Many people have a hidden desire to become a good singer. They dream about the stage and making it big, fantasizing about being the next big thing in the music industry. But somewhere along the way people become lost and frustrated because their voice isn’t where it needs to be in order to take it to the next level. Because of this, most people will simply give up. But this doesn’t have to be the case at all.
As it turns out, it is possible to start singing with a stronger voice. And you can even get started today by trying out some simple techniques you can try at home. How to get a better singing voice can be a matter of making some small changes that will certainly help to keep your dream alive. Don’t lose hope yet. Becoming a better singer is possible and it won’t take long at all to develop a stronger singing voice.
How to Get Better at Singing: Adding Some Power Behind Your Voice
Some professional singers follow a few tips that really have an impact on how they sound and how strong their voice is. These tips may not work for everyone, but in time you should notice some positive results if you’re consistent.
Use a technique that involves breathing into your back. If you find that you raise your shoulders up when you inhale and pull it in when singing this means that you’re pushing out too much air when you exhale, which in turn puts too much pressure on the vocal folds, resulting in tension. To correct this issue, use the back of your hands and place them on the sides of your torso, halfway to your waist.
While doing this, take deep breaths, allowing your ribs and stomach to expand out against the hands. If you do this correctly you should feel air coming in towards your back. Try this while singing and allow your stomach to remain relaxed. In the beginning, you will probably struggle to maintain singing while expanding the ribs. Perform this technique several times a day until you feel comfortable doing it. You should notice an immediate change in the sound and strength of your voice.
Watch your jaw as well. While you may have a natural tendency to tilt your jaw up when trying to sing, doing so may actually promote voice problems. Instead, keep your jaw steady. You’ll notice an immediate difference in sound quality. You may want to practice in front of a mirror for best results.
When you speak or sing, the sound you make comes from the vocal cords vibrating together. If the vocal cords are dried out, they’ll vibrate and produce a weak, cracking sound. The vocal cords need to be kept hydrated in order for them to be able to produce good sound. Water is also needed for your overall health.
Taking Care of Your Vocal Cords
A big part of how to get a better singing voice will involve taking care of your vocal cords. As a singer, your body is your instrument. And if your instrument is weak and tired, you won’t be able to perform well. However, if you’re well-rested, you’ll feel energetic and this energy can flow through your voice. You’ll have the stamina and support you need in order to use your instrument correctly and you’ll be able to sing with more power and flexibility.
Getting enough sleep can also be important when it comes to perfecting your voice. If you’re feeling tired, your singing will sound weak. This will result in vocal cords that are thicker and that feel inflexible, making it harder to control your voice. However, if you’re well-rested, then you’ll feel energetic and that will reflect positively in your voice. You’ll have the energy that’s needed to support a strong singing voice and it will sound both powerful and flexible. Resting before a performance may seem obvious, but it’s commonly overlooked. A singer will perform better if they’re well-rested. Resting will minimize the amount of strain and stress you put on your voice before a gig.
Do what you can to reduce stress in all aspects of your life. Practice good time management techniques, such as using a calendar to make sure you can fit in your practice sessions, work, school, and whatever else you have to do each day. Meditate whenever possible, this will help reduce stress and give you time to reflect on your day. And, most importantly, try not to push yourself too hard. Give yourself permission to take breaks once in a while and don’t take on too many tasks at once. When you’re stressed out, it’s hard to give your full attention to your voice.
Avoid situations where you might tend to yell or scream. Your voice is your instrument and you need to be careful not to abuse or push your voice to its limits. We’ll talk a bit more about this later but it’s a good idea to avoid using your voice if you’re preparing for a concert or feeling under the weather.
The simplest trick out there that can have a major impact on how good or bad you sing is relaxing. When both the body and mind are relaxed your voice will improve significantly, without the need for fancy techniques. If you learn how to relax while you sing you can count on some pretty impressive changes to take place. If you relax before and while you’re singing your voice won’t crack and your throat won’t tighten.
