Posted in: Musicouching by Luke Goldfish on May 30th, 2008 | 0 Comments
Voice is at the same time the simplest and the most complicated of all instruments.
Everyone loves to sing: fews have the time and the self-confidence to begin taking lessons.
A good voice is a lucky blend of mother nature’s work and the singer’s: while there’s very little we can do about the first, let’s take a look at the last.
Singing is something beautiful. Some can do better than others, but we all have a voice and we all should have the right to explore it. So, as long as you feel comfortable and you have fun, you should not be ashamed to sing.
A good sound is always released, not pushed. Learn to relax your body before any performance, from a rehearsal to a concert.
Even if we don’t notice it, there are always tensions in our bodies that some stretching can help to release.
As long as you feel comfortable, you can stretch your neck drawing gently an imaginary semicircle with your chin. You should also rotate your torso or do any other light stretching exercise you always neglected in your PE class.
Having a poor posture locks the voice within the body. If you want to improve your sound, stand straight, with your chest in a comfortably high position. Don’t tense your body, keep it relaxed.
Breathing should happen at waistline level. Focus on that area and watch yourself in the mirror to make sure you don’t raise your shoulders. You want to bring gently air in the lowest part of your body.
When exhaling, keep your abdominal muscles firm but don’t lock them. Look after your chest: it should not collapse.
Doing a warm up routine can greatly improve your confidence and your performance, preventing you from sore throat or other injuries.
If you don’t want to spend money on a warm-up mp3 or cd, you can simply hum lightly on a medium range song, one that you can sing easily, and very slowly building up volume and more high notes when you feel ready. Warming up usually takes from 5 to 15 minutes.
Always look for comfort. If you don’t have a teacher that listens to you, you can use your own sensations as a feedback mechanism. When you feel discomfort in your throat or you feel that you are straining for a note, then you know that what you are doing is wrong.
Always look for the easy, smooth way, because it’s the correct one.
Don’t be fooled by the faces professional singers make. Many times they have perfect vocal technique and great acting ability. Don’t push for high notes! Higher notes requires a very small quantity of air and a very relaxed throat.
When you sing, you don’t hear what others hear. What you hear is a mix between your sound and the internal resonances of your body. If you record yourself you will have a real idea of what your voice sounds.
You can use your pc-mic, or anything else. Don’t be shocked by the sounds you will hear at first. Remember that microphones and equalizations improve the sound a lot; if you are using poor equipment don’t worry if you don’t like the sound. Use it only to check your pitch accuracy.
At the end of your singing session, simply repeat the humming you did at the beginning. This will keep your voice in good shape.
Those tips can get you started, but if you want to hear more improvements, you should consider taking voice lessons! A wise teacher can save you years e prevent errors. Choose one that can sing easily and listen to him and his students, how much effort they put in signing. The less the better.
