Singing tips and tricks

To round off the week, here are five quick tips to improve your singing. Whether you’re fronting a band or beefing up your skills to belt out some opera, you should find these useful…

1. Breathing

Put simply, breathing properly makes singing more comfortable. It supports and strengthens the voice and saves you the embarrassment of running out of breath mid-line.

Good breathing technique uses the diaphragm, the muscle which stretches across the bottom of the rib cage. It contracts when you breathe in, pushing the abdomen out, and relaxes when you exhale, pulling the abdomen back in. Lay one hand just beneath the ribs as you breathe - this is where you should feel movement; the chest and shoulders stay where they are (just watch opera singers in action).

Practise a few lines of a song using this technique. You will find not only that you breathe more deeply, allowing you to sing for longer between breaths, but also that you can use your stomach muscles to control the exhalation. In practice, of course, there is not always time for big, deep breaths, but try and use the diaphragm whenever you breathe. Good posture makes everything easier, so whether seated or standing, relax your shoulders, don’t slouch and make sure you are balanced.

2. Phrasing

This is working out where to breathe in a piece of music, which sounds complicated but is pretty much common sense. Read through lyrics before you sing them to see where the natural pauses fall. And, however obvious it seems, make sense of what you’re saying: it’s very easy to sing without thinking. If you see the lyrics as meaningful phrases rather than individual words strung together, you’ll avoid breaking lines in the wrong place and drawing attention to your breathing.

You can also identify any long/tricky phrases and make a note reminding you to breathe accordingly. (This is a good tip when rehearsing for anything, on any instrument: always have a pencil, and write down all changes/instructions etc. You will forget them otherwise!)

3. Accents and enunciation

As a general rule for accents, if you’re not an American don’t try too hard to sound
like one (especially if you’re singing your own material). Certain words never come out right

‘I’ is one of the worst offenders – and you’ll nearly always sound as though you’re imitating someone. This may of course be appropriate for the style you’re singing in (country or blues, for example) but is often unnecessary and distracting. Again, start by reading lyrics aloud in your usual voice. You might not like the sound when speaking, but your natural accent, rather than an affected one, is always the best (and safest) bet when singing. If you are unsure about this, listen to some contemporary British folk singers – Kate Rusby, Eliza Carthy, Bella Hardy, Cara Dillon – for proof that what comes naturally creates the most distinctive sound.

Enunciation matters, so make your words clear. Again, you will be more aware of the need to
communicate if you engage with your lyrics, so really get to know them. This will make performance all the more rewarding – audiences really appreciates a singer who acknowledges them and whose words they can understand. See for yourself by listening to bands like Aberfeldy, Keane and Crowded House, all of which have singers who really take care to enunciate clearly.

4. Warming up

Warming up always seems like such a chore if you have singing lessons but you really miss it
once it’s gone. Just like in sport, a vocal warm-up loosens the muscles involved in singing to help prevent strain or injury (particularly important when you sing regularly). Don’t forget the muscles in your face, neck and shoulders – a few good grimaces and shoulder rolls will improve diction and posture.

You can sing anything when warming up, but keep it simple – scales, folk tunes, nursery rhymes. Whatever you choose, concentrate on moving cleanly between the notes. The warm-up is an opportunity to practise muscial directions such as dynamics (volume) and tempo (speed), so play around and experiment with sounds, styles and funny voices. Combine words (to work on your diction) with vowel sounds (’la’, ‘ee’, ‘oo’) and consonants. Tongue twisters are ideal.

5. Join a choir!

If you only follow one of these pointers, make it this one.

Being in a choir won’t just make you a better singer, it’ll teach you to be a better musician. Not only will you have the chance to put your technique into practice, you’ll also learn one of the most valuable musical skills of all: the ability to listen. You can hear how harmonies work, familiarise yourself with musical terms and notation and, most importantly, learn to be part of a musical team, listening and responding to the other musicians around you. Nothing beats making music when all the different elements come together.

On a purely practical level, being part of a choir is also a great confidence-builder, especially if you’re new to singing – it’s a really supportive environment to start off in as you’re never on your own. Even if you’re not remotely interested in the kind of classical repertoire most choirs deal with, it’ll be a massive boost to your musical abilities.

Tagged as: musicianship, singing