Podcast

 

Properly Relaxing

Singing is supposed to be very relaxed, but for some reason many people tense up when they are preparing to sing. That is just the opposite of what you should do. The only thing that should remain strong and stiff is your diaphragm. Before you sing, take a deep breath, to calm yourself, and take a good singing posture--feet apart, shoulders straight (but not tight!), hands by your side, eyes looking straight ahead (or at whatever you are singing to). Some people think this is all you need to do, but that is quite wrong. You have to remain relaxed while you sing, as well. A major factor in doing this, is using the right muscles. Do not use your jaw, or the muscle right below your jaw when you sing. Your jaw should be open, and the only time you should move it is when you have to shape the words you are singing. Do not try to stick your jaw out to help you sing; it doesn't sound good, and it's incorrect. Also, do not use the muscle behind your jaw to help you get volume. There are other ways to get volume, and that way will not work well. Though you may be used to it, it is harder to do, and you can feel your muscle being used. When you sing, you should not feel any muscles in your throat being used. If you can feel anything like that, you are singing incorrectly, and you need to try singing differently. It will be difficult to not use your jaw and that muscle at first, but the more you practice, I promise, the easier it gets! something that helps a lot is pushing your chin straight back. When you sing, you will sound different, but you are supposed to.

Vocal Warm-Ups

A big part of singing is the warm-ups that you do beforehand. You can still sing OK without them, but you will sing so much better with them! The first ones that you do are the relaxation ones. Take a deep breath through your nose, then exhale strong (using your diaphragm!) out of your mouth. Do this about three times. Then take another deep breath through your nose. Exhale slowly through your mouth. Try to go longer each day, but don't go too long! Breathing is more important than holding your breath! Repeat this exercise about two times. Then slowly rotate your head. Roll your neck all around slowly, and breathe slowly, through your nose.
When you are finished with the relaxing exercises, go on to the scales. Sing scales going both up and down to the very limits of your range, but don't strain your voice. Try not only singing "aaah" or "oooh" but also try things like "ti te ta" or even vibrating you lips by blowing air out through them. The "ti te ta" exercise helps your pronunciation of vowels, and the vibrating lips exercise loosens your lips and makes it easier for you to shape the letters.
Remember to warm up before you sing!
 

How to Breathe When Singing

Many people breathe as they do every day when they sing. They often breathe through their mouths and don't really think about it at all. But when you breathe as you sing, it should not be through your mouth. This is because when you breathe through your mouth, it dries your throat and windpipe. It is harder to sing with a dry throat and mouth, so rather than breathing through your mouth, breathe through your nose. It may seem silly and even hard at first, but the more you practice, the more it becomes a habit. Soon, when you sing you won't even have to think about it!
Also, when you breathe your ribcage should expand and you should not raise your shoulders. This gives you more of a relaxed look, and when you are relaxed you are able to sing better. It also puts you in a better position to project your air, and the sound travels better. Again, practice makes you not have to think about this after a while.
So the next time you are singing in a choir and people ask you your secret, share with them the way to breathe properly while singing.

Perfection in Piano

There is a difference between knowing how to play a piano piece and knowing how to play a piano piece well. Knowing how to play a piano piece is knowing how to play it smoothly, knowing how to hit all the notes, and knowing how long to hold the notes, so on. But playing a piece well is very different. If you know how to play a piece well, you not only hit all the notes correctly for the right length and play it smoothly, but you add feeling in the music. If there are dynamics written into the music like pp or f or rit., those were put there for you to follow. If there are no dynamic notes for you to follow, you can always make the piece more interesting by slowing a certain part down, or making a certain part just a little bit louder. Then even though you may be playing a really simple song, you will have perfection in the music!  

How Do You Not Strain Your Voice?

There are many steps to not strain your voice, and if you leave one out, you can damage your voice. The first step to not strain your voice is to relax your body. Even though it may not seem like there is a big connection between relaxing your body and not straining your voice, there really is. For example: if your shoulders are tense, you will not only look tense, but sound tense. Try laying your shoulders in a comfortable position and not locking your knees.

Once you are relaxed, practice opening your throat. If you can put your throat in the position it is in when you throw up but without yourself, that is the way it should be. It will take practice to get used to this position, and even more practice to get used to singing this way, but it is the way to not hurt your voice. The reason you put your throat in this position is because it moves all the muscles in your throat out of the way so the sound and travel straight without getting caught in your throat.

After your throat is opened and ready, practice breathing. When you breathe, it should be through your nose and expand your ribcage, not your stomach. It may be a bit hard at first to get used to and make a habit, but it really helps a lot! Also, as you breathe, make sure your shoulders don't move up and down with your breaths.

Lastly, project your voice correctly. Picture the sound sitting in your forehead. Act like it will only leave your mouth correctly if it travels up through your forehead and straight forward. Picture something that you are singing to, and don't let the sound go anywhere else but there. No matter how high or low the note that you sing may be, the sound should never leave this point.

Don't forget to absolutely use your diaphragm for support, and you won't strain your voice anymore as long as you do these things correctly!

Technique For Projecting Your Voice

When you are singing, it is more important that other people hear you; not yourself. So when you are practicing and performing, it is important to make sure that you use your diaphragm and focus. If you don't know what a diaphragm is or how to use it, it is a muscle near your abs. Tighten your stomach and feel around your bellybutton. That muscle is your diaphragm! To use it, keep your stomach tight and sing. The sound goes farther and is a lot clearer this way. But using your diaphragm is not everything that you need to do. You also need to focus. Your mind is a powerful tool, so you need to use it. One way that you can focus is to imagine the sound is coming from your forehead. Picture it right between your eyes and while you sing, try not to let the sound leave that imaginary place that you have put it in. Another thing that you can do is look at a spot on the wall and pretend like you are trying to sing to that spot; like you don't want the sound to go anywhere else. Then pretend like there is a thin stick laying horizontally right in front of you. when you sing, act like you want to keep the sound right above the stick, and never below it. If you keep these things in mind, your voice will be loud and clear!