Singing Tips?
what are some good singing tips to keep your voice healthy? also, how do you expand your range (over time of course)? Those who perform live, do you have any rituals (physical, i dont mean like mental preparation) that you follow? Any general tips for singing?
Practice breathing from deep within your chest, using the supporting muscles rather than your throat. Shallow breathing wears out the voice quickly. The best singers of all genres breathe from down deep. Exercise your breathing as you would your legs were you a runner.
Lemon juice can clear the throat initially, but it can also cause mucous to build up (or so I’ve found). Honey is soothing. Build your range just like an athlete builds his techniques–slowly, with much practice and repetition. Just start building the range that you feel natural in, to get a firm foundation. Then try to sing some parts that are just a little higher or lower, until they become comfortable for you. Then extend it a little past that point, and so on and so forth.
Good luck!
The best way to keep your voice healthy is to Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Teas, cough drops, whatever provide immediate comfort to your throat but not to the vocal folds. Keeping the tissues well lubricated is the best answer to vocal health. You are also more resistant to allergies, colds, etc. when you get those 8 glasses of water daily!
Before a performance the best thing is be well rested. Then to prepare, get yourself awake and ready to roll! Think of how an athelete warms up for an event. Singing is the same thing! You are using muscle! Not only those two inches of thin cartilage in your throat, but your whole body!
General tips? Breath. It is the foundation of singing. Learn how to use it correctly. The other greatest tip I could give is silence. Know when to shut up. If your voice is tired, hoarse or raspy, be quiet! DO NOT WHISPER!!! that makes the vocal cords stretch even thinner and puts more tension in your throat. Just be silent. And start drinking that water!
Take a deep breath and let it out slowly over the note, you’ll be able to hold the note longer and project better. Also, I hear a lot of singers drink tea, it’s supposed to be good for the throat.
1. Make sure you breath from low in your chest. Don’t raise your shoulders when you breath, make sure it’s coming form below your stomach in your diaphragm.
2. COUGH DROPS I have been going through a tough time vocally and ricola cough drops (any kind works though) are great! One problem: Menthol can numb your vocal cords. There are some cough drops that don’t have menthol, but they are all powdery (at least the ones I got) and don’t help. I find the ricola ones with only like 1.5 mg of menthol are OK.