The basics !
First of all, everyone can sing! All it takes is regular practice. To learn, you must start with the basics, making sure you sing accurately.
How to sing right ?
The priority is to have a good position, breathe properly (our next article) and always warm up your voice.
Stand up straight. Good posture is important because it allows you to reach your full potential. Anchor your feet in the ground, shoulder-width apart. Keep your head straight and relax your body as much as possible. Point your pelvis slightly backwards, a movement that will naturally bring your bust a little forward. This position allows you to breathe easily and to have a good air column. This way, you will produce beautiful notes!
Breathe properly. To sing right, it is also important to breathe correctly. Start by learning how to breathe deeply, by working the muscles of your diaphragm as well as your perineum. Inhale slowly and then exhale the same way (you can count up to 8 in your head for each inhalation and exhalation).
Warm up your voice. Absolutely necessary before starting any other exercise. First, do vocal exercises on "medium" notes, i.e. your normal voice, and sing "A E I O U", then, after a few rehearsals, go to a low note, then to a high note. Then go back to the middle note. This exercise has the double advantage of helping us better pronounce vowels. Relax and then carefully resume your exercise. Be careful, if your voice starts to tense up, take a break!
Do agility exercises. Sing from C to G, then return to C quickly, trying to pronounce all the notes.
Practice your scales regularly. This learning is very important and you should never neglect it. Most music teachers recommend starting with daily 15-minute exercises. This is how you will improve your technique and strengthen your vocal cords.
Sing daily. To improve your voice, you must practice relentlessly. Singing is similar to sports, if you stop training for a long time, your vigor and ability will diminish. You will then have to resume your exercises in order to make up for lost abilities. Be careful not to force yourself either! Avoid singing in full voice more than 1h30 per day!
At Apolline, we offer singing lessons for children and adults of all levels, in groups or privately!
Advices
- If you are thirsty, drink room temperature water or herbal tea.
- In case of irritation, add honey.
Warnings
- If you have a sore throat, stop singing and take a suitable break. If you don't follow this rule, you will damage your vocal cords and your voice will be tense and unpleasant.
- Keep completely silent, if your voice or throat really hurts, or if you have a blackout. Rest your voice for the rest of the day. Drink unlimited hot tea and, if you have a facial sauna, use it for about 20 minutes. Consult a doctor if the problem persists.
- Pre-existing tension can be painful, whether it is in the jaw, shoulders, neck muscles or surrounding areas. Make sure you are completely relaxed before singing. Take a break if your jaw wobbles during exercise, as tension can cause muscle tissue to tear.
- If you produce a hoarse sound when singing a low note, you will damage your voice if you continue to sing, as you may create calluses on your vocal cords. You will only be able to eliminate this damage with either long-term rest or surgery.
Read the next chapter: how to improve your vocal technique?