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I'm starting to work on a song, and it is quite daunting. In fact, I'm not even sure if I should even pursue it. At what point do you guys decide enough is enough when trying to learn a new song and decide to move on? Would you consider having to rigorously practice a single song for 2 or 3 weeks just to be able to sing it through as excessive? I'm a bit curious as to what you think.

Great topic! I've wondered this too. For me personally, the answer would be never. I never stop working on songs. I've been working on two songs in particular for about a year. I don't practice and practice until it becomes daunting. I'll run it through and decide what parts I need to work on and then practice using whatever special vocal exercises I've researched (ya gotta love the internet) and a vocal coach friend of mine will give me tips and then I'll practice while I'm doing just about anything, cleaning, dishes, going for my jogs, driving, yard work. I go back and forth to these two particular songs in between learning other more easy songs and most of the time I do notice little improvements here and there. I'm in no hurry. Patience for me is the key. If it never happens, I'll be singing with the angels before I realize it..

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Sometimes, it's a good idea to walk away from a song you're having difficulty with for a few days, or even a few weeks and come back to it "fresh."  Also, how are you approaching it?  Do you sing through the whole song every time, or do you break it down into sections?  Do you have access to a piano/keyboard and the ability to at least plunk out your own notes?  What is the specific difficulty you are having?  Is it a question of the notes, lyric, where your voice fits with the accompaniment, etc?

There are certain things which, at some point, you may realize it is just beyond your ability - usually things like notes that aren't really in your range, or a vocal agility that you just may not have.  Beyond that, you should be able to work through most other issues.  It's just a matter of determining WHAT those issues are and what works for you to "fix" it.

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"I hold the key to an open door....will I ever be free...?"

Since I am a relative beginner, I have often run into this. There are quite a few songs that were simply beyond my ability before I learned proper breath support. Some very simple-sounding ones, too.

Ever wonder why you never hear about the biggest country hit of the 1980s, "Forever and Ever Amen", at karaoke? It's because it is a deceptively hard song to sing. I tried it early on, and realized I simply didn't have a chance at it.

I put the song away for a year, and now I can sing it with ease. Same with "Wichita Lineman", another song you don't much hear. Great song, hard to do.

Basically, if I can't even begin to do a song after listening to it and running through it a few times, I give up on it. If I am close, I keep trying. I can tell the difference.

I record as I learn a song, and tricky bits aside, if I dont like what I hear of the basics, I dont persue it. If my voice grates on the melody then its a no go for me. If the grassroots are there then I will work my butt off with the rest

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"Be who you are and say what you feel... Because those that matter... Don't mind...And those that mind... Don't matter."

That’s a good question. I just tossed a song I was working on after realizing that it just didn’t sound good for a female voice, no matter how well I sang it. Some songs sound great for a man but very monotone for a woman’s voice. To be sure, I did a very rough draft and sent it to a friend whose opinion I trust and he agreed, so I tossed the song. I really liked the song but I didn’t love it so much that I felt compelled to finish it. There really wasn’t much room to play with key changes and whatnot.

I think it’s such a personal decision. If you love a song and you want to master it, go for it. Perhaps (if you’re like me) by the umpteenth time you sing it you’ll decide you’re sick of the damn thing and move on to something else, or come back to it later with a fresh outlook.

I did not say "GOSH DARN" DAMMIT!  LOL

Thats a decision your heart will make. Dont strain on one song sing something between your style and capability. The more genres and styles you master will make that certain song easy with time. There are certain songs I will never be able to sing the way I want One is Conway Twitty Its Only Make Believe. Another is unchained melody. Some Roy Orbison. But Im not going to worry about them.  Its like golf once in awhile you hit a hole in one.


We had a young crowd tonight and my host was blowing them away and usually I am too but I was more concerned with other things and was sitting there analysing the sound and other things .  I had a song in and I told greg let me do  Chattanooga Shoeshine Boy He didnt have a clue along with everybody else what it was. They went absolutely nuts!!!!

