How do you know if you’re a good singer?

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Now I know the answer might seem simple: You’re a good singer if you don’t sound like a dying goose; You’re a good singer if people tell you are.

But sometimes people tell white lies; maybe you’re an ‘okay’ or ‘not bad’ singer, so they tell you you’re ‘good’. Our voices sound different to ourselves in every day conversation compared to when they’re played back on a recording, so how can you really tell if you’re a good singer or not?

You see a lot of people on shows like American Idol where they’re not-so-great at singing but honestly believe that they are. So how does someone really know?

Category: Tags: asked July 22, 2013

6 Answers

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I don't recommend you ask friends or strangers -- friends will never be impartial, and the only feedback the internet is going to give you is a mix of undeserved insults, completely irrelevant nonsense, and perhaps a small cultish following of devoted fans, depending on how much publicity you get. Instead, I'd try to keep a few things in mind.- The quality of being a "good singer" is totally subjective. Many people love the work of Alicia Keys, for example, while I'm pretty certain she's actually tone deaf, and hearing her sing always makes me cringe. (Sorry to any fans here -- I don't mean to offend.) Whether you've mastered the technical, fine points of singing or don't even know what they are, whether you can do any cool 'tricks' with your voice or have a more subtle, subdued way of singing, if you have a very distinctively unique voice or can convincingly imitate others', there will always be people who love you for what you can do and people who will hate you for what you can't.- Rather than looking for feedback from others, think about trying to get some feedback for yourself. I love to sing, mostly to myself as a hobby and not something I take too seriously, but one way I tend to be able to tell if I can sing a song 'well' is if it's difficult for me or not. This mostly works with songs that aren't of my own creation; it's best if I can sing with the song playing in the background a few times. If I notice I'm having trouble hitting the right notes, or sustaining them for long enough, or getting my timing right, I know I'm not singing the song 'well'. After that it's usually just a matter of practicing, and listening to the particular song as much as possible. As you're able to do this with more and more songs, you won't need to do it as much; it will become automatic.- Here's something that can both help you with the above AND get you some feedback -- of a sort -- from someone else: the Internet is stuffed to the gills with singing tutorials, lessons, tips, and tricks (don't bother with the shifty ones you have to sign up and / or pay for; those, I don't doubt, are scams waiting to happen. Check YouTube and such for free, safe ones). I personally find these much nicer than a live coach: they're more portable, they run on your schedule and can repeat or skip lessons as often as you'd like, they're more objective, and they'll never criticise or belittle you, even if your singing isn't perfect. They'll also give very general advice, so your voice's uniqueness won't be stamped out. If you find that the tips given in these videos are for things you can easily -- or at least successfully -- do, whether or not you use the same methods, you're probably a 'good' singer.
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If you want to know if you're a good singer, try singing in front of your friends and see what they say. Before you sing, ask them to give you their honest opinion or sing in front of your family to see what they say. Good luck!
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Uh honestly, if you REALLY wanna know. Post a recording of yourself on the internet, they'll tell you the honest-to-god truth.
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My 2 pennies worth here,as I love to sing and I watch all the singing shows that come on Tv and I'm always told Ive got a good voice.. But! ...that's not to say my voice is any good for making records or being on TV etc .It might just mean ,its pleasant to listen to and doesn't hurt other peoples ears
When it comes to family and friends telling you,dont believe every thing they say,because they don't hear the same as others as they have an emotional attachment to you..
This doesn't mean they are lying,but they cant always judge properly as their emotions are involved. They all mean well and think their loved ones sound good,and you possible may,but as you and I know just by looking at auditions on these TV shows,the really bad ones that sound like dying goose and come off crying also get told their voices are good by their family and friends and don't understand why the judges boo then off .
Besides having some singing lessons,and see what the coach says,I agree with perhaps recording your voice then putting it out there and see what happens.
There are some lovely voices we here ,you might have one of those,but I suppose it depends if you want to know as a general thing,or for professional reasons as you haven't mentioned that.
Good Luck!
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i would sing a recording and post it on the internet for feedback if you are considering a career involving singing but personally it doesn't matter, if you like it then sing it shouldn't really matter how you sound, my mother is tone deaf yet she still sings anything and everything so sing if you like it and who cares what other people think :)
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Ohmygosh, I didn't expect so many answers, but thanks a ton guys!:D I do enjoy singing, but was more so just asking in a general way as the question popped into my head. After reading what you all had to say however, I think I'm actually curious to give some of those suggestions a shot.
As far as getting a stranger's professional opinion; I'm in agreement with the necessity of a non-bias opinion, but at the same time, singing in front of strangers can be the hardest part of all:'D