Can't sing? Do it more often

I have found that if I haven't been singing out loud for awhile, when I do sing, I am less able to bring forth the note I hear in my head.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-02/nu-csd020615.php

Public Release: 9-Feb-2015
Regular practice may be as crucial to singing on pitch as it is for learning an instrument
Northwestern University

If you've ever been told that you're "tone deaf" or "can't carry a tune," don't give up.

New research out of Northwestern University suggests that singing accurately is not so much a talent as a learned skill that can decline over time if not used.

The ability to sing on key may have more in common with the kind of practice that goes into playing an instrument than people realize, said lead researcher Steven Demorest, a professor of music education at Northwestern's Bienen School of Music.

"No one expects a beginner on violin to sound good right away, it takes practice, but everyone is supposed to be able to sing," Demorest said. "When people are unsuccessful they take it very personally, but we think if you sing more, you'll get better."

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Singing on key is likely easier for some people than others. "But it's also a skill that can be taught and developed, and much of it has to do with using the voice regularly," Demorest said. "Our study suggests that adults who may have performed better as children lost the ability when they stopped singing."

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Only a tiny subset of the population is truly tone deaf (a condition known as amusia), which means they can't hear most changes in pitch. For these people, singing becomes difficult.

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