When singing get serious with the heart not with logic BS or trying to analyse it. Your heart will tell you what to sing  :whistle:

the song

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Most songs I can't sing well at all to begin with. That may be due to not knowing the song, or having allergies, or a bad singing day, etc as well as just not having practiced execution of a song and it's difficult parts over enough.

There are some songs I sing now fairly well that IMO I thought I would never be able to sing at all. Usually the problem has to do with high notes, but sometimes it is timing, or intensity / volume issues.  Basically I like to listen to a song until I am very familiar with it. As a cover having it memorized is essential for quality execution. Next I sing it over and over again. Some songs are easy and ready same day. Others in 2 or 3 weeks or months, and yet other songs are still on the drawing board. An example song for me would be 'Dream On' by Aerosmith. While I can sing it some now, I still don't execute it good enough for prime time in my opinion and it's been a few months of off and on practice.

In my opinion some songs / notes / timings can be learned and eventually mastered, but sometimes notes are simply out of our natural range. For those songs I would give up if my voice continued to break on certain notes after trying repeatedly different means to make those notes properly. Sure, possibly I could key change, but I prefer not to 'cheat' and do this for covers. The exception would be for a female vocal I would switch the key.

So, the short answer is I move on and give up when I've finally convinced myself after numerous attempts and after listening to recordings that I have little to no chance of ever pulling a song off well.

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The Truth Is Out There

I agree with Morgan Lefey= I record it after I learn the basics...then I decide it its a "No go", a "go but needs some serious work". or a "heck yeah"! Some No Gos for me were
Pink Cadillac, Freeway of love, and You'll never find another love like mine
didn't matter what key I did 'em in- the way the song flowed into various ranges just didn't work in my voice and I didn't like the song enought to try harder to make it work

There are many that were "yes with changes"-My sub of  reasons by earth wind and fire was one of these- after I quit trying to do the falsetto thing like they did and lowered it  to a sexy( to me) rich take - it came together. A few of the Chaka Khan songs also fall in this group-I can hit the notes like her- BUT when I do it it just sounds piercing.... not all "cool trumpet-like"- like they do when Chaka does...these I'm still working on because I love Chaka!

I'd say the only difference between these two( the no go- and the yes but needs work)  is how much YOU love the song. Every song I have truly loved I refuse to put away until I figure out a way to MAKE IT sound good when I do it. But I also have to qualify that by saying I am beyond stubborn and persistant. The sub's I had up from Dreamgirls of "I am Changing" and "and I am telling you"? I Sh!t you NOT--- took TEN FREAKIN YEARS to learn...but they were SO worth it! And they will always be in my top favorites to sing BECAUSE they WERE so much trouble. I value them because I had to WORK for them. The sub I just posted of "feel the fire" I worked on for 7 years performing it every chance i got until I came up with what I felt was a "winning" combination. Songs that I can do right off the bat never are my favorites because they don't challenge me That means that everyone and their brother(or sister) will ALSO be able to do them just as easily. Anything worth having is worth working for. JMHO

Based on that I'd say if you love the song- NEVER put it away. Take a break if you have to but if you like it that much then it will be worth it to you to keep at it bit by bit until you have it.

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OH, now THIS I can answer one of two ways !!

Either

1)  Before I begin

2)  After listening to the fiasco


Seriously, this is an excellent question.  What I wonder is how can we know when I song, or creative version of a song just doesn't work for us despite how much we want to be able to pull it off..  In my case NONE of the songs I love work for me at all.  I KNOW this, and have been told this in most cases HOWEVER, it doesn't stop me from enjoying singing them for MY own comfort and pleasure... (again, as long as I don't dare play them back I just can't hear how awful they actually are)..

NOW,  regarding making songs my own ?  This as well as other threads recently within the singers forum have given me a new thought... Trying just that. Actually allowing room for ME and MY VOICE in certain songs I like, surely I must have enough ability to handle being able to do this

My situation is quite different,  How do I know if there's a song I like that IS for me   They all sound like crap when I play them back.  Perhaps I was cut out to sing Gregorian chants.

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