Instead, it will naturally work without the strain you’d normally experience if you were tense or nervous. You should also notice that your range will increase and your overall tone will be richer and stronger. Muscles that are tense or tired will begin to ache. If you’re relaxed, you’ll conserve your energy that’s otherwise spent working too hard to achieve the desired results. This can also cause injury and strain to the vocal cords. The fact that you now know that relaxing is one of the major keys to improving your voice may cause you to instantly tense up the next time you sing. In order to encourage relaxation, avoid caffeine before singing, try listening to relaxing music, or even try meditation.
Staying Healthy is Key
When you speak or sing, the sound you make comes from the vocal cords vibrating together. If the vocal cords are dried out, they’ll vibrate and produce a weak, cracking sound. The vocal cords need to be kept hydrated in order for them to be able to produce good sound. Water is also needed for your overall health.
One thing you’ll notice is that if a person’s muscles are tensed up it can be impossible to sing well. The tension in the muscles will absorb the sound, so you end up pushing and straining in order to get the sound out. So it’s important that you spend some time doing stretches to loosen up your body. The tension that seems to affect most singers can be found in the jaw, face, neck, and back. This goes back to what we said earlier about reducing stress too. Consider looking into getting a massage from time to time in order to help reduce muscle tension. Stretch as much as possible. Apply heat packs to your neck and back if you start feeling strained. This can help relax the muscles in that area and ultimately help you feel and sing better.
Your tongue’s not just there to lick ice cream. The tongue can be a big obstruction that can prevent how you perform. Usually, the root of the tongue can get very tight and cause the throat to constrict, which means when you sing your voice will have a strained forced sound. So you need to try singing with a fat, flat tongue. The tongue should be heavy and the tip of the tongue should touch the back of the teeth. Try doing this the next time you sing and you should notice an instant change in your performance.
Diet Matters
When you’re singing, whether you’re practicing or performing, avoid eating, especially anything that’s creamy or packed with sugar.
Some types of food will play havoc on your mucus levels and it’s very easy for mucus to build-up around the larynx, which will add to vocal cord strain. Caffeine should also be avoided whenever possible as should dairy. Caffeine is notorious for drying out the throat while dairy can cause you to become phlegmy. So avoid cheese, milk, and yogurt up to three days before a performance. Try to avoid eating citrus or other acidic foods as well. They can cause acid reflux, which can actually burn the mucus membrane protecting your vocal chords, which can then cause you to experience a raspy, hoarse throat.
In the days leading up to a performance, you’ll want to make sure you’re eating light. Eating healthy, light foods is a good way to not only boost your energy but it’ll help keep you from putting undue strain on your body. Stick with lean proteins, such as chicken or fish, and fruits and veggies. Watermelon is especially recommended because it will actually help keep you hydrated.
Be sure you’re getting plenty of protein. Besides lean meats, consider sources like kale and legumes. Ensure you’re eating plenty of vitamins and minerals. Your voice is your instrument and maintaining your voice means maintaining your body.
Why Controlled Breathing is Important when Singing
- Controlled breathing is necessary when it comes to how to get better at singing. In order to sing well, you need to breathe differently than how you normally breathe while talking. Breathing while singing will take practice, but it doesn’t take much skill and you can easily accomplish this by practicing for a few minutes a day.
- Not only can controlled breathing help reduce stress, which can inhibit the development of a strong singing voice, but it can ensure that you’ll receive enough air support for each note you attempt to hit.
- In order to perform controlled breathing, sit or stand upright with your shoulders back. Avoid slouching or rolling your shoulders forward. As you breathe in, rest your hands on your belly and feel it expand. You should not feel any need to raise your shoulders as you inhale. Exhale slowly, keeping your hands on your belly. Repeat this four to five times. This is how you should breathe when you’re singing.
Nurturing Your Voice: Why Practicing is Essential
The key to improving your singing voice will be to take action. All of these techniques can help to drastically improve your singing, so be sure to try them all. The truth is, good vocal tone is the result of practicing good technique. The more aligned the mechanics of your voice are, the more pleasing and consistent your tone will become. After this has been established, you can focus more on creating your own personal singing style. Simply practicing for twenty to thirty minutes a day, routinely using proper body positioning and singing exercises can really help you to become a great singer.
