I personally cannot think of a better way to share yourself to others then through singing. Your voice is used for everything and we use it continuously. But really opening up and singing is not only enjoyable but a lovely art form. This does take some practice and proper building. Your voice is your instrument. So let’s go over some singing tips.
I come from the camp that believes we all can sing. There unquestionably are those out there that have an incredible god given talent for singing but with some effort you too can get pleasure from singing. Just bear in mind that we need to work at it and exercise the voice like any other instrument.
You train your voice with vocal aerobics to help increase strength similar to how we would exercise any other muscle. This means that like any other training we need to stretch, warm up and cool down our instrument.
My absolute favorite exercise for stretching is the good ole hum. You can hum anytime and you should do it all the time. This thoroughly wakes up the chords and gives them a nice warm buzz. Now I know I don’t need to teach you how to hum but there is a correct way. Go slow and relaxed, at a gentle volume, using Mmm or Nnn. Never overdo this. We should never feel strain anywhere in the throat or neck. Our aim is a gentle and easy buzz.
Next we will practice these hums with actual scales going in both directions up and down. If you get too high and your buzz cracks, stop. Don’t look to force it up there. Just relax and move back down the scale nice and relaxed. Great singers do not force, we should never force a note out. Again we are keeping our throat and neck relaxed, never tight and forcing. Have patience, it does take time and practice to develop your voice.
So how can we sing without tightness? Well with proper breath support. Breathing is a critical part of becoming a skillful singer. You truly need to learn about your diaphragm and how to breath from it. This is the muscle that essentially pulls air into your lungs. I’m sure you had hiccups before, well the diaphragm is the culprit here.
I use the monkey “ooh ooh” for this. Try that or use the “hut hut” like a football player. If you do this accurately you should feel the pressure from just underneath your ribs. Occasionally you hear people say “sing from your belly” this is what they actually mean. Linking this muscle to your vocal flow can take practice and training but when you do your voice will flow incredibly.
Lastly remember to cool your voice down; again you can do this with hums. Taking care of your voice is a constant job. You need to keep an eye on what you eat. Milk, french fries, or spicy tacos (all my favorites) are bad for your voice. Even our daily volume when speaking should be under control as we do not want to lose our voice and damage our chords.
Singing well takes hard work and time. It is an all day job because we need to pay attention to what we eat, how we talk, and then spend time practicing. The benefits you will get back unquestionably make it worth it. Nothing can compare to letting your voice loose for all to hear and love! I can’t cover everything in an article and a vocal coach can be of great help, but hopefully these singing tips get you going.
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