Singing Tips 101

You might think that just singing in the shower would be enough to sustain my voice after a 10 year hiatus...shock, horror...i've definitely needed to work on retraining my voice and building my vocal strength to try to get it back to where it used to be! I wouldn't say it's 100% back to where it was, and maybe there's some other factors such as pure wear and tear over the years, but it's getting there! And for anyone out there looking for some tips for singing, whether you're getting back into it after many years like me, looking for some extra handy hints to help get more control and power in your voice, or actually just looking for somewhere to start; i've found these exercises have really helped me more recently and over the years, so hopefully they work for you too!

So firstly, Warm Up!

If you have a piano great, if not, there are plenty of follow along warm up videos on YouTube, which I often do myself. In any case, I certainly recommend that you want to practice your scales starting from a place where you feel comfortable, going along twice up and down on the scale if you can, before proceeding up the next note. Try your scales on 'mmm,' 'ahh,' 'ooh,' and 'do' sounds and see what works best for you. In fact, you should probably progress along with all of them; as even the ones that aren't working so well indicate that they probably need more attention to help you further establish your tone and control.

When you get to those higher notes you can't sing full pelt or so comfortably in your 'chest voice'/range, that's when you want to go to the higher register or perhaps to your more airy 'head voice.' As you practice your scales and build your control and range, you'll probably find the transition between the two to become more and more smooth - that's the goal! Although, be patient with yourself, as this will certainly take time and everyone will naturally have a different range they start comfortably in. But to help this along, another thing I like to do when I warm up is to pick a sound and grow louder to softer, softer to louder, and at the same time, focus on maintaining engagement in my diaphragm and having focused flow/control of my air.

This also brings me to Diaphragm and Breathing Techniques

It's very important not to feel like we get stuck and tight, or straining in our throat - we want those notes to flow effortlessly and project outward so that there's not this clenched or restrained feel or sound, and so that we don't kill our voice in the process! Although, easier said than done right?! Well, there are some things you can put into place to help:

For one, we need to make sure that we have enough air and energy coming from the right place. This might sound strange but bare with me - go ahead and put your hand on your upper abs and start panting (i guess kinda like a dog) while trying to maintain the same open diaphragm and filling the space in your hands. You shouldn't be losing air so much you're coming away from your original starting point or deflating more and more as you go. The goal in singing isn't to suck it all in and look skinny people, you want to fill that space with air! At the same time you need to think relaxed but controlled; you're not just letting everything hang out so to speak. Also, be mindful at the same time that your shoulders aren't coming up as you breathe in - there should be no tension in your upper body - think relaxed body and throat, open chest and diaphragm.

Another thing you can try is placing your hands around your waist and looking to fill that space - try breathing in for 4 and out for 4 counts, then try again over 8 counts. This will get easier over time, trust me! And just one last one here, while employing all of these good diaphragm techniques of course, sound out one long, drawn out hiss sound. You should aim to be able to do this on just one 35 - 45 sec breath out.

Still with me? Great! Now I'm sure you're also all thinking, how do I get better at reaching those Higher Notes?

Well, certainly by practicing all of the above tips and techniques! Sorry to sound like a broken record, but if there's too much uncontrolled air pressure in your mouth and throat, chances are you're also not focusing on proper diaphragm and likely tensing up. You really need to have your muscles in your throat and mouth quite relaxed. Try bowing your head down and feeling that relaxed sensation in your jaw, tongue and face, now, lift your head back up, maintaining this relaxed feeling. Feel better?

Now that we're conscious of this and our jaw, mouth and body are relaxed, and we are thinking about proper diaphragm and air flow, a good way to also think about reaching those top notes for me is with a sigh kind of sensation - we don't think about reaching a higher sigh note naturally, so in turn, try not to think about having to struggle to reach those top notes. Practice picking a higher note and aiming to reach it on a sigh down to say five notes below; that effortless sigh feel is how you should aim to feel when you sing! You can also try speeding this up and moving to more of a siren sound, progressing higher and higher in chord progression. Basically, think that you're a small whiney kid! And on the bottom note, think about sighing to release back up to the top note; we want to feel effortless engagement and release of our diaphragm. Go ahead and touch your larynx and breath - feel that effortlessness of the air passing through? Now try to make an 'ahh' sound without effort or any pressure and aim for that same feel. That's the sweet spot!

I know this isn't the be all and end all to becoming an amazing singer, it's going to take time and commitment, and you certainly have to find what works for you. But it all helps, trust me - practice really does make perfect! But of course, if you have any handy hints yourself, I would love to hear them! Sharing is caring. And certainly let me know if these tips have worked for you or how you may have tweaked them to work better for you :)

For now, take care and sing on beautiful people!