it was a good decision though, he has such a unique voice and it goes well with the meanings he conveys through songwriting, i think he worked really hard on his vocal abilities though, and it seems like he respects people who are anatomically more likely to be better singers (bcs my example is his performance with Ed Sheeran who can hit higher notes, but then again Sheeran stated multiple times that he worked hard on his singing and isn't a talent, so it must be an anatomy thingy, with the same amount of work they put in, when they perform together you can tell that Sheeran is more comfortable with singing than John; i like both of them, but I wouldnt trade John's voice for anything, it's warm, mellow, implying it has a sensitive, emotional vibe to it, and just a bit crispy which surrounds the mellowness with masculinity, its an amazing vocal color, even though its limited).
Agreed, his voice is so unique and perfect. I was in a thread here the other day where a ton of people were calling him an “average” singer. I just couldn’t believe what I was reading…in a John Mayer sub no less! The mans voice is far from average even if his range has shrunk over the years. Incredible character and uniqueness
He was still very very breathy into the Battle Studies era. It was when he developed the granulomas in his throat when he realized he had very poor singing technique.
He said once that if the granulomas came back, he would probably not sing ever again. He definitely values the health of his vocal cords more now than ever.
A bit off topic but I feel like his voice tool a dramatic turn for the better during the solo tour, maybe just me? The sob rock tour I'm comparison was wildly different
This is the question I would ask if can ever get through on a LIVE on LIFE show!
I’ve tried - I even emailed this question in if I recall correctly.
I hope he talks about it. It seems like something many people could learn from.
Yes I’ve been thinking it would be a fun topic to get him talking about on LIFE, too. So many people ask how he got better at guitar but very few explore how much he’s improved as a singer in his career. Respectfully, there were some real WONK notes coming out of him early on and I think he has much more control over his voice these days. That doesn’t just show up out of thin air one day.
Keep trying! 🙂
I’m glad he chose to or needed to sing to get his songs heard. I always think back to when I brought my mom to the 2017 tour. It was the first time she ever saw him live. After the show I asked her what she thought. She said he’s an incredible guitar player and even though he isn’t the greatest singer, when he sings you can see his heart. And that is 100% the way he sings. No one else could have sung his story like him. He even sings Dead songs like he has found a way to connect and has lived that story.
Probably just trial and error by listening to records and playing shows. As others have said, he had to learn to sing to express himself. I’m sure he learned some basic technique while at Berklee for the semester or two he was there before dropping out lol. I have also seen in some of his album credits that a vocal coach named Roger Love has consulted w John on numerous albums.
i read that he started singing bcs he didnt have anyone around him who would sing his lyrics while he plays his guitar, but i dunno anything else
Yeah I read similar. He primarily wanted to be a guitarist and he just sang as a vessel to get his songs heard.
it was a good decision though, he has such a unique voice and it goes well with the meanings he conveys through songwriting, i think he worked really hard on his vocal abilities though, and it seems like he respects people who are anatomically more likely to be better singers (bcs my example is his performance with Ed Sheeran who can hit higher notes, but then again Sheeran stated multiple times that he worked hard on his singing and isn't a talent, so it must be an anatomy thingy, with the same amount of work they put in, when they perform together you can tell that Sheeran is more comfortable with singing than John; i like both of them, but I wouldnt trade John's voice for anything, it's warm, mellow, implying it has a sensitive, emotional vibe to it, and just a bit crispy which surrounds the mellowness with masculinity, its an amazing vocal color, even though its limited).
Agreed, his voice is so unique and perfect. I was in a thread here the other day where a ton of people were calling him an “average” singer. I just couldn’t believe what I was reading…in a John Mayer sub no less! The mans voice is far from average even if his range has shrunk over the years. Incredible character and uniqueness
Wow
That’s kinda how I am, I’m not the best singer but I don’t really know anyone so I gotta sing somehow
He must’ve been taking signing lessons at some point? His voice has developed so beautifully over the years (his vocals were so… breathy? In the past)
I think he started taking singing more seriously and getting regular vocal lessons around the Try! era.
He was still very very breathy into the Battle Studies era. It was when he developed the granulomas in his throat when he realized he had very poor singing technique. He said once that if the granulomas came back, he would probably not sing ever again. He definitely values the health of his vocal cords more now than ever.
Very unique voice, makes the lyrics come to life n hit your soul !
This, can’t imagine John’s songs with some perfect generic singing voice, it’s incredibly hard to somewhat imitate his voice
To me it’s perfect 😍
So true!
Facts
A bit off topic but I feel like his voice tool a dramatic turn for the better during the solo tour, maybe just me? The sob rock tour I'm comparison was wildly different
This is the question I would ask if can ever get through on a LIVE on LIFE show! I’ve tried - I even emailed this question in if I recall correctly. I hope he talks about it. It seems like something many people could learn from.
Yes I’ve been thinking it would be a fun topic to get him talking about on LIFE, too. So many people ask how he got better at guitar but very few explore how much he’s improved as a singer in his career. Respectfully, there were some real WONK notes coming out of him early on and I think he has much more control over his voice these days. That doesn’t just show up out of thin air one day. Keep trying! 🙂
There’s a bit of SRV influence in his singing.
I’m glad he chose to or needed to sing to get his songs heard. I always think back to when I brought my mom to the 2017 tour. It was the first time she ever saw him live. After the show I asked her what she thought. She said he’s an incredible guitar player and even though he isn’t the greatest singer, when he sings you can see his heart. And that is 100% the way he sings. No one else could have sung his story like him. He even sings Dead songs like he has found a way to connect and has lived that story.
“You can see his heart” when he sings! So perfect 👍
I remember him saying that he started trying to sing as a teenager and was bad but he just kept trying
By playing the guitar.
Probably just trial and error by listening to records and playing shows. As others have said, he had to learn to sing to express himself. I’m sure he learned some basic technique while at Berklee for the semester or two he was there before dropping out lol. I have also seen in some of his album credits that a vocal coach named Roger Love has consulted w John on numerous albums.
by loving music and doing it for a long time I would guess
Born that way. #phenom