When you are a singer, your voice becomes your most important instrument. Whether you enjoy singing alone, on stage, or thinking of pursuing singing as a professional career, learning how to improve your singing voice could help you perform better. Caring for your vocal health is as important as remembering the notes and lyrics, it is what makes your singing performance worth it.
Think of it like your favorite instrument. Just like you would care for the piano keys and guitar keys, caring for your vocal folds is essential too. Sitting at the top of the windpipe in your body, within the larynx or voice box, your vocal folds need attention and care just as much as your musical notes and instruments. Moreover, caring for your voice, whether you are singing higher or lower notes, makes the song possible. So, here are some tips that will help you take care of your voice and improve how you sing. The only condition is that you need to stay consistent with your routine, just like your singing practice.
Tips for improving and maintaining a healthy voice
Keeping your voice and vocals in tune while singing can make or break the performance. Follow these steps to improve your singing.
Proper warm-up and cool-down
Just like athletes warm up before a workout, singers need to prepare their voices as well. Warming up the vocal cords gets the muscles ready to perform and prevents strains. It also improves control. You can start with simple exercises like lip trills, humming, and vocal sirens to ease the transition into full-on singing. These exercises help loosen your voice and increase flexibility. Light humming and soft sirens can also relax the vocal cords and prevent fatigue. So, skipping this step may lead to tension or vocal strain. If you make warm-up and cool-down a regular habit, you can very well boost your vocal stamina and avoid injuries.
Stay hydrated
One way to keep your voice and vocal cords healthy is by staying adequately hydrated. Water and herbal teas can do the job fine. However, make sure the teas are warm, not boiling hot. Drink water and tea throughout the day. Drinking just before practicing or performing is not enough; you need to maintain that whole day. A dehydrated body can lead to irritated vocal cords that can end up harming your voice for a long period of time. So, always keep a water bottle and a cup of tea right beside you. This is to make sure your body can produce enough mucus levels that are needed to keep the cords lubricated.
Breath control
Breath control is one of the most essential parts of being a good singer. Controlling your breath helps you hold notes and manage volume. It also helps you sing with ease and hold much power over your vocals. Exercises like diaphragmatic breathing, where you need to use your belly to take the air in, not your chest, will help you craft strong breath support. You can practice this along with breath control drills if you want to build stronger lungs and better control over your breathing.
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While singing, aim to keep your airflow steady. You need to avoid shallow breathing or breathy sounds. These may weaken your tone and reduce vocal control. Improving breath control will give you more command over your voice. It helps with pitch, tone, and stamina. If you practice these regularly, you will notice better performance and more confidence in your overall singing.
Rest the vocal cords
The vocal cords that are used in your singing voice are the same ones that are used when you communicate with others on a daily basis. This is why sometimes you would find your cords to be strained or injured. To make sure your singing is not affected by this, you can limit your presence in noisy places, as these environments might force you to talk louder to shout. You can also talk less when you have a cold or allergies, as your throat would be raw and sore. This is when you should try to be quieter than you usually are for a couple of days.
You also need to avoid "whispering" as it can create a habit that would be much worse than having your vocals injured. There is no need to maintain complete silence when your vocal cords are stressed. But if you reduce the use of your voice, it will allow your singing voice to return stronger and improved.
Proper posture and body alignment
One thing that you might not think is related to your singing is how your body is aligned. If you want optimal vocal production, you need to have good posture and proper body alignment. To maintain your posture, make sure that your neck and head are aligned with your spine. You also need to sit up straight and relax your shoulders. When you have proper posture, it improves the capacity of your lungs, allows your breath to flow freely, and increases vocal resonance.
On the other hand, when you slouch or tense your muscles, it can have a big negative impact on your vocal quality and restrict your vocal range. So, incorporate correct posture and body alignment habits into your daily life, and it will definitely have a positive impact on your singing habits.
Express emotion in real life
A sign of a good and accomplished singer is how she or he can make the audience feel the emotion the song is trying to convey. When you hear good and emotional singing, sometimes you might even have goosebumps. However, if you want your audience to feel the emotion your song is displaying, you need to feel it yourself too. So, when you practice a song, try to imagine what POV the writer is talking about, and what the verses mean, and then convey that through your voice.
Appropriate volume
Not every singer can sing at the same pitch, at the same volume. If you try to sing at a higher volume than you generally can, you risk cracking your voice. At the same time, singing at a lower volume might mean your voice is not carrying the same essence or is not resonating with the audience. Through enough practice, you can find the right volume, and once you find it, stick to that.
The journey of becoming a better singer requires patience, daily practice, hard work, and a willingness to learn. If you cannot do it alone, make sure you choose a good teacher.
