There is no better way of self expression then through your voice. You use your voice almost every minute of every day for everything. But really opening up and singing is not only fun but a beautiful art form. This does take some time and proper building. Your voice is your instrument. So let’s go over some singing tips.I truly believe that anyone can sing. While there are a few who are really blessed with a natural gift and talent, anyone can with time and exercises work their voice into a beautiful instrument. You must practice your singing like you would any other skill.
The voice needs to be worked and exercised like any other part of your body you would want stronger. That being said we also need to warm up, stretch and cool down your voice after prolonged use.
My favorite warm-up for singing is soft hums. You should do hums constantly. I feel this really buzzes the vocal chords and really gets them going. Everyone knows how to hum but there is a correct way. Soft and easy with an M sound or even N sound. There should be no tension in your neck or throat. It should just be a smooth and easy buzz.
Work your hums across scales going up and down. If you get too high and your hum cracks, stop. Don’t look to force it up there. Just go back down the scale easy and smooth. You should never force anything. There is no need to tighten your neck or throat. Remember it will take time to build your voice.
To sing without tension in the neck comes from proper breath control. Breathing is a vitally important part of the process. You really need to get control of breathing from your diaphragm. This is the muscle that regulates breathing. Hiccups are caused when the diaphragm is out of whack.
I use the monkey “ooh ooh” for this. Try that or using the “hut hut” like a football player. You should feel this coming from the muscle above your belly button. This is where we need to sing from. Connecting this muscle to your vocal flow can take time and lessons but when you do your voice will flow amazingly.
Lastly remember to cool your voice down; again you can do this with hums. Taking care of your voice is a constant job. You need to watch what you eat. For instance fried, spicy, or dairy foods are not good for your voice. You also need to be aware of your volume, do not yell or scream as that will just blow your vocal chords out.
Learning to sing takes practice and time. It also can be a 24 hour a day job to manage your talking, eating, and exercises. The rewards definitely out weigh the hard work. There is nothing more beautiful or gratifying then singing for all to hear! While there is way too much information to cover in just one article hopefully these singing tips can get you started.
