Discover the World of Singing: A Guide for Beginners
Singing is a universal art form that transcends cultures and brings joy to both the singer and the audience. If you're a beginner looking to explore the world of singing, here's a brief guide to get you started.
1. Breathing Techniques: Proper breathing is the foundation of singing. Practice diaphragmatic breathing – take a slow, deep and low inhale, imagining that you are inhaling into the pit of your stomach. Relax your stomach and allow it to grow outwards as you inhale. During this part of the breathing process your diaphragm is working with your lungs to create a larger internal space in your torso, which in turn allows your lungs to take in more air. Then exhale slowly using a hissing sound. This helps to train your voice support system and will eventually improve your breath control and power development.
2. Pitch Control: Develop your pitch accuracy by humming scales. Start with a comfortable range and gradually expand. Use a piano or a pitch app to guide you.
3. Physical/Vocal Warm-Ups: Before singing, do some stretching to get the blood flowing in your shoulders, neck and face. This will help to relieve tension before you start to sing. Do some shoulder rolls, neck and face stretches - and don't forget that tongue! Stick it out to stretch it before singing. Then warm up your voice with some humming, lip trills, and sirens help loosen up your vocal cords.
4. Resonance: Experiment with resonance by singing various vowel sounds on different pitches. Feel the vibrations in your chest, mouth, and head to find your optimal resonance. This can be a little advanced, so for now just explore your voice and see what different places in your chest, mouth and head feel like when you move your voice around internally.
5. Articulation: Clear articulation ensures your lyrics are understood. Tongue twisters and diction exercises like "red leather, yellow leather" enhance clarity. Make sure you are opening your mouth more when you sing and being confident in your delivery.
6. Range Expansion: Gradually expand your vocal range with sirens – start from your lowest note and glide to your highest, then reverse.
7. Register Blending: Work on blending your vocal registers (chest, middle (passaggio), and head). Ascending and descending scales can help you smooth out transitions (voice breaks/flips)
8. Ear Training: Train your ear by singing back melodies you hear. This improves your musicality and pitch recognition. Recording yourself is a good idea for this one, so that you can measure your accuracy.
9. Performance Confidence: Sing in front of a mirror or film yourself to see how you are progressing. Seeing yourself performing well privately can give you some confidence before you sing in front of other people. When your confidence has grown, you could think about performing in front of your friends and family - they will be your biggest fans at first! Then later on, you might consider an open-mic night or a fun karaoke night before embarking on your journey to joining a band and performing professionally.
10. Psychology of the Performer: A lot of psychology work goes into singing and performing. Visualising a receptive audience can help reduce your performance anxiety. Working on any psychological barriers to performing will give you a more comfortable experience. These barriers could be things like; fear of failure, feeling unprepared, anxiety, low self-esteem, stage fright etc.
Here at AntonyTyler.com, we have you covered for all of your voice development needs. Our singing lessons cover all of the above techniques and provide a safe, non-judgemental space, either in person or online, for you to take your vocals to the next level. Head over to our contact us page or give me a DM on our socials to book your first session in and set your voice free!
Remember, progress takes time. Consistent practice and patience are key. Happy singing!