You need to be able to practice every single day unless you’re sick or have laryngitis. You won’t improve if you’re not willing to put the work into singing. Just like any other instrument, you need to be able to practice regularly, even if you’re only practicing for about half an hour every day. Practicing might not be the most fun part about singing but it’s the most important part when you’re trying to improve. If you’re aspiring to publicly perform, it’s important to put your best face forward and spend some time working on self-improvement.
It is possible to improve at home, by yourself, but you may also find it helpful to consider private vocal lessons at some point. If you’re passionate about singing, hiring a vocal instructor is a great way to discover what ways you can improve and you’ll have the opportunity to work with a professional to better develop your voice. If you can’t afford a vocal instructor right now, no worries. You can look on YouTube or continue exploring our site to learn more tips about how to improve as a singer.
If you truly love to sing, then you’re probably willing to do whatever it takes in order to improve your voice and make it sound good. But for some people, it’s just not that easy. Everyone has those moments when their voice is not at its best. Your voice may crack, your throat may feel too tight or you simply can’t carry out the higher notes like you normally could. But if you’re like most people who enjoy singing, this doesn’t stop you from trying to perfect your technique and learn different ways, tips, and tricks that can strengthen and improve your voice.
Cooling Down
Cool down your voice at the end of each practice session. Doing so is as important as warming up your vocals. To cool down, run through some of your low-impact vocal exercises. This prepares the voice to return to its normal non-singing state. These types of exercises can help to prevent injury and will strengthen your vocals over time. Cooling down the vocals can also be very therapeutic for overtired vocal folds and can actually have a calming effect that promotes lubrication.
While it may sound like an obvious reminder to you pros out there, it’s important for a beginner to know that they need to really open their mouths when they sing. When you sing you need to over-exaggerate the formation of vowels. Keeping your mouth open wide enough can have a positive impact on your voice, allowing it to sound richer and fuller.
How to Overcome Stage Fright
Walking out on stage and singing in front of a large or even small group of people can be intimidating. And there’s no feeling quite like the nerves that can build right before a performance or even smack in the middle. The voice itself is probably the most vulnerable instrument and how good or bad you perform is, unfortunately, directly tied to how you feel.
If you’ve hired a voice instructor to help improve your singing voice, that can be a big step in the right direction in terms of relaxing in front of an audience. Your singing instructor is a professional, so they’ll understand exactly what you’re going through and can provide you with tips and advice that can help you to relax and overcome your fears. Once you feel more confident singing, invite friends and family over for a mini-concert or a fun night of karaoke at home. The more you sing in front of other people, the more relaxed you’ll be each time.
How to Care for Your Singing Voice: What to Avoid Before a Big Gig
As we have mentioned, the voice is a vulnerable instrument, and just like a musical instrument, your voice needs special love and care in order to keep it in shape and allow you to perform at your best. Failing to properly maintain your vocal cords can potentially lead to health issues that can majorly affect your singing. Always staying hydrated is essential. Whenever you practice or perform, always bring water with you. Smoking is a singer’s biggest enemy. Smoke can definitely affect the overall tone of your voice not to mention how long you can carry out notes or hold your breath.
The day of a big performance, rest your voice. If possible, try to use your voice sparingly for up to two days before a big gig.
With all that in mind, you should be all set when it comes to getting even better at singing. Whether you have professional aspirations or just want to get better for fun, it is possible to develop a stronger voice, especially when you keep these tips in mind.
Singing like a Pro: Conclusion
If singing really is your thing and you want to get better, the best thing you can do aside from following these techniques is practice. Singing experts recommend practicing your assignments and warm-ups for at least thirty minutes every day. If you want to practice singing for a longer period of time, be sure to take a half an hour break for each hour you sing in order to avoid straining your voice. Should your throat feel sore or strained at any point during practice call it quits for the day. Consistent practice is important and can help to strengthen the vocal cords over time.
Caring for your voice, practicing and following the proper singing techniques will work to increase your range and teach you how to carry out higher or lower notes.
