30 Day Singer Blog - archives - page 13

A recital is a fantastic opportunity to invite your community to celebrate your growth and enjoy your beautiful music. You’ve been practicing, challenging yourself, and dealing with low moments and high achievements with grace. Now isn’t it time to show off a little? 

Stage fright is something all of us maybe acquainted with whether because you've given a speech or presentation.

You’re waiting in the wings, about to go on stage. The applause from the audience is dying down, and the announcer is about to call your name. Mic in hand, you take a breath and start walking.

The lip trill is a fun and effective vocal exercise. Sometimes called “lip bubbles”, this exercise is essentially the noise you’d make if you were imitating the sound of a toy car or airplane. The mouth is almost closed, lips buzzing or flapping together as you phonate (make noise) and release air. If you’ve never done or heard a lip trill before, check out the beginner’s warm-up tutorial on the site!

Any vocal coach will tell you that breath control in singing comes first and foremost, simply because the body of your voice relies on your breath. Without the proper posture, from spinal alignment to tongue placement, your voice would sound any combination of unflattering noises. It sounds like a lot to focus on at once, but as you practice, these exercises become second nature, and from there you can work on different styles, techniques, and registers.

The term "head voice" is commonly used to mean "high notes that are not falsetto or strained." The kind of clear, high tone Sarah Brightman is known for is an example of head voice. Another fine example of head voice is Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli singing “The Prayer,” particularly the end.

Every skill requires preparation, and for singing, vocal warm ups are vital. Skipping your warm-up can result in the embarrassment of losing your voice mid-song or worse, vocal cord damage. A good singer will even warm-up before their scheduled rehearsal, humming softly on the bus or practicing scales in the car. You will sound and feel better while singing if you keep in mind these warm-up tips.

There are always ways to improve, whether you’re a complete beginner or a professional opera star. Just to name a few potential improvements: broadening range, tightening pitch, increasing stamina and breath control, polishing tone, and improving the power of your fortissimo. The following are a few tricks for going from fine to good, from good to great, and from great to breathtaking.

Suddenly your smooth and velvety tones are sounding raspy and dry. Or you’ve been noticing a slow decline in your voice quality over the past week, possibly along with feeling symptoms of a common cold. There are many reasons one might lose their voice, but here are some general guidelines for how to get your voice back, regardless of the cause.

What is belting, anyway?

Do you know how to find your vocal range? Read on to learn how!