Sing

Singing is the one talent virtually everybody possesses. Of course, some are more naturally skilled than others, but even a poor voice can be overcome by dedication and practice. Whether you are content to sing in the shower or perform on the stage, there are things you can do to improve your voice. To learn to sing, set the foundation, learn healthy singing habits, and improve your stage presence.

Steps

Learning Proper Posture and Breathing

  1. Stand up straight. Correct posture is important for a singer to reach their full potential. Stand tall with one foot slightly in front of the other one and feet shoulder width apart. Make sure that your chest is high to give room for your lungs to expand and contract. This allows you to breathe easily and reach maximum lung capacity, which results in better notes and phrases.[1]
    • If you're sitting, the same things apply. Move to the front half of the seat, and keep both of your feet flat on the floor. Don't cross your legs. Keeping your body in line allows for more control and sustained singing without strain. If you are sitting, your back should not touch the back of seat. It should be straight.
  2. Find a position that makes you feel relaxed and confident. Although there are proper techniques, the exact position that you sing in can vary from person to person. Of course you won’t sing at your best from a slouched position, but singing with an extremely straight back may feel uncomfortable for you. Try singing in different positions until you find the one that is best for you.[2]
  3. Breathe properly. The voice is best described as a wind instrument because breathing is 80% of singing. Proper singing begins and ends with proper breathing. Begin working on breathing properly by working on deep breaths that come from deep within your stomach. Work on inhaling for eight counts and exhaling for eight counts.[3]
  4. Practice breathing exercises. Try the book method. Lie on the ground and place a book on your stomach. Sing a comfortable note, and when you are exhaling/singing, try to make the book rise.[4]
  5. Learn to inhale quickly. To sing well, you need to learn how to gather a lot of air with a quick inhalation. To practice this, begin by breathing in and pretending that the air is heavy. Allow it to fall deeply within your body. Then, breathe in faster, still imagining the air as heavy, but let it fall deeply into your body at a faster rate. Continue to do this until you can take in a lot of air at a quick pace.[3]
    • You can also practice pretending that your lungs are balloons that you are filling with air.
  6. Control your exhalation. You should work towards a smooth and sustained exhalation. To do this, practice exhaling by blowing on a feather. Take a feather and try to blow it in the air with one, long breath. As you are doing this, your abdomen should begin to return to its normal size, but your chest should not collapse. Repeat this exercise until you are comfortable with long, steady exhales.[3]
    • You should feel as if there isn’t any more air in you, and you need more as soon as you finish exhaling.

Working on Technique and Vocal Exercises

  1. Practice your warm ups. Before you begin singing or doing practice exercises, it's always best to warm up. Sing in your middle range, then low range, then high range, and back to middle. Relax, then try again carefully. If you feel your voice begin to strain, stop and give yourself some time to rest.[5]
  2. Work on dynamics. Even the simplest use of dynamics will make your songs come alive. The more you practice, the louder and softer you'll be able to sing healthily. Start singing a comfortable pitch and then crescendo to loud then decrescendo to soft. When you start out, you will probably only be able to sing from mp (mezzo piano or moderately quiet) to mf (mezzo forte or moderately loud), but your range will increase with practice.[6]
  3. Work on agility. Sing from do to sol, back to do quickly back and forth, trying to hit all of the notes. Do this in increments of half steps on different syllables. This will help your voice become more flexible.[7]
  4. Pronounce your vowels correctly. Practice all of your vowels at every pitch (high, low, and in between). There are very few pure vowels in English. Normally, you will encounter diphthongs which are two or more vowel sounds joined together.[8]
    • Some pure vowels to practice are: AH as in "father", EE as in "eat", IH as in "pin", EH as in "pet", OO as in "food", UH as in "nut", EU as in "could", OH as in "home".
  5. Practice scales. Practice this often, especially if you have pitch problems. Most coaches will recommend 20-30 minutes a day when starting out, as practicing scales will also strengthen the muscles used for singing and give you better control. To practice scales, identify your range (tenor, baritone, alto, soprano, etc.) and know how to find the notes that cover your range on a keyboard or piano. Then practice the major scales in every key, moving up and down using the vowel sounds.[9]

