Singing is an art that’s admired by many but has been mastered by a few. It is a feat that most people do not even know they can achieve. If you have admired singing for long and want to learn how to do it right, this is the article for you. The following tips will help you become the pro that you have always wanted.
Quick Navigation1. Learn to Breathe2. Learn how to hold a microphone.3. Be confident.4. Sing as often as you can5. Ensure your voice is strong enough before you start singing 6. Be the lead singer every chance you get7. Open your mouth wide enough8. Master the Right Posture9. Drink a Lot of Water10. Get advice from a professional. 11. Record yourself while singing and get to know your voice. 12. Know the lyrics by heart 13. Don’t strain your voice 14. Learn how to control your tongue.15. Smile a little 16. Cool down17. Know your audience.18. Ignore any mistake.
1. Learn to Breathe
This is one of the most important steps. As simple as it may sound, it is a technique that you must give the importance that it deserves. Take time to learn it. Breathe deeply and evenly while singing so that you are able to control your voice with much ease. You will also be able to hold stronger notes for longer. The following tips will help you master how to breathe properly as you sing;
- Always remember that the key to breathing properly lies with how you position your diaphragm.
- Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. Think of your voice as a wind instrument that’s let out by the air that you breathe out.
- Practice breathing in with both the nose and the mouth at the same time while singing. This will enable you to have enough air
- Control how you release air, slowly exhaling so as to make your tone more even when you sing.
There are also various exercises that you can do to improve your voice by strengthening your abdominal, lower back and the intercostal muscles. These are the muscles responsible for balancing the diaphragm. Learning how to hold your breath even for ten seconds will help accomplish this. Always remember that you need air to sing, so conserve it. If you master this, you will have the right foundation as a professional singer.
2. Learn How to Hold a Microphone.
If you are using one, hold it slightly away from your mouth, about a half an inch to one inch away. This will help capture your voice perfectly. The louder you sing, the further you should hold the microphone.
You can alternatively move your head slightly to the right or left, but as soon as you begin to hit the lower tones, move your head closer to the microphone.
3. Be Confident.
Confidence is the rule of the game. If you get tense, your muscles will shrink and there will not be enough air released through the mouth. This will make your tone weak and will be reflected on your voice. If you feel nervous, do the following as soon as you get to the stage:
- Take a deep breathe, exhale out, look horizontally ahead and try not to focus on the audience that’s watching you.
- Square up your shoulders, lift your chest and head high enough to project some confidence. Clear your mind of everything else so that the only most important thing for you at the moment is singing.
- Move around abit, shake your hips a little as you dance and before you know it, you will feel relaxed
- Familiarize yourself with the stage. Before you perform, come earlier and test yourself. This will you get to know your stage and when you finally go up for the real performance, it will feel like you have been there before and hence build your confidence.
4. Sing As Often As You Can
Sing in the kitchen and in the bathroom, sing while doing laundry or dusting the house.Try practicing in front of the mirror and sing before your friends as well. This will help you get used to it and thus perfecting your voice tone as well as improving your vocal chords.
Just like the muscles, if you don’t sing as often, your vocal chords will become weak and dried up. However, be sure to practice the right techniques and form so you don’t get used to singing poorly. As they say, practice makes perfect.
5. Ensure Your Voice is Strong Enough Before You Start Singing
Getting a strong voice requires a lot of effort and patience. As such, you will need to take voice lessons from a professional. Just like you would stretch before playing a sport, your voice needs some warm ups too. Do some humming and make even some nonsense noise. You can also sing some of your favorite and easier songs to get yourself comfortable before going for more challenging ones.
When hitting the higher notes, lower your larynx just enough not to let the veins on your neck pop out; lift your cheeks and the upper jaw. Likewise, when singing the lower notes, do not lower the larynx but rather lift your sound high enough and sing from the expanded throat.
6. Be the Lead Singer Every Chance You Get
If you are singing with others, take charge of the melody and let others do the back up and blending. Taking charge and keeping the audience engaged and entertained is a sure way to build your confidence as well.
Always remember that singing is not an overnight project; it takes a lot of time and practice. So do not shy away from the microphone and with time you will learn the art and sing like a pro.
7. Open Your Mouth Wide Enough
Keep your tongue forward as you open the back of your mouth, almost like in a gentle yawn, otherwise, your voice will get trapped and you will hardly be heard by your audience. In order to do so, follow these steps;
- Massage your face muscles to make them relax and get rid of any tensions.
- Try to yawn and drop your jaw at the same time.
