Contrary to the opinion of many, practice doesn't necessarily result in something perfect, but practice gives better results! For those of you who want to improve the quality of your voice, this article describes some tips you can apply, such as learning proper breathing techniques, avoiding certain foods, and doing warm-up exercises before singing or speaking. While not an instant solution, you can improve the sound quality if you practice diligently.
Step
Part 1 of 5: Breathing and Standing the Right Way
Step 1. Learn proper breathing techniques
The sound is louder if you breathe properly. For that, make sure you know how to breathe deeply.
- As you inhale and exhale, try to expand and contract your abdominal cavity all the way to your lower back (behind your kidneys) as you exhale. To make sure you activate your abdominal muscles as you breathe, place your palms on your waist. Point your thumb back and the other finger forward while placing your palm on the top of your hipbone. Each time you inhale, make sure your palms move away from each other as the abdominal cavity expands. Over time, you will be able to breathe more deeply so that the expansion and contraction of the abdominal muscles is stronger and longer.
- If you are having trouble breathing deeply, lie on your back on the floor and place your palms on your stomach. When you inhale, your palms move up as the abdominal cavity expands. As you exhale, your palms move down. Alternatively, place the book on your stomach so that the book goes up and down each time you inhale and exhale. Make a hissing sound while exhaling to let the air out.
- Try not to move your shoulders up and down as you breathe deeply.
Step 2. Activate the abdominal muscles
If you breathe with the right technique, the diaphragm muscle in the abdominal cavity will be stretched so that the chest cavity expands and the lungs are able to accommodate more air. When singing (or speaking or exhaling), use your diaphragm to expel air from your lungs.
- Use the lower back muscles (near the kidneys) in the same way to regulate airflow as you inhale and exhale.
- Do not bend over while contracting the abdominal muscles.
Step 3. Maintain correct posture
Try to position your legs, knees, hips, stomach, chest, shoulders, arms, and head according to these instructions:
- Stand up straight while spreading your feet 10-15 cm and then move one leg forward so that the weight is divided slightly forward.
- Bend your knees slightly to keep your legs relaxed. Do not straighten your knees while practicing standing with correct posture.
- Relax your arms and let them hang at your sides.
- Keep the stomach relaxed, but ready to activate. If you want to know what an activated abdominal muscle feels like, place your palms on your waist (with your thumbs pointing back) and cough a little.
- Keep your head and back straight by pulling your shoulders back and then lowering them. Do not lift or bring your shoulders to your ears.
- Puff out your chest a little. This posture develops automatically when you pull your shoulders back and then lower them.
- Make sure your chin is parallel to the floor, not raised or lowered.
Step 4. Relax the body
If your posture is correct, observe the condition to make sure there are no tense body parts. Don't force yourself when you puff out your chest or straighten your back. Let the face and neck remain relaxed.
- You cannot produce a high-quality voice if you sing or speak with a tense body and face.
- If your body feels tense when you stand with the correct posture, lie on your back so that your body is straightened by the force of gravity. Alternatively, lean against a wall with the back of your head and shoulders against the wall so you know what the correct posture looks like and relax so you can apply it when you're not leaning against a wall.
Part 2 of 5: Understanding the Correct Mouth Position
Step 1. Open your mouth in a relaxed state
When singing, you need to open your mouth wide, but not so wide that your face and neck tense up. Make sure your lips, lower jaw and neck are always relaxed and relaxed.
Step 2. Raise the soft palate
Professional singers recommend that you enlarge your oral cavity, for example by opening your mouth wide, lowering your lower jaw, lowering your tongue to the floor of your mouth, and raising your soft palate (the convex flesh on the roof of your mouth).
So that you can raise the soft palate, inhale as if you want to yawn, but don't yawn. Note the condition of the oral cavity that is formed and the back of the throat is dilated. When singing, shape the oral cavity like this by opening the mouth wide, lowering the lower jaw, raising the soft palate. If you yawn, keep your mouth open after yawning
Step 3. Make sure you position your tongue properly
In order for the oral cavity to be larger, make sure the tongue is not convex upwards. Relax your tongue on the floor of your mouth and then touch the tip of your tongue to the inside of your lower teeth.
Do not stick out or wiggle your tongue while singing because the quality of the voice will drop and the tone will be out of tune
Step 4. Don't forget to swallow
You'll have a hard time singing if you have too much spit in your mouth. Therefore, swallow the saliva occasionally if necessary.
