Voice Tips

Never sing without first warming up. Your vocal cords require the needed "warm up" before you perform. Undue strain on "cold" vocal cords can lead to permanent damage. A good rule to remember is "To be a perfect 10 – 10 be a perfect too". This means that starting slow and warming up, for at least 10 minutes before a performance, will not only stretch your vocal cords, but calm you down too (increased oxygen supply helps your body to relax).

Sing like you speak. Your vocal cords get used to a specific style and range of volume. Increasing the volume by straining or pushing your voice to react louder, only causes undo stress upon your vocal cords and could possibly make them weaker. Practice slowly to increase the volume of your voice by controlling the release of air from your diaphragm. Soon, you'll be bellowing like the best of them!

Turn lemons into Lemon-Aid. The acidic qualities of lemons will not only give you a purse to your pucker, but clean your throat of unwanted mucus residue. Yummy! Plus, think of the lemony-fresh breathe you'll have when singing close to your favorite harmony partner. Lemonade will not work here; just a fresh-cut wedge of lemon. A glass of water will assist in washing the tartness away.

Eating dairy or chocolate before you sing will diminish your range. Milk substances, dairy, chocolate and even sugar can produce a film that coats your throat and possibly your vocal cords. This film doesn't allow for the full range of movement and vibration of your vocal cords, plus, a feeling of needing to clear your throat may become more frequent. Therefore, when you have to eat something before you perform, grab something free of milk, cheese, or anything from the dairy family. Garlic wouldn't be good either!

Hope this helps you, keep on singing your heart out!

Good question! When you are trying to sing harmony you said that your pitch can sometimes fluctuate up and down, this is normal. It is important that before you begin a song you hear "Do" in your head. "Do" will be the key that you are in. For example, if you are singing in the Key of C Major there are no sharps or flats, and when you are looking at your music understand that every time you sing the C in the key of C, you are singing "Do". From "Do" you can sing simple harmonies, the most common harmony is the interval from "Do" to "Mi" or a third above the other note. Think of the sound of music, "Do a deer, a female dear, Re and Mi and so on. Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do is called a solfege scale. Keep practicing and you will get better every day! Try practicing on a simple song like, twinkly twinkly, or the Abc's. (Note that both of these songs start on "do". ) Twinkle, Do Do.

If you have never had voice lessons, here are some tips about singing:

Learning how to sing without voice lessons takes time and dedication, but it's not too difficult. All you need is patience and perseverance, and a room where you feel comfortable singing without censure from others. With a little self-discipline and some practice, most people can learn to sing without lessons. Clarity, proper breathing and enunciation will become a breeze–which is fortunate, as they are key elements to learning how to sing. Those things, along with developing your "ear,"–that is, your sensitivity to, and ability to reproduce, different musical tones–will set you on your way to singing in no time.

Enunciate your words clearly so that what you sing is understandable. For this, you need practice. First, find a page in a book to read aloud. Watch your mouth move in a mirror. Read as you normally would at first, but as you continue down the page, start reading more slowly. Pay close attention to each syllable as you enunciate it. Pay close attention to the way your mouth moves as you slowly and clearly enunciate your words.

Once you have read aloud to yourself, watch yourself in the mirror as you say tongue twisters, clearly enunciating every syllable:

(1) Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

2) Black socks, they never get dirty, the longer you wear them the stronger they get. Some day, I think I shall launder them, something keeps telling me don't do it yet. Not yet. Not yet.

3) She sells seashells at the seashore.

Harsh consonant sounds while enunciating, such as a hissing "s" or a "t" that sounds like spitting, are common. Make sure you enunciate them anyway.

Practice actual singing in front of a mirror. The best way to start is by singing the vowels A, E, I, O and U. Each vowel needs a different mouth configuration, which will help you learn mouth control and clarity of sound.

Begin with A by opening your mouth and pulling back the sides of your mouth into what might feel like a grimace. Sing "A" for five counts; then close your mouth a little more for "E." For "I," make a fist and make your mouth approximately the size of your fist, a little less of a smile, but wider than A and E. For "O," make a perfect "O" shape with your mouth, and for "U," pucker your lips as you sing.

Breathe when you sing. Most people have learned to breathe shallowly, but if you want to learn to sing, you must learn to support your sound with deep belly breaths. To learn how to breathe, place your hands on your belly and inhale through your nose. Imagine breathing deeply into your stomach. Feel it rise. This is how you should breathe when singing. Practice inhaling for five counts and exhaling for five counts.

Develop your ear, or ability to retain and accurately reproduce music or notes that you have heard, by playing a random note on a piano or electronic keyboard, waiting about 3 seconds, then reproducing the note with your voice. Check for accuracy by replaying the note as you're singing it. Try this exercise with random notes that you can easily sing without straining your voice.

Sing a song now that you have enunciation and breathing down. Pop in your favorite CD or tape that you want to sing to, and listen to it a few times to familiarize yourself with the words, tonality and harmony/melody of the song. When you feel comfortable enough, belt it out. Remember, practice makes perfect, so practice the steps, and you'll soon be singing with aplomb.

One of the main foundations when learning singing is to learn how to breathe correctly so that you are able to control your breathing when you are singing. Once you master your breath control or breathing technique, you will then be able to hold your notes well as well as improving your tonal quality when you sing. We are all born with correct breathing capabilities. As babies, we yelled and screamed and can be heard from very far away even though our lungs were very small then. Our voices resonated far and wide. Why is that so? It is because we used our lungs and our sound production resonant naturally and effectively.

Information about breathing from your diaphragm continues at the following site:
Http://www.playmusicsing.com/page/130037…