Macrine (RIP) and I are in this Choir of 250 Voices, 1954, UP Theatre, Diliman, QC, Philippines
In my last blog I discussed the genetic components of musical talent and artistic abilities. Today, I will answer the question "Is being a good singer Genetic"?
"Musicians are often described as talented or gifted, but is the ability to sing a talent or a gift? Are we born being able to sing or can we learn to sing? Singing is a very complex ability and its origin may not be as simple as a matter of nature vs nurture.
Genetics undeniably play a role in singing. Your physiology affects the timbre of your voice and some singers are born with vocal apparatus that naturally makes their voice sound good. But there are many factors aside from genetics that create a good singer.
The ability to sing isn’t necessarily something you’re born with. You can be born with the right genetics and physiological features that put you at a better vocal disposition to become a singer, but that doesn’t mean singing is innate. You have to learn how to use this vocal apparatus to be able to sing.
Singing is partly innate, and partly a learnt skill. You can be born with vocal tracts that are physiologically sized and shaped to give your voice a more pleasing sound, naturally leading the way to becoming a singer. But controlling and configuring your vocal muscles in order to sing well is a learnt skill.
Singing can come more naturally to some, but having a good voice isn’t something that’s determined from the moment you’re born. Singing is something that can be learnt, taught, and developed".
Here's the article on both Macrine's(RIP) and my own singing activities in our younger years.
Macrine
and I loved singing in the choir here in Northern California. In the
late 1980's, we sang in our church choir on Sunday masses in Pinole, as
well as with the UP Alumni, Berkeley Chapter Choir based in El
Sobrante, California.
Nine years ago, we sang in our Church Choir here in
Fair Oaks. We even sang a duet of Silent Night in Tagalog at the
concert before the Christmas midnight mass. I am terrified to sing solo for the public to hear.
Macrine and I had also
organized the Marinduque Association of the Capital Area( MACA)
Christmas Caroling Group in Colesville, Maryland in the late 1990's.
Macrine
used to be a soloist. She sang soprano coloratura in her younger days.
Today her voice is ruined by her cigarette smoking. Her last singing
activity was being paid to sing for a friend's wedding in the
Philippines as well as here in US.
Personal Note: There was an incident in my singing activities that I will never forget. For some reason or another, my solo voice( Church choir) was heard for a few minutes during mass at communion time when we were still residing in Pinole, CA. The whole congregation was surprise to hear a new soloist that they have never heard before. I was frozen with anxiety that my voice was horrible, but judging from comments I heard later, my solo voice was not that bad. That was my first and last solo performance for the public in my whole life. I later learned that the microphone of the other singers were off and mine was the only one working. This is a true story. Hearing my amplified voice in the church did not sound too bad. It was terrifying but at the same time exciting to hear your own amplified voice heard by the whole congregation of more than 300 people. I am not a bad singer after all! But I am still a frustrated singer and will never sing solo again in public except in my bathroom.
https://marinduquemyislandparadise.blogspot.com/2019/10/choral-singing-reminds-us-of-our.html
https://www.openmicuk.co.uk/advice/can-you-learn-to-sing/
Meanwhile enjoy this photo from my collection.
Amoingon Sunset, Chateau Du Mer, MRQ, PI (Photo Credit-Ella Lazarte)
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