Far more people have likely done karaoke than a singing lesson. After all, karaoke is something fun to do with friends and it you can do it at karaoke bars or home with a karaoke machine.
Thanks to games like SingStar and karaoke apps and games, anyone can have fifteen minutes of fame, even if it is just in their home with some friends.
Karaoke is famous for bringing out every tone-deaf singer you know, but you could use it to become a better singer. You can practise singing with karaoke videos or use apps on your smartphone or tablet to get better at singing.
Who knows? Maybe next time you host a karaoke night, you'll impress with your singing.
In this article, we'll be looking at some of the best karaoke apps for learning how to sing, improve your voice, and start hitting the right notes.
Reasons You Should Use Karaoke Apps to Improve Your Singing
Firstly, karaoke apps are cheaper than singing lessons from a singing teacher, vocal coach, or private singing tutor. If you're desperate to sing but have no budget for it, a karaoke app could be a very affordable alternative.
There are plenty of karaoke and singing apps that are free but you'll tend to find that you get what you pay for and the premium options are often better.
A karaoke app won't help you do proper professional vocal warmup exercises, but the feedback can help you improve your voice and sing in tune. Not all apps are the same, though, and some are better for improving your singing while others are just for fun.
Since they're apps, once they're on your smartphone you can take them with you wherever you go. If you're old enough to remember the old karaoke machines, you'll understand how much of an advantage this is.
Last but not least, you're spoilt for choice when it comes to karaoke apps for improving your singing. Depending on how you plan to use them, there are pros and cons to each app and since most are free, have a free version, or offer a free trial, there's no reason you can't try out several ones before choosing your favourite.
Regular singing practice through karaoke apps can improve your voice but don't forget to look at the best sites for learning music theory, too.
Our Top 4 Karaoke Apps for Improving Your Singing Voice
We've checked out a few karaoke apps and here are 4 of our favourite ones and what they can do.
Smule: Karaoke Songs & Videos
This is one of the most popular karaoke apps and is available on both Android and iOS smartphones and tablets. There are hundreds of thousands of songs available in the library, but you will need to pay for the premium option if you want to be able to access them all.
The app also features vocal effects that you can have fun with and the option to record your performances. You don't have to sing on your own either, you can sing with other people online and record these performances, too.
SingPlay
With SingPlay, you can convert .mp3 files into karaoke tracks. You can also record yourself singing, add vocal effects, and share your recordings and performances on social media (if you want).
This is a particularly good option for anyone who has a particular taste in music that isn't represented by the libraries in the other apps. After all, you can use your personal music collection for the library with SingPlay.
StarMaker Lite: Sing Karaoke
This app used to be the official tie-in for The Voice. While the licensing is no longer there, all the features still are. You can sing along to plenty of popular songs from a vast library, duet with other singers from around the world, play games, and even add effects to your voice while you sing.
This app is quite gamified so you unlock content by using the app and singing songs. You can bypass a lot of this by paying for the premium version if you just want more immediate access to the content.
Karaoke - Sing Unlimited Songs (Yokee)
This app comes with a very limited free version and while listed as "free" with "in-app purchases", the free version isn't worth talking about because of just how limited it is. However, if you go straight to the premium version, you'll gain access to all the songs, vocal effects, recordings, etc.
Can You Learn to Sing with Just a Karaoke App?
There are lots of karaoke and singing apps out there and while you could certainly start singing and improving with just these apps, we couldn't honestly call them a comprehensive replacement for a singing teacher, private tutor, or vocal coach.
Even the best apps won't be able to teach you everything you need to know about singing and how to get the most out of your voice. Most karaoke apps will only be able to tell you if you were in tune while you were singing. They're not capable of providing feedback on your timbre, performance, breathing, etc.
While they're great for learning how to place your voice and sing in tune, it's worthwhile still getting a vocal coach or even taking online singing lessons if you want to become an excellent singer.
These apps are good for practising different songs outside of singing lessons and recording yourself singing is something that most singers will do as part of their training; something these apps will offer.
The apps are probably best used to complement singing lessons and exercises and are a fun way to mix up your singing practice. They're also useful tools for recording your singing exercises and practises, which you could then send to your private voice teacher or vocal coach for feedback.
The best thing about these apps is that they're fun. You're far more likely to practise singing if you enjoy it, just don't forget that there are plenty of other things you also need to be doing to improve your voice and your singing.
In summary:
- Karaoke apps are cheaper than singing lessons or a voice coach. Absolute beginners might need more than just an app to teach them the fundamentals of singing, but you can use them as a tool to help you improve or sing in tune.
- While the vocal effects are fun to use, don't use them to hide imperfections in your voice as this will stop you from genuinely improving.
- Most of the karaoke apps have vast libraries of music for you to sing along to, often with the vocal track removed so only your voice can be heard.
- Popular apps and resources include Smule, Starmaker, Karafun, Yokee, and even YouTube. Most apps are available on both Android and iOS.
- Be aware of the limitations of these karaoke apps. They're not a one-size-fits-all solution to learning to sing and you'll improve much more by using a variety of different resources and approaches.
One of our favourite ways to learn to sing is with the help of a private tutor, of course. On the Superprof website, you can search for singing tutors all over New Zealand and around the world.
Generally, face-to-face private singing tutoring is the most cost-effective despite generally being the costliest option. This is because when you pay for private singing tutors, every minute of every session is spent focusing on you and what you need to learn. Your singing tutor can also choose songs that work for your voice and adapt singing exercises to you and your preferred learning styles. They could even suggest some of their favourite singing or karaoke apps.
If you can't find any suitable local singing tutors where you live, don't worry. There are plenty of singing tutors who can teach you how to sing online. As long as you have a decent microphone, webcam, and internet connection, you can learn from singing tutors all across New Zealand and around the world. Since they don't have to travel to their students and can schedule more sessions each week, online singing tutoring is usually cheaper than face-to-face tutoring.
For those on a budget, group tutoring can be quite affordable. By sharing the cost of your singing tutor's time with other singing students, it works out much cheaper. However, you won't enjoy all the benefits of one-on-one singing tutoring.
Most of the tutors on the Superprof site offer the first lesson for free so you can always try a few potential singing tutors out before choosing the one that's right for you and what you want to learn.
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