Although some people seem to be born with beautiful voices, hard work and practice are prerequisites for maintaining singing skills, even for professional singers. There are many tools and steps you can take to become a better singer, from professional training, training your body and voice, to practicing good posture and breathing techniques.
Step
Part 1 of 2: Developing Voice
Step 1. Follow the vocal exercises
One of the main ways to become a better singer is vocal training. Just like sports, the voice is a muscle that must be trained in order to develop. By practicing with a professional voice coach, you can learn techniques that will improve your voice. Your voice is an instrument like the piano that requires a coach to master.
- Consider taking private singing lessons with a vocal coach who can provide techniques to develop your unique voice.
- If you're still in school or college, consider joining a choir. Joining a choir is a great opportunity to become a better singer because you'll learn to sing with other people, read musical notes, and give you the confidence of not having to sing alone.
Step 2. Know your vocal range
As part of trying to become a better singer, you need to know your vocal range and maintain it. Some people have a wider range, but not everyone has a range with a great pitch.
- There are 7 main vocal ranges, namely soprano, mezosoprano, alto, contratenor, tenor, baritone, and bass. The first three are female vocal ranges, while the next 4 are male vocal ranges.
- To find your vocal range, imagine that your voice sounds like a Ferris wheel. Start at the top, sing the highest note you can and work your way down to the lowest note you can reach.
- Play notes on the piano to compare the pitch of your voice to piano notes to help find vocal ranges.
Step 3. Focus on the breath
Learning how to breathe properly is an important part of becoming a better singer. Make sure you take a deep breath before singing a line so you have enough air to sing each word.
- Inhale through your stomach, not your chest. This way of breathing will improve and control your voice. To check if you are breathing properly, place your hand on your stomach and push as your stomach expands as you inhale.
- Practice belly breathing for a few minutes a day. You can do it standing or lying down. Again, make sure your stomach expands with each deep breath.
- Imagine there is a balloon behind your belly button. Try to inflate and deflate the balloon as you inhale and exhale.
Step 4. Learn proper singing posture
Most singing teachers recommend standing for the best sound, not sitting. Sitting down will contract your muscles and hinder your ability to breathe properly.
- Keep your head in line with your shoulders. Imagine your spine forming a straight line all the way to the top of your head.
- Let the jaw relax, and relax the tongue toward the front of the mouth.
- Relax your shoulders.
- Lift the roof of your mouth at the back of your mouth as if you were yawning. This will open the esophagus and allow more airflow.
- If you tense up while standing in the correct posture, try shifting so that your back, shoulders, and head can rest against the wall.
Step 5. Warm up before singing
Singing is not considered a warm-up because you will automatically focus on trying to produce a good voice rather than form and technique. Meanwhile, heating removes problem areas and opens up the sound range.
- Remember that in warming up the sound you produce doesn't have to be good. In fact, often the sound produced is ridiculous and ugly, even if you sing professionally. Find a private place to warm up if you don't want to be disturbed.
- Make sure your warm-up covers both up and down sounds. The top sound is more sighing and lighter than the louder, more solid bottom sound. To find the top voice, imitate an opera singer. Low voices are closer to the range when you speak.
- Apply a warm-up that stretches the mouth. Warm up with an “ooh wee ooh oohweeoohweeohh” sound that stretches the corners of your mouth as much as possible. Or, practice tongue vibration as you start high and work your way down to the lowest notes.
Step 6. Learn to recognize tones
It is best to sing to the piano or keyboard, if you have one. Press a key, and when it sounds, adjust your voice to an "ah" sound. Do this for all the scales:, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, G, and G#.
- The sonorous note (#) is the black key on the piano to the right of the white key.
- Try using an app like Sing Sharp if you're having trouble recognizing tones.
Step 7. Practice every day
The more often you sing, the stronger your voice will be. Remember, the voice is a muscle that must be trained.
- While everyone has a natural range, you can develop the upper and lower limits of your vocal range over time with lots of practice.
- Sing along to your favorite song that you play for practice. Realize that you don't have to have the same voice as your favorite singer. You won't become a better singer by simply copying other singers. Sing in your own voice.
Part 2 of 2: Keeping Your Voice Healthy
Step 1. Drink enough water
Even if you're a great singer, your voice won't sound great if you're dehydrated. You should drink at least 8 glasses of water every day.
- Don't drink alcohol or caffeine before singing as they can dehydrate you.
- You also need to avoid sugary drinks.
- Decaffeinated green tea or warm water with honey and lemon can help repair and lubricate the vocal cords.
Step 2. Don't eat dairy products or sugary foods before singing
Yogurt, cheese, ice cream, and the like can create excess mucus in your throat, making singing more difficult.
- In addition, salty and spicy foods should also be avoided because they can irritate the throat and vocal cords.
- Other foods that may cause acid reflux, such as spicy or spicy foods, can also make it hard to breathe and irritate your vocal cords.
Step 3. Use a personal humidifier
In addition to choosing the right foods and drinks, using a personal humidifier will also help keep your vocal cords healthy. Fill the humidifier with water, but don't put any medicine in it. Use this tool before warming up and while you are resting your vocal cords.
Step 4. Don't smoke
Smoking will damage your lungs so you can't breathe properly when you sing. Smoking also causes a dry throat, which affects the sound.
If you smoke and want to sing better, you should consider quitting smoking. In the meantime, make sure you drink more water, choose lighter cigarettes, and avoid smoking as much as possible on the days you have to sing
Step 5. Practice breathing often
Even if you don't have time to properly warm up or sing every day, you should practice deep belly breathing every day. Over time, these exercises can significantly improve your voice.
- You can combine layers and improve your breathing with yoga or running.
- Train like Mick Jagger. The aging singer is best known for performing concert rehearsals by running and cross-training while singing to ensure he can move freely on stage without running out of breath.
Step 6. Don't force the sound or overuse it
Forcing your voice to sing too loud, too high, or too long can damage the vocal cords. Just like muscles, you have to give your voice time to rest and recover.
Stop singing if your throat starts to hurt, if you feel pain, or if your voice becomes hoarse
Tips
- Practice singing your favorite songs and the style of music you like. If you like a song being sung, you will automatically sing it better.
- Try recording your singing and listening until you can get used to your own voice and set specific improvement goals.
- Don't be afraid, go ahead and sing with all you have without fear, your voice will soon sound better.
- Have confidence. If you don't believe in yourself, you won't be able to sing to your full potential even if you practice a lot.
- Maybe your singing is really good, but you don't know it. Ask someone else who will give you an honest answer.
- Choose a song with a wide vocal range and sing it once or twice a day.
- Don't be afraid to make your voice heard. Show up at small events to gain experience, confidence, and practice.
- There are lots of free video tutorials on the internet that share tips on improving your sound and learning the right technique.
- Purchase an exercise book that teaches various vocal exercises and techniques.
- If you're passionate and dedicated enough, take vocal lessons or join a choir.
