"I Do Not Sound Like That!" Reaction and how a Voice Teacher Helps

Have you ever made a recording of yourself, speaking or singing, and then you hear yourself and go "I do not sound like that!"

Believe it or not, this is a very natural and widespread reaction, and it has almost NOTHING to do with the quality of your speaking or singing voice.

You see, what we hear versus what others hear is dramatically different because the process of hearing oneself is very different from hearing someone else.  When you listen to yourself, you are hearing the sound as it goes through your body and your bones and body conduct the sound.  When the audience hears YOU, all they hear is the finished product.  This is what creates the "I can't sound like that!" reaction in so many singers.  What we envision our sound to be, versus the finished product, creates a huge discrepancy to our ears.

This is where a good voice teacher comes in.  A great voice teacher, while instructing you on how to improve your sound, ALSO helps teach you to learn what a good singing tone sounds and feels like TO YOU.  Many times, this new aural or physical sensation seems counter-intuitive.  Ask any professional singer, and they will tell you their high notes often sound, to THEM, as weak, small, muted etc....but the finished product we hear is beautiful.  Over time, the teacher trains you to hear and feel your singing in a new way that is aligned with a beautiful sound.

DWS