Vocal Techniques and Tips of the MonthDrink 6-10 glasses of room temperature water daily! The vocal cords function much easier when they are not dried out. Your voice needs extra water long before you feel thirsty! If you find yourself clearing your throat often, drinking extra water should really help you. Do not substitute sodas, milk or fruit juices as part of your water intake as they can be mucous-producing or drying. Caffiene and alcoholic beverages also can dry out the vocal cords. March, 2005 An effective way to "warm up" the voice is to hum in a comfortable (middle) range. When you hum try to see if you can sense a vibration in the nose and cheekbone areas of the face (the "mask"). Correct humming feels very relaxing to the voice with absolutely no pressure in the throat. Your lips and face should be relaxed when humming. Try humming a song you normally sing as a warm-up before actually singing it, keeping the hum light and free. You can also try humming louder and softer on the same pitch, keeping the same vibrations and tension-free feeling in the voice. Did you know that there are 3 ways to hum? One is on an "m", another is on an "n" and another is on an "ng" as in the word "Sing". On the "ng" hum the tip of the tongue should rest by the lower front teeth. May, 2005 For those of you with difficulty singing "in tune", here is a suggestion for you. When trying to sing a song try hearing the first few notes in your head silently before singing them. You can also practice some ear-training exercises this way: Play a note on your keyboard or other instrument (even a tuning device will do). Before trying to sing that note, first practice just remembering it and "hearing" it in your imagination. Now try singing that note. Next, test the note with your instrument to see if you were correct. This stimulates the development of your auditory memory. Here is another easy exercise. Play a note on your instument, such as a keyboard, and sing that note. Now play another note on your keyboard and try to keep singing the first note even though the other note "competes" with it. June, 2005 Did you know that singing softly is the best way to warm up your voice? Soft singing requires better vocal technique because you are not forcing any sounds. Try singing your song of choice quietly, perhaps first just trying to hum it softly. Once you can accomplish this sing it again in a quiet, but not airy tone, making sure that you do not need to get louder for high notes. Once you can sing a song quietly, without tension, are you ready to really sing it using normal variations in volume. November, 2005 It is a good idea to do simple, gentle stretching exercises to relax the body before singing. There is no sense trying to sing when there is tension--especially in the neck, jaw, shoulders and /or throat. We actually use our entire body to sing well, not just the voice box, or larynx. A few slow and easy stretches can help release tensions, even before you start your vocal warm-up. The goal should be a feeling of relaxed, energized alertness. I suggest taking a few yoga classes to learn how to stretch and relax the body. By the way, you should also be able to stick your tongue in and out of your mouth (as well as side to side) freely before you sing. May, 2006 Never force high notes! A sign that this is happening is when high pitches in a song are the loudest ones, even when you do not intend them to be so. Test this by practicing singing the whole phrase in a soft volume. If this is not possible you must try to relax your vocal mechanism. Some approaches are: hum the difficult phrase while gently moving your tongue in a slow, steady circle with a gently closed mouth (as if you were looking for food struck in your cheeks). After this feels easy, try singing the phrase again--but before you start to sing think of the high note first--then take a breath and open up thinking of the high spot in the phrase. See if that makes the whole phrase much easier. Another little trick is to use hand motions. Pretend your phrase is in front of you, just below eye level and move your arm ahead of you in a horizontal line as you sing. October, 2006 Remember that you are a singer (or a professional speaker) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Serious voice users must learn basic daily habits to protect the voice. One good thing to always keep in mind is never to scream or yell, especially in noisy situations. Some examples are trying to speak so you can be heard over an amplified music band at a party. In these situations, if you wear one ear plug you will be able to hear your own voice better and be less tempted to yell in order to hear yourself. When you are upset and feel yourself starting to yell, you are reacting emotionally with your voice. Instead, let go of the throat tension and protect your voice by projecting it out rather than yelling. With the louder voice, think of your throat getting freer and wider. |