{"id":61,"date":"2012-03-27T10:51:10","date_gmt":"2012-03-27T10:51:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.erolstudios.com\/SingersStudio-UserManual\/?page_id=61"},"modified":"2019-11-21T11:57:22","modified_gmt":"2019-11-21T19:57:22","slug":"faq","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.erolstudios.com\/SingersStudio-UserManual\/faq\/","title":{"rendered":"FAQ"},"content":{"rendered":"

Can I learn how to sing?<\/strong>
\nIf you can talk, you can sing. Singing is a completely natural activity; our voices are designed for both speaking and singing (in ancient human tribes, everyone sang, not just a few “professional” singers). Singing uses basically the same skills as speech, but for singing we use our breath differently, hold sounds longer, and use a wider range of tones. These skills, as well as a practical knowledge of the tone and rhythm patterns that are used in music, can be developed with training and practice.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t I need talent?<\/strong>
\nYou may not be able to become the fastest marathon runner. However, unless you have a physical condition that prevents you from running, you can most definitely train to run marathons successfully, and get very good at it through regular exercise. Similarly, you may not be able to become the next Pavarotti; however, you can be as good as many professional singers who sing for a living, provided you train your voice regularly and with focus. Even if you’re not willing to put in a lot of effort, you can always improve from where you are, and at least impress friends.<\/p>\n

For some people, singing great does come naturally. But these people have usually been practicing since they were very young, or for many years. On shows like American Idol\u00ae, the contestants who make it past the initial auditions usually have many years of singing experience, even if they just sang along regularly with their favorite songs. There are thousands of very successful singers who sing really well without any special talent. At some point they decided they wanted to learn to sing, so they trained and practiced in order to improve their skills. Just as you can’t run a marathon without any training and practice, you can\u2019t sing well without training and practice. If you never try, you can never know what your voice is capable of.<\/p>\n

Do I need formal training?<\/strong>
\nIt definitely helps. Formal training (such as the lessons used in Erol Singer\u2019s Studio), focuses on techniques and sounds that show you how to use your voice effectively, and prevent you from making the most common mistakes in singing, such as breathing poorly and closing your throat (e.g. by letting your larynx rise up). These carefully selected sounds, which have been in use for centuries around the world, ensure that your muscles are coordinated in the most useful ways for singing. By practicing these sounds and building up the muscle memory, it becomes easier to sing other sounds as well and you have more freedom in different parts of your vocal range, such as when you\u2019re singing high notes.<\/p>\n

What styles does Erol Singer’s Studio teach?<\/strong>
\nErol Singer\u2019s Studio teaches techniques that are widely accepted as effective, and have been commonly used in voice training for many many years. The techniques are general and can be applied to all popular styles including pop, rock, musical theater, folk, jazz, R&B, <\/strong>and even opera<\/strong>. The app does not teach heavy metal growls\/grunts, as these are specialized techniques.<\/p>\n

How long will it take to learn to sing?<\/strong>
\nNo technique, teacher, or software application can make you a great singer overnight. As with any field, singing well requires regular practice. The good news is, you already know how to speak, so you are already a good portion of the way to singing. By focusing on your breathing, range, tone, and ear training, you can see quick improvements in the quality of your singing skills and impress your friends. However, to be a world class singer, you will need to spend a significant amount of time practicing and do so regularly.<\/p>\n

To motivate you, Erol Singer’s Studio tracks your progress over time, and displays how much your range and pitch accuracy have been improving in a very unique, easy to understand format. For more information on this, see Vocal Blob™ in the Session History section of this manual. In addition to the Vocal Blob shape, the app also scores your performance in the lessons that contain note bubbles, which it then displays under the name of each lesson. You can use these features to set goals for yourself.<\/p>\n

Does Erol Singer\u2019s Studio replace the need for a vocal coach?<\/strong>
\nYes and no. No software application that exists today (including Erol Singer\u2019s Studio) can replace the trained ears and individualized support of a good voice teacher. For best results, we do recommend taking at least a few lessons from a vocal coach to make sure you are doing everything right. However, you can decrease the number of hours you need to spend with a voice teacher by practicing on your own using Erol Singer\u2019s Studio. This way, not only can you practice on your own time and save money, but you also have immediate feedback on your ear\/pitch skills, which no teacher can do to the same degree.<\/p>\n

Why do I need to learn new breathing skills?<\/strong>
\nWhen we speak, we use a lot of rapid variations in the pitch of our voices to emphasize\/stress different parts of words and sentences. When we sing, we hold vowels for much longer (which requires a steadier flow of air), and keep the pitch and volume more consistent within each syllable (which also requires a steady flow of air). Both of these acts require different breathing skills than speech. Not only that, but proper breathing also relaxes the muscles and improves the quality of our voices tremendously. By adjusting the amount of air you breathe out, you can also have more emotional expression in your voice.<\/p>\n

Why do the same note names appear multiple times on the top portion where I see my pitch?<\/strong>
\nOne of the reasons why a lot of karaoke singing sounds okay (the better ones), but lacks the emotional impact of the original songs, is that amateur singers often do not realize the importance of singing in the correct octave. The same notes can be sung in various octaves, meaning they can be sung high or low while still fitting in with the instruments. Many professional singers can sing one or two octaves above their normal speech level, which allows for a lot of emotion in their singing and brings out the dynamic qualities of their voices.<\/p>\n

Unlike console-based singing games, Erol Singer\u2019s Studio is able to detect and display the octave you\u2019re singing in, so you learn what it means (and how it feels) to sing in the right octave.<\/p>\n

What will Erol Singer\u2019s Studio do for me?<\/strong>
\nBeginners:<\/span>
\n– Detect your vocal range
\n– Show you when you’re singing the right notes and help you sing in tune
\n– Teach you correct singing techniques that are widely used around the world
\n– Train your ear
\n– Allow you to practice on your own if you\u2019re shy about singing in front of others (even in your car via bluetooth*). If you use it in your car, please follow your local laws and never look at the screen while driving. You will find the exercises that are customized to your vocal range useful even without the display.<\/p>\n

* Bluetooth access requires a bluetooth device with a microphone.<\/p>\n

Intermediate Singers:<\/span>
\n– Show you what parts of your range have problems
\n– Increase your range and track your progress
\n– Improve the quality of your tone
\n– Help smooth vocal breaks
\n– Improve your musical ear<\/p>\n

Advanced Singers:<\/span>
\n– Improve your sight singing (through standard sheet music notation)
\n– Provide you with effective warmup\/cool-down exercises
\n– Keep your voice in top shape with a thorough voice exercise program
\n– Inspire you to practice intervals, scales, and arpeggios that will greatly expand your musicianship (requires the purchase of the \u201cEar Training for Singers\u201d add-on)<\/p>\n

What will Erol Singer\u2019s Studio NOT do for me?<\/strong>
\nMake you an amazing singer overnight. Singing is like any physical exercise – it requires constant training and practice. Although you can achieve significant improvements over short periods of time by following the techniques taught in this application (or any other formal vocal training), no technique, teacher, or application can turn you into a singer instantly. If you want to get good at singing, you will need to practice and practice often.<\/p>\n

Also, Erol Singer\u2019s Studio is not a karaoke game and as such does not include sing-along songs. In addition to the formal training provided by Erol Singer\u2019s Studio, we also highly recommend singing songs on your own, in a choir, with karaoke tracks, or with some fun games like SingStar™, RockBand™, GuitarHero\u00ae, and BandHero™, among others.<\/p>\n