If I practiced enough or got the right type of training, would I technically be able to sing well like some of our greatest singers? Is there an anatomical difference in their vocals cords that differentiates singers from people who cant sing?
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Professional opera singer here.
>If I practiced enough or got the right type of training
Yes, you could.
Everyone can sing, but your laryngeal muscles have to be built up just like any other set of muscles, and *very* few people have the self-control and dedication to build them up if they’re not naturally strong (and as with other types of muscle, there’s a wide variation on how people develop when they’re not focused on muscle development).
Your laryngeal cartilage also ossifies (becomes bone, essentially) around your early 30s, which permanently alters the way your voice works, one of the side effects of which is that if you haven’t been exercising your voice often previous to that, it will be almost impossible to significantly improve its flexibility.
Lastly, you use your voice a *lot* throughout your life, and you develop extremely robust muscle memory for that system within your body. All of that muscle memory affects your singing, and certain habits and memory patterns can make healthy singing much more difficult, again extending the amount of time it takes to learn.
Almost everyone can sing (“almost” because there are always biological outliers with insurmountable obstructions). Not everyone can learn within a reasonable timeframe/cost for them, and not everyone has the discipline it takes to actually spend that time/money.
Which is why I continue to get paid. 🙂
(I should add that I *also* do not have that self-control or discipline. I just lucked out on having naturally dense musculature and a propensity to scream/yell a lot as a kid. 😂)
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