Several things have brought this to my mind lately.  My grandson was visiting; I was singing without thinking about it while I set the table for dinner.  Grampy was humming something in the den;  and Grandson asked, "Why do you and Grampy sing all the time?"   And when I thought about it, I don't think I have ever heard either of my grandchildren singing spontanously. 

And after I watched the video of Chansen's son's funeral, I realized that I missed the singing.  Yes, there was music - several appropriate pieces - but no choir singing, no group singing. 

When I was at the Irish Rovers farewell concert last fall, one of the best things was when they invited the audience to join in on the choruses - Green Alligators and long necked geese, and Wasn't that a party?    But maybe the Irish Rovers appeals more to my generation.  Maybe young people aren't as apt to sing.

ps.  I can't carry a tune - so I usually only sing in my own home or car.

I sing a lot at home. My kids don't care much for my singing but that doesn't stop me. My wife sings in the choir and enjoys singing but doesn't sing as much as me at home. Sometimes while I am at home a song will pop into my head and I will sing one or two verses because I usually forget the lyrics.

I sing all the time. Even at work, I always thought it was because I grew up near "Motown". Don't ever turn on any Motown music around me because I won't be able to control myself.......that includes dancing.

We always had muscians around the house growing up.

I love church music and singing in church, but I really can't sing. I especially enjoy following a tenor so I am happy if there is one seated nearby. 

I sing-a-long to the radio, television, cd's, etc.

I also like audience participation at concerts.

I (and a few other members of my family) break out in song if someone in casual conversation says a phrase that is in a song, or something is happening (examples - if someone said they had a trailer for rent we would sing "trailer for sale or rent, rooms to let fifty cents". If it started to thunder we might sing "and there was thunder thunder over thunder road").

I sometimes sing in the shower but not regularly.

I sing at church.

I never pass up an opportunity to sing someone Happy Birthday.

I sing when I'm scared.

I sing around the house and in the vehicle (when someone is driving too slow I will sing "come on people now smile on me brother").

I am not a very good singer on my own but an do okay if someone else is a good singer.

I've only done karaoke once in my life ("It Was The Summer of 69")

Some of my fondest memories of my dad were when he would whistle around the house.

I hear it in my head but when I open my mouth something different comes out. I love TRYING to sing.

Rachel and I sing a lot, but it's mostly made up words to different tunes.  We sing about whatever we're doing.  We also sing "Too Busy Being in Love" before bed every night.  I generally don't sing in public, though, and I think most people would be grateful for that if they heard me sing.

Exactly this.  I sing all the time, but I'm not very good at remembering lyrics so I just make up nonsense.  At the moment I'm using the tune of "Don't Go Breaking my Heart" a lot!  I don't care who is around, but I do tend to sing most around the house.

I have been in the church choir on and off, but as an alto in a small section I have difficulty.  I can't read music so I rely heavily on those around me and my memory of how the harmony should sound.  I do alright.  But if the tenors are singing in my ear, I find myself drifting to join them...

I really think we are related somehow, crazyheart :)

Usually when I sing it sound ok to me - especially if I'm singing along with a group (rarely happens), or with a CD.  But the few times I've heard myself when something is recorded and played back I immediately recognize that 'someone' is flat.  (I can also tell if someone turns and looks at me - it isn't someone wondering where that beautiful voice is coming from.)

Still,I sing.  

Oh what a beautiful morning ....

When I spot roadkill - Dead skunk in the middle of the road ...

Crossing a river - Bridge over troubled water ...

Camping songs

and hymns

Hi seeler,

It depends.  Sometimes I make up songs about what I am cleaning and how disgusting it is for my own amusement.  I made a song up that I used to sing to my first daughter when I changed her diaper.  It is now forbidden by same daughter.

It depends on the acoustics of the shower stall.  If the acoustics stink definitely no.  Best shower acoustics I have sung in are the showers at Camp Ryerson.  They also had the best hot water heaters so I could sing all afternoon.

It depends on what is playing.  If it is Weird Al I crank it up and join in.

I have.  It isn't my favourite form of entertainment.

Sing around a person?  Like taunting them?  My wrestling team loved the cheers I made.  I used the tunes from other school's cheers so had to be careful where I used them.

The first was (sung to our wrestlers who just lost a bout):

Its alright.  its okay.

We never liked you anyway.

The second sung to wrestlers about to compete:

Beat em black.  Beat em blue.

If you don't win then we'll boo you.

I think they were more mood breaking than cheer leading.  Rumour has it that they were not passed down to succeeding generations of wrestlers.

It depends on how well the audience sings.  When my son and I went to the Weird Al concert at Massey Hall I sang along to everything.

No it still happens.  Maybe not as much but there are still places where it is very present.

In our house it is usually a lap top open to favourite tunes (regretably One Direction is a favourite-ugh) and my requests rarely if ever make the play list.  Nobody wants to hear the theme from Rocket Robin Hood or Dodo the kid from outer space.  Every now and then I will get the Roger Ramjet request through.

Last Thursday evening I was thwarted in my every effort to get something by the Monkees on the play list.

What can I say.  Musically my girls are Philistines.

Grace and peace to you.

John

I sing a lot at home, and so does my wife. She is also belongs to a community choir.

We grew up in a musical culture (Germany) where music and song were appreciated by almost everyone, and singing was a compulsory subject in elementary school.

I don't think there is anyone who can't sing. But many of us never practiced it a lot, or where discouraged by being told "you can't sing!" Singing is just musical speech, and the talent for speech is genetically hardwired into our species. Some human speech is slightly rythmic and musical already, and we pick this up involuntarily as we learn to speak. Singing is just speaking a little more musical.

