I do sing at Mass… when there is singing. I am not quite vain enough to think that my voice is bad enough to justify silence. But parishes around here do not tend to sing during Daily Mass, and for the last two Sundays there was no music for what I can only guess was a pastoral decision to shorten Mass due to the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras.

There are some basic melodies that work with all the Divine Office hymns. Find one that works and use it so you don’t have to change what is part of the liturgy. I miss chanting the psalms very much. There are CD’s of Gregorian chant that fit with many feasts, but a simple way to start would be if there is a Benedictine monastery anywhere near you. See if you can get the dear monks or nuns to help you. Another thing you can do is to go to MusicaSacra.com which is the Church Music Association of America web site and take a look at their audio section. Learning to read Gregorian Chant is easy, but interpreting it correctly is not so easy. Fortunately there are 8 easy psalm tones to use and this is where you can get help from the Benedictines or someone in your parish who knows what to do. I’m glad you want to learn. Although I sing only at church now and in the pews and often can’t get the notes out, the music will be in my head until I die, and I’m sure God is fine with that.
God bless you.

Have you tried finding hymns you do like/know and singing them? I have a “makes me happy” playlist on my iPod which contains several hymns. Favourites include “How can I keep from Singing?” “Tis a gift to be simple” both of which lift my spirit.