How can one improve their singing?

[uatu]

I'd like to improve my singing. I seem to do okay in singalongs (or perhaps everyone else just cover it up) but if I try something a capella (I don't play an instrument, which may actually be part of the problem?) I'm very uneven.

I don't necessarily need to be professional quality, just good enough that people don't string me up.

Can anyone give me suggestions what I can do to improve?

 

[sunfox]

I'd say spring for some lessons. A good portion of singing decently is breath control, using your diaphram to breathe, instead of hitching your shoulders.. supporting your voice
properly, etc. A teacher could help you with those things, and
suggest other ways to improve.

Been years since I had lessons, but I still remember how
much I improved within even a few weeks.

 

[Weird Harold]

Can anyone give me suggestions what I can do to improve?

Practice.

Sing scales to a recorder and listen to your mistakes and then try again.

The suggestion of lessons is not a bad one, even if you're just looking for an improvement inyour abilities to sing-a-long around a campfire (figuratively speaking)

Joining a church or community choir is a good way to get both training and practice.

 

[HoldenMcCrank]

Sunfox is right

Most of singing is Breath control. Imagine your body from the waist up as a cylinder. Your Diaphram is a piston pushing the air out. You need to make the wall of the cylinder very firm / ridgid. This is the hardest part. You have to maintain this ridgid state the entire time you are singing. It takes practice and it is Hard work but once you have exercised your abdominal muscles (not just the stomach muscle but all the way around your waiste)and got them into shape it is alot easier to maintain. Then you need to remember to push the air out with your diaphram. Maintain good posture shoulders up and back. Don't allow your upper body to force the air out by collapsing down on your lungs. Imagine that there is a handle attached to your sternum and that someone is holdening that handle up and in one spot dont let it move. Lessons will help you but you have to find a teacher that is right for you. As is with any relationship comunication is key tell them exactly why you are taking lessons and what you expect to accomplish. Good luck I hope this has helped.

Holden

 

[sheath]

You've been given good advice. Here's more tips...

They are right in that one of the big keys of singing well is breath control. You have to learn to "Breathe from the belly", which takes quite a bit of concentration at first. Once you have mastered it, though, it becomes automatic. Though it is difficult to teach it without a live demonstration and someone there to make sure you do it correctly, you can try this to get an idea...notice the way you breathe now. Look down at your body. Your chest moves up and down, right? You need to be breathing so that your belly moves in and out, instead of your chest moving. Sounds hard, but it's really not. It is a matter of sucking that air as deep into your body as you can. Try it and see what happens. If you aren't used to it, you might cough the first few times. It's a different way of moving, and it's unusual for many people.

Then, take in a deep breath, like you normally would. "Breathe from the chest", so to speak. When you exhale, sing a note. Notice it's a little thin and wavery? Now breathe from the belly. Exhale, and sing the same note. Much wider tone, and much more depth. It's fuller. And it sounds better.

Now look at your posture. Stand up straight, shoulders back. Now, do all of the above, again. Sounds even better, doesn't it?

Spend some time getting used to breathing this way. It feels REALLY good, once you get the hang of it. And if you keep it up, and it becomes natural, your breath control can be applied to other things, too. Including sex. But that's another thread...

Other good points: Do not smoke. Nothing will destroy your vocal control like smoke will. Same with alcohol, and caffeine. Avoid carbonated beverages. The acid in some sodas tends to affect the lining of your vocal chords. And that is a bad, bad thing. Ever notice how a long-time smoker or drinker has a gravelly voice? That's a sure sign of vocal chord damage.

Plenty of rest. Not a lot of yelling. When you do sing, don't push too hard. If you feel a twinge in your throat, or your throat is sore when you're done, you're pushing WAY too hard. If your voice is soft, that's fine. Breathing control will help project it.

Open your mouth. The wider you open your mouth when you sing, the better it sounds. It also helps you to carry out long vowels and sustained notes. Just open it a little wider than you would if you were talking, and that should do for starting out.

Hmmm...what else. Find a piano, a guitar, something that you can use to play notes. Sing along with them, one at a time. Build up speed, and then you're doing scales. Go as high and as low as you can without pushing your vocal chords, and you have an idea of your range. Anything out of that range, you have to work harder to get the proper sound. My own range is a solid alto, which means if I try to sing something originally recorded by, say...Celine Dion? Martina McBride? I sound absolutely like shit. I just don't have that range, I have to push, it makes the sound thin and wavery...and no matter how good my breath control is, I sound like shit. Learn your range, then later you can learn how far you can go on either side of it. And that's a whole new ballgame, for which you absolutely must have proper training.

I can much, much farther in-depth than this, if you want that. But I think for a beginner, this is probably enough to start with.

Tell us how it goes, what worked, and what didn't?

Good luck!

S.

 

[uatu]

Thanks, everyone. This should all help a lot.

I don't know how soon I'll be able to report results, but I'll work on it, subscribe this thread so I can find it later, and let you know.

Thanks again!

 

[Johnny Mayberry]

Just sing louder, watcherdude.

 

[sheath]

Just sing louder, watcherdude.

LOL Especially in the shower? Everyone sounds like a grammy-winning artist in there.

Howdy, Johnny boy.

S.

 

[Johnny Mayberry]

LOL Especially in the shower? Everyone sounds like a grammy-winning artist in there.

Howdy, Johnny boy.

S.

Hey there...in the shower, I sound...loud, and that's it! The acoustic guitar sounds pretty in there, though.

 

[Johnny Mayberry]

LOL Especially in the shower? Everyone sounds like a grammy-winning artist in there.

Howdy, Johnny boy.

S.

Hey there...in the shower, I sound...loud, and that's it! The acoustic guitar sounds pretty in there, though.

 

[Johnny Mayberry]

LOL Especially in the shower? Everyone sounds like a grammy-winning artist in there.

Howdy, Johnny boy.

S.

Hey there...in the shower, I sound...loud, and that's it! The acoustic guitar sounds pretty in there, though.

 

[sheath]

Hey there...in the shower, I sound...loud, and that's it! The acoustic guitar sounds pretty in there, though.

And there you go, mentioning those guitars again. You do that on PURPOSE.



Not that I mind...

S.

 

[CWatson]

Well, I dunno how much I can help, because I sound okay when I sing but I've never taken a lesson in my life. I know how I got there, though: I love singing and I've done it basically every day of my life. You're probably not looking for something of that scale but I guess what I'm trying to say is that practice makes perfect.

Anyone can learn to sing. A friend of mine wrote and filmed a musical for his high school senior project. His female lead had that whole "musical sense" thing, but didn't know how to sing. So my friend taught her. I've listened to the soundtrack and she sounds awesome. Part of it has to come from inside--if you're tone-deaf and have no rhythm, I'm not sure if you'll ever sing well, but you can still learn the technique and have it down properly. That part's not hard. Evidently you can even teach yourself.

Good luck. Tell us how it goes. Or make an MP3 of your debut.