18/10/2019
TIPS for Singers
1 -Warm-Up
It’s like stretching before working out. Remember your vocal chords are a muscle. Doing vocal warm-ups are going to make you sound better, the warm-ups will remind you and your teacher of things you need to focus attention to, and it helps expand your range, as well as figuring out where your comfortable range lies.
Vocal warm-ups also help connect your chest voice (low range) to your head voice- (higher notes). Most vocal warm-ups also create an opportunity to help with your vowel formation, which we will get to later.
Even a quick vocal warm-up is better than none, and they should be done every time before you sing.
2 -Breathe!
Use your diaphragm (or big belly breath). Proper singing techniques involve your whole body. Relying solely on your vocal chords to hit notes in a song will cause pain and strain, and if you feel any pain you are not using proper technique, and you are potentially causing damage. In order to sing using your diaphragm you need to have good posture to access that part of your body whether you are standing or sitting.
3 -Shake Out Those Nerves
There is no feeling quite like the nerves and jitters that can build up during the intro of a song before you sing your first note, and I’m not sure there is an exact science to working out “stage fright”. The voice is obviously the most vulnerable of the instruments, and can be the most intimidating to learn because of that reason, but singing is so much fun and rewarding, so have no fear!
We all need to understand people are shy at first, but Ecco is a safe environment where you can trust that as a team we will not be 'judgy' and make each other feel at ease.
4 -Take Care of Your Voice
Maintenance of your voice is just as important as maintaining any instrument, but even more so because this is a body part, and not maintaining your vocal chords properly could potentially create a health issue. Hydrate your vocal chords with water, and always bring water with you to your singing lesson.
It is also recommend not drinking diuretics (caffeinated drinks, cranberry juice) or dairy drinks just before your lesson or the day of a vocal performance; it can either dry your throat out or cause phlegm to build up.
Use a soft voice (“rest your voice”) before your singing lesson or for a couple days before your singing performance (no screaming and cheering at your favorite band’s concert- yes, even if it’s really fun.)
5 -Form Those Vowels and Articulate–
It may seem silly for me to remind people to OPEN THEIR MOUTHS while singing, but I think it is common for singers to either be shy or just not mindful that when you are singing you have to over exaggerate the formation of the vowels. What I mean by that is during your “Aaahhss” your mouth should be wide and tall so the note can come out, and during your “Oooohhs” in a song your mouth should be shaped like an “O”.
Try singing the notes now with a slack half open mouth, and then try again with an open wide mouth. You can hear the difference right away.
6 -Practice Daily
It is recommend that you practice your warm-ups as often as you can the shower is a great place or in the car on your way to Ecco. If you want to practice singing more than that be sure to take long breaks between each 30 minute practice session so you can rest your voice, and not strain it. It is also important to stop practice if you are feeling any strain or soreness in your throat, and to not practice singing when you are under the weather.
7 - Know The Song and The Lyrics First – Then Work On Technique
This tip is especially important when we are preparing for a performance or an audition. Listen to a recording of the song you are preparing, or even better, listen to a backing track I have a library of track so in advance let me know what track you need and bring in a CD or USB and I can create a you your own practice material. The more you know the song the more comfortable and successful you will be singing the song.
My suggestion is that you “live the song” by listening to the song or an accompaniment of it as much as you can stand it during your daily life until you are overly familiar with it. Remember drama and singing should go hand in hand.
You should also use this as an opportunity to understand where the song came from and understand the lyrics to help incorporate emotion and feeling into your song when you sing.
Remember drama and singing should go hand in hand.
Last but maybe should be first Enjoy! At Ecco its about developing you as a performer but also as a person. Singing is one of the art forms most performers find the scariest.
