Learning to sing can be intimidating and frustrating at times. Mastering the technical aspects of controlling your voice doesn’t happen overnight. The following are this month’s 10 best singing tips to improve the quality of your singing voice.
#1-Stick to the basics
Many of us would love to sing like our favourite rock star or even belt out some verses like Pavarotti, however, when you’re learning to sing the best idea is to keep it simple.
Choose songs to practice that is within your range don’t try to overextend your voice by screaming or shouting, which can hurt and damage your vocal cords.
#2-Relax your mind and body
Whenever you panic or tense up, all hell breaks loose. Staying relaxed when you’re singing will allow you to feel your range more comfortably and hit higher notes. You can sing with more volume as well when you’re completely relaxed.
As soon as you tense up, your breathing becomes short and shallow. Your muscles contract and you hold tension within your entire body.
Breathing exercises work wonders in ridding your body of tension. Take some deep breaths, loosen up and enjoy the feeling of singing relaxed and free of worry with no cares in the world!
#3-Listen to a variety of music
Do you listen to a few different genres of music? You should! Listening to different types of music expands your horizons and opens you up to new sounds and styles of singing.
Hearing the different vibrations that other music is able to achieve will open your mind to new possibilities and possibly teach you a thing or two about yourself.
#4-Choose an idol to emulate
Do you have a favourite musician? Emulate them to learn their style and get good at the things they do well in their vocal performances. Master their songs so you can take the best they have to offer and turn it into your own.
There’s a reason why professional musicians are so good and sometimes it’s not always clear to us how they do what they do. Trust your instincts, use your imagination and become your own version of your favourite vocalist.
#5-Warm up your voice before singing
Every music professional does it, heck, every athlete does it too. Your warm-up is an important part of your routine that gets your vocal cords ready to work. You can avoid damaging your vocal cords by doing a proper warm-up before every practice and performance.
This is especially important before taking a singing lesson with your vocal coach. Why spend the first 15 minutes trying to get to the point where you just start to perform? Spare your singing instructor the frog voice and get right to the good stuff by warming your voice up before a lesson.
#6-Cool down your voice before singing
No matter whether you’re doing a yoga class, running the track or playing a tennis match, your body responds well to a cool down. In the same respect, you should always do some cool-down exercises with your voice after going through a vocal workout.
Singing from the highest notes in your range to the lowest notes. Give your voice that extra attention it needs by humming low pitches as your cool-down exercise. This will re-lubricate the vocal cords and reduce any potential harm you may have caused by overuse.
#7-Sing with your mouth open
It sounds like some common sense rather than one of the best singing tips you should consider. You can improve your singing voice by keeping your mouth open with a space of at least two fingers while you’re singing.
Try this exercise as a way to practice this technique: Open your mouth as wide as it goes and sing the vowels A-E-I-O-U without closing your jaw whatsoever.
The chances are you can’t help but close your jaw when you get to the O-U! Put two fingers in your mouth (after sanitizing or washing thoroughly) and try not to let your mouth close.
This exercise will improve the volume in which you sing as well as give your voice a fuller sound.
#7-Fluctuate your volume
Have you ever spoken with someone whose voice never fluctuates? They will put you to sleep from boredom! Of all the best singing tips you read, this should come naturally.
Monotone speaking is the distant cousin of singing with the same volume throughout an entire song. If you want to be a better performer, mix up the volume you use at different points within your song.
Save the most volume for the parts you sing with more emphasis. Try to read into the context of the song and use the level of volume that’s most appropriate for each segment and verse.
#8-Believe in what you’re singing
This is where you can really take your performance up a few levels. Music is a form of expression. The way you deliver the song can make it more or less believable for the audience.
Believe in every word you’re singing in order to make your performance more authentic. When you understand every lyric you can attach an emotion that’s being expressed. Make sure you’re not just going through the motions and that you’re going through e-motions!
Your audience will thank you with the enhanced intensity of their applause.
#10-Be the most confident person on earth
This is one of the best singing tips of all time. Nothing looks better than someone who believes in who they are and what they’re doing. With a world of confidence behind your back, there’s nothing you can’t achieve and everyone believes it, because you believe it.
Singing requires you to have tough skin when you’re first learning. Accept the fact that you’re going to make mistakes and sing right through them.
Review where you need to improve after you get through your song.
Even if you’re not confident in your voice just yet, pretend it doesn’t bother you and own it. Pretend like it’s the most precious gift in your possession.
The expression “Fake it till you make it” is actually quite powerful if you apply it correctly. Use this attitude to overcome a big part of the fears and performance anxiety you might have when singing in front of people.
With consistent practice, it’s only a matter of time before you learn how to sing with vocal control. Everyone can do it so don’t sell yourself short by letting fear slip into your thoughts.
Confidence is priceless and yet it costs you nothing.
If you want to get the best singing tips to improve your voice, book yourself an assessment with Shania Twain’s former vocal coach, Ian Garrett.
Check our availability in Mississauga ON, Oakville ON, or Toronto, ON.