English happens to be a not very melodious language. But if you listen to a vowel-rich language like Italian, then you can hear the music in the language.

La bella musica, governs in Italia~~~

Arminius - you state 'I don't think there is anyone who can't sing.'  I have heard this before.  I don't believe it.

Rhythm - yes.  I get that.  But distinguishing one note from another - no, I simply can't do it.   Hit a C on the piano.  It sounds like music.  But unless I see your fingers on the keys, I don't know it is a C note.     Sing a note and ask me to sing it after you - I do and it sounds right to me - but flat to anyone else.   I can tell that the scale goes up or down, higher or lower, but I can't distinguish the notes.

When I was in Teachers College our music teacher would do an exercise that consisted of him playing two notes.  We were expected to tell how far apart they were on the scale.  I was puzzled.  How could we know when we couldn't see his fingers on the keys?  How come the rest of the class could when I couldn't?  

He tried to show me individually after class.  Yes, I had learned the names of the notes.  I could do it standing beside him watching him play - yes, his right thumb is on the C and his pinkie is on the G.   He thought I was catching on until I told him I couldn't do it unless I saw him play.  Turn my back and I couldn't do it.  He found it hard to believe.

I had the same problem trying to learn French.  I didn't hear the differences in the sounds.  Louis and lui sounded the same to me.

I don't believe Ì`m stupid.  I am sure I was motivated to learn.  I love singing - and I wanted to learn French - but I just couldn`t do it. 

So I sing alone.  My family and friends tolerate me singing along with them.  I try to stand near a powerful voice when singing in church so I can blend my voice with her (provided she isn`t singing too high). 

But, let`s be honest.  Some people either don`t hear music the same as others, or they can`t reproduce it.   You don`t expect a colour blind person to learn to distinguish red from green, although they might distinguish different shades of grey.  Maybe you can`t expect a tone-deaf person to sing.

I sing when I can, usually accompanied by music. (CD, choir director, etc) Doesn't everyone sing in the car? My drives between BC and AB often include a loud radio/CD with me singing along. The Woman to Woman CD is one of my favourite, since I used to be in that choir. Pinga too. I don't sing in the shower, or spontaneously around the house.

I would say I have a well educated ear. If I am in church and the musician is playing what is written in the printed music, I can pull out the alto and sing it. I do need to have the notes there as guides. I did audition for a big choir where one test was to identify notes played on the piano without looking. I was usually close....if they were in the alto range, and I could hum and identify the note by feel. I can guess intervals fairly well, partly because I was told a few tricks. For instance, the first interval in "Oh Canada" is a minor third.

Kids get taught colours and shapes. Not as many get taught sounds. I also think that just about anyone (I've met a few who make me question this) can learn to sing. Being exposed to music at a young age helps.

I used to sing a lot around the house until my children told me it embarrassed them.  "No one else's mom does that!".  I tried to get some singing into road trips but the kids refused to join in once they started school.  Now I'm just out of the habit.

A conversation with a group of Hutterites (who sing a lot - and beautifully) found me asking "What do the people who can't sing do when your activity is singing?".

They looked at me puzzled.  "Everyone can sing!  It is easier for some than others but everyone can do it.  We start singing as children and are sent to stand beside an adult who has a voice like our own.  Then we try to match our voice to theirs.  It always works..  Singing is a group activity and the biggest challenge is for those with strong voices.  They have to work hard for many years to have their voice fit in without dominating".

Well, seeler, you do sing, so you can sing—just not as good as some other people.

We should refrain from measuring ourselves against the high achievers. You write beautifully, and this may come natural to you, but marginal writers may envy you, and hopelessly aspire to your level of skill, and say resignedly that they are just not talented in writing.

We can't all be equally talented at everything, and I think talent is overrated. I heard one music teacher say "There is no such thing as talent, there is only practice, practice, practice!" This, of course, is not quite true. She only drove home the point that talent is generally overrated.

A choir director once told me if you don't know the words or the tune, sing "Watermellon, Watermellon, Watermellon"

I was told that if you can't hitthe high note, open your mouth wide and look enthusiastic.

northwind, are you talking about F an Gs?

I love to sing. Perhaps not particularly well but with enthusiasm if I am in the mood.

I sing alone when doing house work, in the shower at the gym, at work, on car rides with kids..... I got this from my mother and grand mother who sang often and I still love some of the old ones you don't hear as often now e.g. "A Bear Went Over The Mountain", "You Are my Sunshine", "you Can't Go To Heaven (in a rocking chair)", and with a piano "Tunes of Glory", "Around the World (I Have searched For You)"... It makes me smile to think of these songs as it brings back happy memories of being a kid.

I quite enjoy singing at a concert but I will try to refrain from singing unless the volume is very loud or the audience is invited to join in. In fact this month I am going to a Grease sing-a-long, it should be fun.

I sing less than I used to.  It's better for me not to, too much strain on my vocal chords.  I don't think everyone can sing, because I have lived through days when I can't, so I know for some it's never possible, at least not in the conventional sense.

I've been told I have perfect pitch at some point, but it doesn't apply to my voice.  It just means I can tell how off key I am!  lol

Before I had to watch the inflammation I would sing loudly.  When it comes to karyoke I'm a firm believe you either need to be good or be amusing by giving it your all.

I might be. :) I was a second alto (lowest female voice) in a choir. Our director thought we'd be able to sing the g that is perched on the top of the treble clef.....you know then one the sopranos complain about. Sheesh.

I just caught myself singing "May the Bird of Paradise fly up your Nose"  as I unloaded the dishwasher.  I have no idea why that old song popped into my head.

Thanks seeler now I won't be able to get it out of mine.

out of your nose, John?