Part 3 of 5: Practice Vocals
Step 1. Get in the habit of practicing sound warm-up
Before singing or practicing vocals intensively, make it a habit to warm up your voice first according to the following instructions:
- Evaporate. This step is useful for flexing the cheeks, jaw joints, and airways so that the neck and diaphragm relax. So that you can yawn, open your mouth wide and take a deep breath. When you're done yawning, exhale through your mouth while singing a lower note. You can sing high notes the same way.
- Say the letter H over and over gently. Do this exercise by exhaling air from your throat while squeezing like you want to blow out a candle. This step trains you to activate the upper and lower abdominal muscles needed when singing (don't activate the neck, shoulder, or chest muscles).
Step 2. Do lip trills while humming
Close your lips and let the air flow through your lips while humming. Keep your throat relaxed and engage your core muscles while doing this exercise. Sing low notes to high notes and vice versa while doing lip trills. If you're already good at lip trills, warm up by singing notes on a scale.
- To keep the body relaxed while singing, contract muscles throughout the body, relax again, then immediately do a lip roll (moving the lips in various directions) while singing low to high notes. Repeat this step from the beginning while singing high notes to low notes.
- Humming is a safe way to do a sound warm-up exercise. Get in the habit of humming along to the song when you go to school or work. If you don't like humming in public, do it while cooking or bathing.
Step 3. Sing the notes according to the scale
Start practicing by singing a low note that you can easily reach. As you say "mi," sing the notes down a scale to the highest note you can reach without straining yourself. While saying the "i," sing the notes in a scale starting from the highest note to the lowest note.
Practice warming up while saying a long "wooo". Take a deep breath while bringing your lips together like you're sucking on spaghetti and then say a long "wooo" while exhaling. Try to make your voice sound like a bee buzzing like a kazoo. Stabilize your voice as you exhale. Do this exercise 2-3 times. Then, sing the notes in ascending and descending scales while saying "wooo."
Step 4. Practice projecting sounds while saying words and phrases
Say several words or phrases without breaking them into one word. Pronounce long vowels and vocalize each word with clear articulation when spoken and/or sung.
- While you are talking/singing, imagine your voice echoing in the room.
- Try to make smooth voice transitions when singing the last part, for example from a high note to a low note or when changing the volume from loud to soft. To do this well, imagine that you're sliding up and down, instead of going down stairs.
- Example of a series of words: baba aunt bubu bebe bobo.
- Example phrase: mimi wants to eat sweet melon.
Step 5. Don't hesitate to do things that make you sound stupid
Vocal exercises often sound and look very funny. Take your practice time to relax and have fun. Do the following 2 exercises to flex your throat:
- Say the word "miau" while emphasizing 3 syllables: miii, yaaa, uuu.
- Stick your tongue out in all directions so your face looks funny. You can do this exercise while singing or just making some weird sounds.
Step 6. Do the voice cooling exercise
As with exercise, cooling your voice after vocal training is crucial. The method is the same as a warm-up exercise when starting vocal exercises, for example by yawning, repeating the letter H softly, moving your lips in all directions, and humming.
Another way to practice cooling your voice is to hum while singing up and down scales so that the vibrations of the sound make your lips/nose tickle
Step 7. Get in the habit of deep breathing and stay relaxed
When you practice warming up, singing, or giving a speech, breathe deeply while relaxing your body, throat, and face so you can produce high-quality sound.
Step 8. Practice regularly in a wise way
You need to practice regularly in order to improve the sound quality. As you practice, sing with all your heart and try to make the necessary corrections, such as widening your vocal range or hitting high notes when you sing your favorite song. Set aside time to practice vocals for a maximum of 30 minutes and then rest for 30 minutes before practicing again. Do not sing, talk, whisper, or make any noise at all while resting.
Part 4 of 5: Implementing a Healthy Lifestyle
Step 1. Drink plenty of water
Get in the habit of drinking 6-8 glasses of water every day, even more if you exercise regularly, live in a hot climate, or sweat a lot.
Step 2. Apply a healthy diet which is useful for improving sound quality.
Whole grains, fruits, and vegetables help improve voice quality because they are beneficial for maintaining the health of the mucous membranes along the throat.
Step 3. Avoid materials that irritate the vocal cords
Don't smoke (including secondhand smoke), eat heavily spiced foods, dairy products, salty foods (eg ham or salted nuts), limes, alcohol (including alcoholic mouthwashes), cold and allergy medications.
