I decided that I want to learn how to sing!

I was flipping through my jazz Real Book (which contains lead sheets for many popular jazz standards) and came across the tune “I Got it Bad and That Ain’t Good” by Duke Ellington. I remember that my late grandmother, who I love very much, said this was one of her favorite songs, and I can see why: it’s a simple and heart wrenching ballad that is so beautiful – it makes me think of all the emotions relating to romance, love, loss, hope, and personal self-worth.

So I realize that learning to sing is a long and many faceted journey, of which I have taken the first few steps today. I sang the Duke Ellington tune for about 15 minutes and then thought that in order to figure out what I should focus on during my practices, I should make a recording of myself singing. By listening back to the recording I will be able to act as a more critical listener and decide what I want to change or improve in my singing.

I also thought that by posting my first singing recording here on this blog, I might inspire or encourage someone else to also take the first steps to learn how to sing. For me it is kind of intimidating to be surrounded by many good singers, each who has progressed along this journey in their own way. But I know that my sound will be unique and I know that all I will need to do is keep listening to myself and working towards the goal of finding my own voice.

Here is my first attempt at singing “I Got it Bad and That Ain’t Good” by Duke Ellington. Feel free to use the player below or get the MP3 here.