Melissa Cross is an interesting figure. She's classically trained, but developed a vocal training technique that doesn't use a classical repertoire. She has taught countless rock/metal singers to sing/scream sustainably, without barbequing their vocal cords.
posted by umbú at 8:02 AM on June 1, 2009