Top Singing Tips | Recording Artists Guild

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Whether you are a professional singer, sing in a band or community choir. Perhaps you join in at your local on the karaoke, or just sing in the shower, there’s something here for everyone.     Why not pick up a few singing and performing tips from our free guides, or browse the above tabs to see our large range of backing tracks, sheet music, song books, equipment and accessories.

The human voice is one of the most fragile instruments, and is incredibly difficult to master. If you want to learn how to sing well, it’s going to be a long battle, but here are some great singing tips to help you avoid some common pitfalls.

 Breathe from the diaphragm.

You really need to control the air that you’re expelling when you sing, and breathing from the diaphragm gives you more control to do this.  Breathe in so that you feel your stomach moving gently outwards when you inhale.

Practice your scales.

Yes they can be boring, but they really will exercise your singing muscles and help strengthen your voice and extend your range.  They will also help your sense of pitch.

Don’t strain your voice.  

Warm up before you start and don’t try to sing too loud or too high as you might damage your vocal cords. Take it slow and steady and you’ll sing well in no time. Keep your practice time to an hour or so a day, then move up if you feel like it. If you ever feel like your voice is straining, or if you feel soreness or pain, stop right away.

Seek out people’s opinion.

Learning to sing well takes a long time, and during this time you may hear people’s comments about your voice. Use their comments constructively and if there is something you can improve on, try to work on the problem.

Make recordings of yourself

This is the best way to hear your problems, because you can separate yourself from your voice and listen to what other people hear. You may not like the sound of your voice at first, but keep at it; you’ll improve vastly, and you’ll start to notice stuff you like about your voice and really expand on those things.

Talk to established singers.

Most of them will be happy to give you some tips and exercises that helped them out, and any time you need to ask for directions, the best idea is to ask the person that’s already at your destination.

Eat and drink well.

Eat healthy and drink plenty of water. Don’t do anything that’ will affect your voice and prevent you from singing well. Caffeine isn’t particularly good for you, as is anything that causes mucous build-up like dairy products (drinking milk before singing is a particular bad choice). Don’t smoke or drink too much alcohol as this can really affect your singing voice.

Sing for the style.

If you’re singing country, listen to country singers. If you’re singing rock, listen to rock singers, etc. Notice things that are the same in each style and emulate those. Be careful, however, to keep your voice unique, and not to simply copy another singer’s voice. Allow your personality and your voice to come out in your music.

 Experiment with different sounds. 

Play around with different sounds. If you sang something with a nasal sound or perhaps a growl, would it improve what you are trying to convey in your song.  Have fun too singing your songs in a different genre, or in the style of a different singer.

 Stay positive!

If you’ve had a bad session, that doesn’t mean your voice is going to be bad forevermore. Have a break, address the problem and try again another day. Don’t get down on yourself, and don’t think that your voice is bad, Mindset is definitely a big part of singing, and you need to be positive. If you don’t think you sound good, neither will anyone else.