Singing question.

[takemyrevolution]

I'm a writer with a music-related question. I hope this is allowed.

I have a character who is a professional singer, only he went on hiatus and hasn't sung in several years, so he's rusty. I need to know how long it will take him to get his voice back into shape. As in, good enough to record an album.

Sorry, but I really have no musical talent whatsoever, so this isn't something I know. If anyone could help me out here, I'd really appreciate it.

Thank you.

Comments

[eva]

What kind of singer? (Opera, Pop...?)
What kind of training has he had?
How old is he?
Has he not sung a single note at all in those years?

All these things might influence how soon he can continue doing what he did before.

[takemyrevolution]

Rock singer. Not screaming metal, though.

He had a few singing lessons when he was a teenager, but that's about it. Mostly he taught himself.

At the time of my story, he'd be 28 or 29.

He would have hummed or sung a little just to himself, in his own house, when no-one else was around, but he wouldn't have performed in public at all, not even karaoke.

[dandelion_salad]

I would expect that as he has gotten older and continued to sing in a rock style which can wear on the voice, he may have lost access to some of his highest notes, but he should be able to sing about as well as he ever did in his low and middle range. Even just singing along with the radio, whether or not it was in public, would be enough to maintain enough skill to sing rock music (though when people sing along with the radio they sometimes pick up other singers' habits, which could be good or bad.)

He could accommodate the change in his range easily by writing songs in lower keys, or with a little more effort by playing old songs in new keys. To get those highest notes back (I'm thinking 3 to 5 notes at the top of the range) he would probably have to get some guidance and retrain himself, but it wouldn't take ages. Maybe a few months if he got good guidance and was willing to make changes.

Guidance might not be more voice lessons - it might just be a tip he picked up somewhere and experimented with until he figured it out. He would probably find his best sounds by opening and relaxing his throat instead of forcing (probably the opposite of what he thinks he should do), as well as getting more breath deeper in the body to put behind the tone.

Hope this helps - I have degrees in classical voice and also sing in different styles and have taught all kinds of students for 20 years. Good luck with your story!

[takemyrevolution]

That helps! Thank you! :D