No matter how long you’ve been singing, how good or bad you think your singing voice is, and what kind of songs you like to sing, there are certain techniques that you can use to further enhance your skill and become more confident about singing.
Maintain good posture
That’s right, maintaining correct posture is not only beneficial for your bones and muscles, but also for singing and performing. When singing, it’s important to have your body properly aligned to be able to support your sound and eliminate any tension. Muscle tension causes you to feel uncomfortable and it restricts airflow and puts more stress on your vocal chords, taking the enjoyment out of singing and making it frustrating and unnecessarily challenging instead.
Keep your feet shoulder width apart with your knees unlocked, relax your body but keep your shoulders rolled back, and hold your head held high but straight. You can try this against a wall until you get used to the feeling, and also in front of a mirror to see that you’re correctly aligned. Eventually, you’ll be able to maintain correct posture whilst also moving, such as when performing in a show.
Proper breathing technique
Without air, singing – much like everything else – is impossible. The volume, pitch, tone, and tempo of what you’re signing will significantly affect your breath, so it’s important to learn to breathe and support the air properly. You can learn to do this through simple breathing exercises.
Start by taking in very slow and deep breaths and letting them out equally slowly, either by blowing the air out regularly or through a sound like a hum, a “sssss” or a “zzzzz”. Set a goal to release the breath over about 8 seconds, and slowly increase the amount of seconds to increase the challenge and train your lungs and diaphragm to gain better control. You might feel slightly dizzy after doing these exercises, but it’s just until you’ve practised enough and your body gets used to it. Until then, just do what you can and don’t push yourself too hard.
Adequate hydration
Diet, exercise, and an overall healthy lifestyle are very important for singers, but water is definitely at the top of the priority list and is crucial for your singing voice and its health. While some singers prefer to take warm water, possibly with lemon and honey, others prefer to take cold water as they feel it soothes and refreshes their throat. See what you find to be most helpful; whether warm, room temperature, or cool, and make sure that you always have an abundance of it available within arm’s reach.
If you love singing and would like to further enhance your skills and improve your singing voice, get in touch with the School of Popular Music in Guernsey today – we offer singing lessons as well as music lessons in a variety of different instruments for all ages and abilities.
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