Many people think that singing only involves the vocal chords. However, in singing, the muscles of the whole body get utilized one way or another. It is important to remember the proper and correct ways of singing to avoid damaging the muscles of your body, as well as to get the most power out of your singing voice. It is essential to know the proper ways of singing. Here are some tips on how to practice singing.
Learn to stand properly. To be able to sing correctly, proper posture is important. The placing of your feet depends on how you balance yourself. For flat-footed people, your feet should be parallel to each other. For people with arched feet, one foot should be more advanced than the other. Find your balance. Balance your weight on both feet. Keep your shoulders back. Arch your back in such a way that your chest is out, your stomach is in and your buttocks are tucked in. The muscles of your body should be relaxed. Avoid having any strain in some areas of your body. It takes time to get used to having the correct posture when singing.
Breathe correctly. Breathing correctly is essential to singing properly. The correct way of breathing is by expanding the diaphragm without deviating from the correct posture. To do this, expand your stomach and chest when inhaling. On the other hand, when exhaling, collapse your stomach and chest. To know if you are executing this correctly, your shoulders must stay in place. If you notice that they are moving when breathing, then you are not breathing correctly.
Exercise your facial muscles. Exercising the facial muscles helps make singing easier. Exercise your facial muscles by making faces and saying tongue twisters. Curl and expand your face to create tension in your facial muscles. Do this for a minute or two. Let your facial muscles relax. Saying tongue twisters helps loosen the muscles of your tongue. Repeat the line “Red leather, yellow leather.”
Do vocalization exercises. There are different vocalizations that help the vocal cords warm up. It is advised that you do at least five vocalizations. Humming is a vocalization technique that helps warm up the soft pallet. Try humming as a vocalization. Lip curling is another vocalization technique, which specifically helps the lower and upper lip relax when singing. Sing “Ma, Me, Mi, Mo, Mu” as a vocalization to help your vocal cords warm up. Another vocalization technique is by singing “Amore” and “Mama made me mash my M&Ms.” You can use a piano when vocalizing yourself. If a piano is unavailable, you can vocalize a capella.
Practice the song you are going to sing. Maintain proper posture and breathing when practicing. Drop your jaw to produce better sounding vowels. Enunciate the consonants. Avoid straining your voice by not shouting when singing. Belting is a technique done by trained singers. If belting is difficult for you, do not attempt to do it. This will only strain your vocal cords. To avoid singing nasally, clamp your nose. If you notice that you are nasal sounding, find a way to let the air and sound out of your mouth without sounding nasal. This is a simple technique to avoid sounding nasal.
Avoid drinking cold beverages after practicing singing. This will only damage your vocal cords. Enlist the help of a vocal coach if you want to improve your singing technique.
