Make Your Singing Voice Sound Better

Do you want to sing for a talent show? Or just to impress your friends? Follow these tips, and you'll be better than you were!

Steps

Using Your Entire Body

  1. Drink water. If you think drinking water is only good for physical fitness, newsflash: it's great for vocal health, too. Load up on the H20 to keep your vocal folds hydrated, healthy, and ready to go.
    • Avoid any liquids at extreme temperatures. Anything too cold and your vocal folds will tense up; too hot and they may get irritated.
    • If you are experiencing a tickle, warm teas or warm water with honey is fine. If you drink milk every morning, drink water after that, as dairy products coat your throat. As always, avoid alcohol. It dehydrates you and your voice.
  2. Breath down low. Most people have a nasty habit of sucking their stomachs in and breathing just with the tops of their lungs. In order to get a strong, healthy singing voice, you must utilize the rest of your lungs and diaphragm, breathing low and deep.
    • This is true whether you're sitting, standing, or lying down. While standing or sitting, place a hand on your stomach and force it out with every inhale and in again with every exhale. If you are lying down, place a book on your chest and make sure it doesn't move.
  3. Tighten your diaphragm when you sing. This will make your voice stronger. (If you don't know what the diaphragm is, look it up! It is a muscle just under the ribs!)
  4. Keep good posture. Keep both of your feet flat on the ground and imagine a string over your head, holding your body in line. In order for air to flow easily through your system, you must maintain good posture.
    • If you're sitting, don't use the back of your chair and do not cross your legs. Remember: You're using all of your lungs. Slouching makes this very difficult to do.

Training Your Voice

  1. Practice breathing exercises. A note can't be good if you can't sustain it. Before you work on your voice, you have to work on your breathing. Just like holding your breath comes easier with time, so does prolonged expulsion.
    • Start by breathing in for 4 counts and exhaling for 8. Increase the exhale by 4 until you hit 28. You're not stretching the capacity of your lungs; you are learning how to control the air.
      • Breathing out on a hiss will make it easier to control the air and give a tonal quality to the power behind it.
  2. Warm up adequately. You wouldn't start a marathon without training, would you? Your vocal folds are muscles too! Show them the respect they deserve by warming up.
    • Start on middle C and practice going down in half steps until you hit the bottom of your range, working major scales. Then, take it back up to the top of your range. Use phrases like, "Mommy made me mash my M&Ms" to switch it up from the normal solfege (do, re, mi...).
    • Practice lip trills and sirens. Start near the bottom of your range and slide your way up. This is especially useful for opening up the higher range.
      • As you do your siren, use your arms to give the higher range a physicality. Often it's easier to hit high notes if you can "see" them.
  3. Modify your vowels. Too many pop singers are guilty of being overly nasal. If you modify your vowels, your voice will have a more classic, darker, developed tone that is more likely to sound trained.
    • Practice with multiple consonants. Start on ma, me, mi, mo, moo (that's pronounced like mah, meh, mih, moh, moo), and move to ta, te, ti, to(h), too. Then on with "z," "k," and "sh." At the "oo" sound, move up or down a half step and repeat until you hit the extremes of your range.
      • Each voice has a vowel that makes it easier to reach higher notes. Experiment to see which one makes it easiest for you.
  4. Take chances. Say you have a huge break between your chest voice and head voice; because of this, you avoid those three or four dangerous notes at all costs. As a result, the quality of those notes becomes very weak. In order to improve, you must take risks.
    • Go outside your comfort zone. If you're not comfortable with a certain range or length of note, practice it. It is the only way you will get better. Control will come with time. With enough practice, you'll be able to manipulate your voice into doing exactly what you want.
  5. Sing in your range. Sometimes our voices just aren't meant for certain notes. If you find yourself straining, either drop an octave or find a note in harmony.
    • Listen to what your voice is telling you. You may want horribly to be a soprano, but it just may not be in the cards. But remember: Your range does not determine how good your voice is. Sing with what you have--don't try to be something you're not.

Doing Your Homework

  1. Find a vocal coach. Having a professional guide you in your healthy singing habits is the ultimate resource. Consult your arts teachers at your school or music stores for information.
    • Often universities have students who are training to be vocal teachers offer lessons at a reduced fee. These students are taking pedagogy classes and are anxious for students of their own.
    • If you aren't interested in one-on-one work or can't afford it, consider joining your local or school choir.
  2. Look for resources. There is a ton of information to be found online (apart from wikiHow, sadly). Search for videos, different schools of thought regarding training, and websites on extra tips and tricks.
  3. Experiment with genres. It's possible your voice isn't suited for the genres you listen to. Find songs you wouldn't normally hear on your iPod and see how your voice responds.
    • Each voice has a different quality about it. Country singers often have a twang; jazz singers are often a bit smokey. Take the qualities of your voice and run with it.
    • It is said that classical singers can sing everything, but pop singers can only sing pop. If you are looking to train, look into classical teachers to give you a well-balanced repertoire.



Tips

  • Believe in yourself! This may sound silly but if you don't believe in your success you probably won't get anywhere.
  • Sit up straight, don't lean your back on anything and make sure your shoulders are rolled back.
  • If you screech, stop and drink some water, then try again in a couple of minutes. If this happens again, the note is too high or low.
  • Sit up strait and stretch your diaphragm for better results.
  • Warm up. It always helps.
  • Try not to sing for hours on end, as that may strain your voice. You might want to take a break from twenty minutes to an hour.
  • Don't push yourself until your voice is sore. Take frequent breaks and drink lots of tepid water.
  • Always make sure you've gotten a lot of rest before you sing. If you're tired and droopy, so will your voice be. Don't try singing right in the morning. Wait at least two to three hours before you sing; do this in order to allow your voice to "wake up."
  • If your voice is just not cooperating, take a break. Your voice probably needs some rest. Try deep breathing to relax your heartbeat and lungs.

Warnings

  • Don't strain yourself. If you strain your voice, there's a big chance you'll do long-term damage that may not be immediately audible.

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