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HOW TO GET A bETTER SINGING AND TALKING VOICE

HOW TO GET A bETTER SINGING AND TALKING VOICE

I've been involved in singing & drama for a large chunk of my life. The most simple advice I can give is sign up with a local drama group/singing group (probably the first step) or take private lessons (best option for quick improvement). I took several years of one to one lessons which dramatically improved my vocal range, projection, pitch control, consistancy and strength of my voice. I sing musical theatre, opera, blues, classical & rock. All of which require different singing styles, from the musical theatre 'belt' to a strong operatic vibrato.

Singing and being able to project your voice are not really things which can be learned formulaically or via a forum.

However I'll give a few tips which were constantly drilled into me by various teachers over the years which may be good to start off with until you begin lessons:

- Have good posture. Stand up tall, shoulders back, head held high, feet spread a little. This opens up your chest and allows sound to resonate better.

- Learn the words and melody of the song, or the lines on your script. It is hard to perform well when you are staring at a piece of paper. Once you have learnt your words, then you can begin to really practise. One of the most important things is to enunciate your words, otherwise you may produce a nice sound but nobody will know what you are singing about.

- When practising scales start off use one vowel sound (eg..A) and then repeat using a different one (E...etc) You'll be amazed by the difference in sound and vocal range you will have with each new vowel.

- Practise singing a cappella (without accompaniment). This will help you learn pitch control, which you won't get from singing along with your favorite cds.

- Use your diaphragm to project sound. It feels somewhat like a tensing of the stomach muscles as you move up the scale. A particularly useful tool when trying to do the musical theatre 'belt'.

- Only learn one or two vocal styles at a time (more can be horribly confusing!). Have a listen to various types of music and decide what you are interested in learning, then head to your teacher and ask them if they think the style suits your voice & vocal range. I'd say the most important styles are musical theatre & classical. Two very different sounds, made very differently. If you can master both you are well on your way.

- Practise daily, unless you are sick. It is very important to rest your voice when not on form or you may cause more damage.

- Practise deep breathing, filling your entire chest cavity with air. You'd be surprised how shallowly most people breath. Breathing control is incredibly important for singing and speaking.

- Buy and begin using sheet music to learn songs. Even if you cannot read music (I can't really read it) you pick up a lot by following along. The sheet music often gives indication of style, volume and how long to hold the note.

- As with exercise warm up, practise and then cool down. Without warming up you can easily strain your voice. Limber up your body beforehand too..your entire body is involved in making a good sound, not just lungs and mouth. Do some stretches and deep breathing.

- Do not drink milk or eat dairy products (like chocolate) before singing. They create more mucus in your throat and make singing pretty tricky. Citrus fruits & alcohol dry the throat. Spicy foods and coffee irritate the throat. Anything ice cold causes your throat to constrict. Warm water, green tea & herbal teas are the best thing to drink before singing.

- Relax your body and voice before a performance or your lesson. Try yawning a few times to loosen your vocal cords.

- Move your mouth lots when you sing. It sounds obvious but you really have to enunciate and open your mouth. Use your lips, teeth & tongue and don't mumble.

Phew! Well that turned into rather a list but all this stuff was drummed into me so I figure it will be useful for other wannabe singers and performers. As I said at the start of this post..most important thing is to get a good teacher and practise. Far better to learn the right things now than get into bad habits and have to backtrack and correct things.

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