How to Sing
Pretty much anyone can sing. Of course, some are more naturally skilled than others, but even a poor voice can be improved with a little dedication and practice. Whether your voice graces the shower or the stage, there are several steps you can take to boost your pipes. Start with the basics, including proper posture, breathing, and vocal techniques. Once you’ve got those down, practice singing regularly. Enlist the help of a teacher, voice coach, or instructional videos so your voice shines.
Stand up straight. You’ve probably heard this command again and again, and here it goes once more. 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 equals better notes and phrases.
· 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. Try to keep your back straight, and avoid touching the back of the seat.
Find a position that makes you feel relaxed and confident. Although there are some basics you should follow, everyone is different. Find a position that makes you feel like a superstar. 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 that sweet spot.
Breathe properly. Breathing is 80% of singing–that makes your voice a wind instrument of sorts! Proper singing begins and ends with proper breathing. Work on taking deep breaths that come from the depths of your stomach. Inhale for eight counts, then exhale for eight counts. Feeling more relaxed?
Practice breathing exercises. Try the book method, which is practical and kind of fun, too. 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.
Learn to inhale quickly. To sing well, you need to learn how to gather a lot of air with a quick inhalation. With your lungs and a bit of imagination, this technique is simple. Begin by breathing in and pretending that the air is heavy. Allow it to fall deeply into 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.
· If you’re feeling extra imaginative, you can also practice pretending that your lungs are balloons that you are filling with air.
Control your exhalation. If you want to blow others (or yourself) away with a strong, smooth voice, 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, steadily exhales.
· Exhale until you feel like you’ve pushed all the air from your lungs.
Working on Technique and Vocal Exercises
Practice your warm-ups. Singing is like exercise: you should get nice and warm beforehand to avoid injury. Sing in your middle range, then low range, then high range, and back to the middle. Relax, then try again carefully. If you feel your voice begin to strain, stop and give yourself some time to rest. Be kind to your voice. After all, it’s your ticket to beautiful singing.
Work on dynamics. If your heart has ever beat a little faster when a song transitions from a soft melody to a loud, emotional chorus, you probably understand the power of dynamics. 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.
Work on agility. Sing from doing to so, 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 “voice stretching” makes for a more flexible voice.
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. Instead, you will normally encounter something called diphthongs, a weird-sounding word that simply means two or more vowel sounds joined together.
· 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”.
Practice scales. Practice these often, especially if pitch gives you some trouble. Most coaches will recommend 20-30 minutes a day when starting out, as practicing scales will also strengthen the muscles used for singing. Buff voice muscles will 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.
Practicing Singing
Set aside daily time for singing. Practice, practice, practice! To improve your singing voice, it is important to practice every day. Think of singing as an exercise for a voice. If you take a long break from exercising, you’ll be a sweaty, panting mess next time you try to exercise again. Even if you only have time to practice warm-ups in the car on the way to work, that is okay.
· If possible, set aside a specific time every day for practice. For example, if you know you will have time from 9 am to 10 am, then mark off that time in your daily planner for practicing.
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. An overused, strained voice is not a happy voice. Try to practice anywhere between thirty and sixty minutes a day. You should not practice for more than sixty minutes. If you’re feeling ill or tired, give your voice some more downtime.
· Do not push yourself if you feel that you can’t practice for thirty minutes.
Learn about singing for free. There are hundreds of vocal training videos on YouTube, filled with everything from amateur tipsters to polished professionals. Of course, the internet is a chaotic place, so finding a good vocal trainer there can be tricky. However, if you find one then works for you, they can be a super valuable resource. Look through vocal training channels and research which channels provide the most legitimate information.
· Be careful! Not all the information you’ll find will be correct, and even if you find good information, there is a chance you will misinterpret the instructions. A teacher or vocal coach is best.
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 pricey as in-person vocal lessons, but be sure to do your research to see which ones have worked for other singers.
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 the singer you want to be. Check with your local music store or your school music teacher for trustworthy references.
· Lessons can be costly. Consider how important singing is to you before signing up for lessons.
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. You might associate choirs with a church, but you can find them across a number of different organizations. Choirs are a great way to learn about singing and meet cool people who share your love for music at the same time.
· Keep in mind that you may have to audition to join the choir. Relax, and do your best. You’ve got this!
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