Tips Toward Better Singing

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"Technique is the basis of every pursuit. If you're a sportsman or you're a singer or a swimmer, well that comes under sport but you have to develop a basic technique to know what you're doing at any given time." -Joan Sutherland

Singing is a beautiful art form that takes practice, time, dedication, and persistence! But above all, if you have all of these things and more, it is nothing without the desire to sing. Similarly, we have compiled a list of our top ten tips for singers everywhere.

Shape Your Mouth- 

When singing, you want to shape or form your mouth to the sound or letters of the words that you are singing. For instance, when you sing the letter "O" or sound "Ohhh", open your mouth and form a circle. When singing "Ahhh" sounds, a nice tip is to lower your jaw. This will make you sound more natural and full when singing. Starting off, this may feel weird but after a few times practicing, you should feel and hear the difference.

Beware of These Foods- 

Before practicing or performing, you should be wary of consuming these foods and beverages:

1. Coffee/caffeine/spicy foods- irritates your throat
2. Milk/dairy products- produces mucus 
3. Citrus fruits/alcohol- dries out your throat
4. Cold anything- constricts your throat 

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Relax Your Face- 

When you perform, your facial expressions and mannerisms might become tensed or restrictive but this is a big mistake! The more relaxed you are, the smoother and easier it will be to hit the right notes. 

Posture is Key- 

Standing as straight and tall as you can, helps to relieve tension and pressure while it increases your breath capacity. The main reason to practice good posture while singing is to allow as much air flow into your lungs to help you breathe and sing better.

Warm Up Your Voice and Practice-

"If everyone started off the day singing, just think how happy they'd be." -Lauren Myracle

When we wake up in the morning, usually our voices sound groggy or raspy, due to the muscles being at rest during our slumber, as well as, a slight build up of moisture or mucus. So naturally, we are not prepared to sing at our best, right away. Now, a few moments later, after we've drank a glass of water and spoken a few words, our vocal cords have begun to warm up. Before choir rehearsal, we have different singing exercises that we use to "warm up" our voices for the songs we will be rehearsing. This tends to help us not be as pitchy, on key, and prepared for singing. 

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Lastly, we've all heard the phrase, "practice makes perfect" and while nothing is perfect, we can attempt to get as close to it as possible through hard work and determination. You could have one of the most beautiful voices to ever grace the earth but without practice, how would anyone know? We practice to keep our voices strong and to stay on our toes.

What are some tips that you have for singing better? Let us know in the comments below!