Step 4. Get in the habit of getting a good night's sleep
Body fatigue can be detected through the sound quality. In general, adults need 7-9 hours of sleep a night every day and teenagers 8½-9½ hours every day.
If you get at least 7½ hours of sleep a night every day, but don't feel refreshed when you wake up in the morning, talk to your doctor to find out why
Step 5. Take time to relax
Stress adversely affects all aspects of life. Therefore, take time to do something relaxing, such as practicing yoga, meditating, watching your favorite TV show, reading a useful book, or playing a musical instrument.
Step 6. Don't scream
This advice is especially helpful if you want to sing on stage. Yelling can cause tension in the vocal cords and reduce voice quality over the next few days.
Step 7. Practice consistently
You need to practice diligently for some time to improve the sound quality. You won't get results in a short amount of time, but the sound quality will immediately change if you practice your vocals after warming up while breathing deeply and maintaining proper posture.
Do vocal exercises gradually. Start the practice by learning how to breathe deeply and stand with the correct posture. Once you get the hang of it, move on to learning how to shape your mouth and warm up your voice
Step 8. Consult with your doctor to find out if there are any health problems affecting the quality of your voice
You may have health problems if your voice has recently decreased, such as getting hoarse, heavy, or tense. Time to see a doctor to find out the cause.
Part 5 of 5: Learn from Others
Step 1. Hire a good professional vocal teacher
It is capable of providing hints and feedback to improve sound quality. Look for a teacher who has had training in teaching singing with classical techniques because he or she will most likely understand different ways of singing.
Step 2. Listen carefully to the voices of professional singers and speakers
Observe how they regulate their breath, volume, articulation, oral cavity, lip shape, and resonance. If you're interested in your favorite singer's style, imitate his style by learning the techniques he uses.
Copying someone's style is a great way to learn to sing because it makes you try to apply new techniques
Step 3. Watch professional singers and speakers perform
Pay attention to how they regulate and use their breath to produce the right note. Also pay attention to his posture and body language, the way he moves his lips to produce a quality voice and clear words when singing or speaking.
Step 4. Don't ignore professional singers or speakers you don't like
Find out why you don't like a particular singer or speaker. Is the style different from your favorite singer? Did he make a mistake or do you just not like the way he looks?
Step 5. Compare the singer's voice when he performs in a live performance with the recording
Remember that a great sound engineer is capable of producing very beautiful sound recordings. If you want to sing like a recording of your favorite artist, find out the original voice and compare it to the recording before giving up because you feel you can't have a voice as beautiful as the recording.
Step 6. Attend a public singer's performance or music event
Find a singer whose voice you like and ask him what he's doing to improve his voice. Many singers will feel proud and willing to share information with pleasure.
Tips
- To maintain sound quality, do the same thing when you sing a song, such as applying basic singing or breathing techniques. This step helps you set the tempo of the song so you can sing in a good way and at the right rhythm.
- The techniques described in this article can be applied while speaking.
- For maximum training results, ask a professional singer/speaker or expert in the field to train you!
- Keep in mind that air/body temperature can affect sound quality.
- Say syllables in random order to relax your vocal cords.
- If you want to sing a long note, breathe using your diaphragm (in your upper abdomen), not using your chest muscles. This step helps you stabilize your voice so you can sing long notes.
- Before singing, warm up your voice by saying "miau" slowly. This word consists of 3 syllables: mi, ya, and u which are useful for flexing the throat. Sticking your tongue out in all directions while making odd facial expressions provides the same benefits.
- Singers must adopt a healthy diet with a balanced menu and not consume foods/drinks that trigger throat irritation or flu, such as ice cream, cold drinks, and others. Drink warm water with honey every morning on an empty stomach.
- Nervousness will be revealed through the voice. So try to calm yourself down. Turn your nervousness into energy and enthusiasm that can be harnessed during the performance.
- Don't force yourself to sing very high notes when you start practicing. Start low and then work your way up a few notes to practice intervals until you get to the high notes.
Warning
- Singing shouldn't be a problem. If you're having trouble singing well, there's a good chance that you're tightening your muscles, not applying proper breathing techniques, standing with the wrong posture, singing notes without relaxing your throat, or something else that creates tension. Make sure you get over it by relaxing yourself!
- Contrary to popular opinion, do not add lemon when drinking water because lemon can dry out the vocal cords thereby reducing the quality of the voice.