Practicing Singing

  1. Set aside daily time for singing. To improve your singing voice, it is important to practice every day. Practicing singing is similar to exercising your body. If you take a long break from exercising, your stamina and overall ability suffers until you start practicing again. Even if you only have time to practice warm ups in the car on the way to work, that is okay.[10]
    • If possible, set aside a specific time every day for practicing. For example, if you know you will have time 9am to 10am, then mark in your daily planner that you will use that time for practicing.
  2. Practice for a short amount of time. Instrumentalists may be able to practice for hours at a time, but that isn’t the case for singers. You will strain your voice if you use it too much. Try to practice anywhere between thirty and sixty minutes a day. You should not practice for more than sixty minutes. The time you practice may fluctuate due to things like illness and fatigue.[11]
    • Do not push yourself if you feel that you can’t practice for thirty minutes.
  3. Learn about singing for free. There are hundreds of vocal training videos on YouTube, filled with everything from amateur tipsters to educated, professional singers. It can be tricky finding a good vocal trainer on the internet, but it's a great way to find out if you like being taught how to sing. Look through vocal training channels and research which channels provide the most legitimate information.[12]
    • Be careful because not all of the information is correct and even if you find good information, there is a chance you will misinterpret the instructions. This is why a teacher or vocal coach is preferred.
  4. Purchase an at-home singing course. There are also a few at-home vocal training courses out there, such as Singing Success, Sing and See, Singorama, and Vocal Release. They are not as costly as in-person vocal lessons, but be sure to do your research to see which ones have worked for other singers.[13]
  5. Take lessons from a professional. If you are dedicated to singing, consider taking professional lessons. Find a vocal coach or qualified voice teacher who can help you become a better singer. Check with your local music store or your school music teacher for trustworthy references.[14]
    • Lessons can be costly. Consider how important singing is to you before signing up for lessons.
  6. Join a local choir. If you cannot afford a teacher, or do not want the dedication that comes with hiring a professional voice coach, consider joining a local choir. Choirs are often associated with the church, but you can find choirs outside of religious organizations. Choirs are a great way to learn about singing and engaging with a community.[15]
    • Keep in mind that you may have to audition to join the choir.

Tips

  • Drink warm tea with honey or room temperature water when you are thirsty. These help with dryness and the tea can soothe your throat.[16]
  • Avoid smoking as it may damage or harm your vocal chords.
  • Clear your nose if it's congested to avoid a nasal undertone or breath shortage.
  • Don't try to sing higher pitched until you warm up and are ready for it. It's bad to strain your vocal cords. If you know you have a long part next as you sing, breathe in deeply then sing it.

Warnings

  • If your voice begins to hurt, stop singing for an hour, warm up, and then try again. Not only can you damage your vocal chords, your voice will sound stressed and unpleasant if you don’t take a break.
  • If your voice or throat is really hurting and you notice that you can't even speak without your experiencing pain, do not use your voice at all. You need to be silent for the rest of the day. Drink lots of warm tea and, if you have a steamer, steam for 20 minutes. Consult a doctor if the problem persists.
  • Pre-existing tension in your jaw, shoulders, neck muscles and all surrounding areas can hurt you. Make sure you are completely relaxed before you sing. If your jaw is wobbling while you are singing, that is a sign of tension in your jaw, and this can result in muscle tissue tearing if it continues.
  • If you are trying to sing a low note and produce a raspy sound, you are damaging your voice. This can cause harmful nodes. A node is like a callous on your vocal cords, and it won't go away without surgery or prolonged vocal rest.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://cmed.faculty.ku.edu/gummposture/posture.html
  2. ↑ http://ivorysmith.com/teaching/essays-on-vocal-technique/breath-and-pos%C2%ADture/
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 http://www.dummies.com/art-center/music/singing/breathing-basics-for-singing/
  4. ↑ http://www.dummies.com/art-center/music/singing/breathing-basics-for-singing
  5. ↑ http://blog.sonicbids.com/top-5-exercises-to-warm-up-your-voice-before-a-show
  6. ↑ http://takelessons.com/blog/singing-exercises-for-dynamics
  7. ↑ http://blog.sonicbids.com/top-5-exercises-to-warm-up-your-voice-before-a-show
  8. ↑ https://spinditty.com/learning/How-to-Sing-the-Five-Basic-Singing-Vowels
  9. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgimvuugWus
  10. ↑ http://takelessons.com/blog/how-to-improve-your-singing
  11. ↑ http://takelessons.com/blog/how-to-improve-your-singing
  12. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phq3AABNfIE
  13. ↑ http://deviantnoise.com/singing-lessons/
  14. ↑ http://www.singingforaliving.com/articles/faq/
  15. ↑ http://www.rylanholey.com/2012/06/top-10-reasons-why-you-should-join-a-choir/
  16. ↑ http://www.voicecouncil.com/honey-lemon-for-singers-fact-from-fiction/
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