- Yawn from inside the mouth without opening the lips. You will feel the muscle stretch and open as you start to yawn but by the time you finish yawning, the muscles will be too tight.
- Know the difference between dropping your chin and opening the jaw. Do not confuse the two, do the later.
- Place your index fingers on both sides of your head and just in front of the ear and then open your mouth until you feel a hole. That means that your jaw has opened up enough and you should be able to sing well.
8. Master the Right Posture
Always watch how you stand while singing. Remember, bad posture can cost you a great singing. When you breathe, the air travels directly from the lungs through to the mouth. As such, a bad posture will easily block the air and thus making your voice sound crooked. To achieve a perfect posture, follow these steps;
- Always stand with your legs slightly apart, roughly a shoulder-width apart.
- Gently lift your torso up and let your shoulders relax and stretched back so your lungs can have enough room. Try to keep your stomach flat too.
- Keep your head up and your chin parallel to the floor. This helps release pressure from your vocal chords.
- If you prefer to sing while sited, make sure you sit upright so your diaphragm is not compromised. However, your body type should determine whether you are better of singing standing or sitting. If you have a bigger belly, you will find it hard to sing while sitting.
9. Drink a Lot of Water
When your body is hydrated, the mucous membranes, which are correlated with the vocal cords, work better. These cords are coated with mucosal lining which protect them from the everyday friction caused when we use the voice. When you drink lots of water, it is absorbed by the stomach and distributed throughout the body.
Drink at least thirty minutes to your singing since this is the approximate time it will take for it to reach the larynx and hence useful to your voice. Room temperature water is the best for the vocals. Not taking enough water causes the mucous lining to become imbalanced. Singing causes a lot of friction to the vocal cords and can easily swell hence will not vibrate as are supposed to. This can even lead to a more serious health problems.
10. Get Advice From a Professional.
You can hire a voice coach or take a course on singing. If you don’t have enough time ormoney to get a coach, there are various online courses that can be beneficial. Better yet, study other professional singers. Go to YouTube and pick your best, mimic how they sing and perform. Learn how they pose and breathe while on stage and take some notes. This will go a long way to making you one of them while saving a lot of your money and time.
11. Record Yourself While Singing and Get to Know Your Voice.
This is the best way to understand where you stand in the profession. Be your own critique first before you let others in. Do your best performance and record it then listen to it over and over as you make the necessary improvements. You will be surprised at how you thought were good at it, but this will help you identify your problem areas. Acknowledge where you nailed it as well.
12. Know the Lyrics by Heart
By mastering the lyrics, you will not be thinking about what you are going to sing next and concentrate on how to sing it best. Singing is a language, and if you want to become a pro in it, take time to memorize and learn every detail.
Practice as often as necessary and be expressive on every word in the song. Sing from the heart and by heart. If it’s a happy song be happy and if it’s a sad song be sad as well. Connect with the song emotionally and you will be sure to carry your audience along with you.
13. Don’t Strain Your Voice
If singing makes your body pain, especially the throat area, then you are either singing out of your range or just not singing right. Support your voice by breathing and don’t let your vocals do all the work. Don’t sing too loud either. Always sing within your range and remember no matter how good you may be at controlling your breath, you might still fail to hit some notes.
14. Learn How to Control Your Tongue.
While singing, bring your tongue forward and let it touch the bottom of your lower teeth. This will leave enough space for you to let out air, hence making your voice sound more vibrant. If you want to make a deeper classical voice, just pull back the tongue a little towards your throat.
15. Smile a Little
When hitting a higher note, smile a little, not necessarily because you are happy but because it helps to open up your mouth and allow more air space without showing your audience that you might be struggling.
16. Cool Down
This is just as important as warming up your sound cords. Before going to stage, take about five to ten minutes to rest your voice, especially if you have been practicing prior to your singing. This enables your vocal cords to rest from fatigue.
17. Know Your Audience.
It is important to take time and know the kind of audience you will be singing to. Are they young or old, are they the kind that will dance in excitement or sit still, if you analyze this well enough you will choose your songs accordingly and avoid embarrassment. At the end of it all, it’s an entertainment and you don’t want to bore your audience.
18. Ignore Any Mistake.
Sometimes, you may find yourself forgetting the lyrics or mixing them up. Do not panic because that will only make it worse. Ignore and act like that’s how it was meant to be. They might not even notice there was a mistake.
Singing, like most things, is an art that can be mastered. If you have a voice then you have the most important tool. Take time to learn your voice and know the kind of songs you are good at. Follow the above advice and pay attention to the simple details and you will be sure you are on your way into becoming a pro.
