Learning to sing in tune - you would be surprised just how difficult it can be to sing in tune, especially when singing fast, quick notes or long high notes.
Vocal range - whatever your vocal range may be, strengthening the low and high notes is essential to get a good quality sound throughout.
Breathing - breathing from the diaphram makes all the difference when it comes to voice control, also correct air flow through the throat and nose makes a quality sound that projects.
Breathing from the diaphragm is key to singing and it is very important to do it correctly. From the moment we are born we breathe by raising our shoulders and chest so our lings fill with air. Our stomachs compress in as we inhale. When we exhale the reverse happens, the shoulders lower and our stomachs expand. We have a natural ability to do this but unfortunately this is quite opposite when we sing from the diaphragm!
Breathing from the diaphragm does not always come so easy to us and is taught to those who learn singing, woodwind or brass instruments and is used as a relaxation technique.
When you take a deep breath in, try making your stomach expand, this can be tricky at first but in doing so, your shoulders will remain steady without rising. Physically your diaphragm pinpointed just below your rib cage will expand during the inhale instead of your lungs within your chest, if you achieve this it will eventually enable you to sing notes over a longer period of time and with a better quality tone. The more practice you do the better you will get.
To help you with this exercise, it is better to stand with your feet slightly apart just wider than your shoulder width, this will steady you in case you feel a bit light headed. Place your hands on your waist with the middle fingers of each hand touching fingertips just underneath the rib cage while the thumbs face towards your back, doing this enables you to feel your stomach expand which in turn should push your middle fingertips apart so you can feel which parts of your body need to move.
Try to keep your shoulders down, stand in front of a mirror to help you. You will probably notice and feel that the diaphragm pushes out first during the inhale then the shoulders rise during the final part of the exhale. This can be eliminated with more practice. As you become more experienced, you will feel your thumbs start to be pushed out from your side waist until eventually your back actually expands too during the inhale.
It helps to paint a mental picture of a doughnut or car tyre being squashed round your waist so you have to push your stomach out and let your waist expand to break free from the doughnut or car tyre!
As you become more advanced you will find it is one thing to take long breaths as a diaphragm exercise and another to sing many notes, let alone one! This is because using many notes of different pitch, low and high uses a lot more air, consequently the air escapes quicker.
During your diaphragm breathing exercises breath in through the nose or mouth filling the diaphragm so your waist is fully expanded then hold for a count of two seconds before SLOWLY exhaling. Doing this will allow you to really feel the diaphragm full and to try and control it as you exhale as it is quite natural to just let the air escape very quickly but doing this will defeat the object of the exercise.
Breathing in from the nose or the mouth? Different singing teachers have differences of opinion on this. The main thing to remember is if you breath from the nose the air is purer and the mouth stays moist allowing you to get the correct mouth shape for the next set of words. This works well if you are working through a slow song but when a song is very fast it is extremely difficult to breath through your nose.
When you are singing a very fast song it is better to breathe through your mouth as you inhale from the diaphragm because you can draw air in quicker that way than through the nose. The air is less pure through the mouth and the air will make the mouth dryer but you would hardly notice as the breath would be so quick.
When you are nervous your mouth becomes dryer but if you are breathing correctly through the diaphragm, this will encourage you to keep your shoulders down which in turn will help the body to relax. So if you know which parts of the body need to be moving and working in the right order, you will be able to sing the song better whether it be slow or fast.
Diction - there are of course some styles of music that require no diction at all! However, to be able to hear sung words clearly is an essential part of communicating with an audience ... if they don’t know what you are singing about they may decide not to listen.
Probably the easiest instrument to get started. The voice is full of character and is the most recognisable instrument. However, it is often the most under-rated because anyone can sing ... right ... NO ... it really is difficult and takes time to learn to sing well - just as much time as if you learn to play a musical instrument like the violin or guitar etc.
Getting a singing teacher and having a few lessons can make a huge difference. Of course like any other instrument it takes time to learn, but learning the basics of singing can avoid strain and damage to the vocal chords - you can change your guitar strings but you can’t change your throat!
Singing Vowels and Useful Tips
When we speak our vowels we say A E I O U When we sing our vowels we need to shape our mouths and sing making them pronounced in a different way:
A=Ahh E=ehh I=I O=oh U=yoou
Pure vowels (one at a time) are sung to emphasize the vowel, for example, more rounded oh and oo sounds and longer shaped ah sounds. All the vowels except for the letter E, are all made by stretching the lower jaw towards the chest, keeping the front part of the tongue flat against the lower part of the mouth and opening up the throat as much as possible.
Opening up the throat If you look into a mirror and try yawning, you will see the roof at the back of the mouth rising, this is opening up your throat to sing and needs to be used in conjunction with diaphragm breathing and focusing on placing notes to obtain an overall better quality of vocal singing sound.
The vowel of E is the hardest one to sing as naturally the mouth wants to stretch into a horizontal shape, in doing this the sound will come out thin. To create a thicker sound for the vowel of E, try lowering the jaw towards the chest as you would for the other vowel sounds, at the same time lower the front of the tongue behind the lower front teeth and say eh. Now compare these words by singing them in your usual way to the new vowel shaped way:
Me=Meh See= Sey
If sung correctly, you should hear a definite thicker sound.
Diphthongs (composite vowels) need to be analysed first. It is best as a general rule to sing as long as possible on the first vowel sound then change to the second vowel just before the next syllable.
Check the lyrics on any song you like to sing and analyse how you would sing them. Checking the song lyrics like this can be quite revealing how you would create a better sound for yourself.
Useful Tips Try and warm up first by doing breathing exercises from the diaphragm and long warm up notes or scales. It is always better to stand up and sing then to sit down. If you do have to sit down, keep your back straight and legs uncrossed, let your diaphragm use it’s full capacity without any obstructions.
Do not use a full voice during rehearsals prior to a concert or service. Always breathe properly but only use half the vocal power, you need to retain your full effort for the main event, not for the rehearsal!
Practice singing in front of a mirror, check your shoulders remain down, head up and pronouncing your sung words properly.
Lastly, enjoy singing! If you sing the song and understand the meaning of the song, you will express yourself better and give your audience a more pleasing performance.
