If you are a complete beginner and have never had voice or singing lessons, sang in a choir, or performed with a garage band but have a burning desire to do so, then you need to take some baby steps. Whether you want to be a world famous opera diva or just sing karaoke without embarrassing yourself then you need a few tips and singing lessons that make sense. The most important thing is that you have the desire to learn and become better.
Not everyone can learn to sing. Some people have what is referred to in the music industry as a tin ear which means that they are just not hearing themselves like others hear them. When they belt out a song they truly believe that they are singing on key and singing well, but they are just being delusional or they actually cannot tell the difference. These are two separate things. You know the delusional ones. They go on American Idol and sing horribly then get angry when Simon tells them that was horrendous. Then there are the ones that are off-key and Randy tells them they were pitchy and just not good enough, dog or other words to that effect.
With some good singing lessons a person can definitely learn to hear themselves better. One of the best ways to develop a good ear is to pick up an instrument. Guitar or piano are best because they are not that difficult to learn to play in the beginning. By singing along to the songs you learn on these instruments, unless you have a complete deafness to pitch, you will be forced to sing the note in tune to match what you are playing.
Another good technique that is taught in all singing lessons is correct breathing. If you listen to just about any song that you want to learn to sing, you will hear places where the singer stops and takes a breath. The next time you listen to your favorite singers pay attention to where it is that they take breaths and how they do it. This is a part of a technique called phrasing in which you separate the different phrases of a song in order to know when to draw deep breaths. Taking in deep breaths is crucial to singing in key and being able to complete the phrase without losing pitch.
Another point about breathing and singing is that the two are intertwined and you cannot sing without correct breathing. To sing properly any voice coach or singing instructor will give you singing lessons about breathing and singing from your diaphragm. This involves taking very deep breaths and learning to inhale and exhale all of the breath, even the residual breath that stays at the bottom of your lungs. Singing from your diaphragm is just a way to control the voice by using the air you are exhaling. As it leaves your body it passes through the vocal chords and creates the sound. This may seem vague and somewhat elementary but you need to stand up and take long, deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling for over an hour or two each day in order to learn the benefits. All of this has to be done before you even sing one note.
No one can give you singing lessons in a few minutes however. If you absolutely want to learn and you are passionate about it, you need to spend the time and money to get a voice teacher. Make sure you get references and most importantly, listen to them sing. If they cant sing, they cant teach you either.