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"Singing, the vocal production of musical tones, is so basic to man its origins are long lost in antiquity and predate the development of spoken language. The voice is presumed to be the original musical instrument, and there is no human culture, no matter how remote or isolated, that does not sing."
- John Koopman, A Brief History of Singing |
The voice is the only musical instrument in the whole orchestra where our main tool is located inside the body. How our voice sounds depends on a variety of aspects - from physiology to social culture - thus creating a multitude of voices that are uniquely and individually ours; much like a thumbprint. That is why, there is no use comparing our voice with others. We should only aim to master our own voice, embrace it's natural tonal quality, and use it to its best potentials.
The use of voice is not only useful for professional singers / actors, as people use their voices every day to communicate. Enhancing voice skills will only benefit us in the long process - no matter what field you are in.
Here are some tips to help you improve your vocal experience.
The use of voice is not only useful for professional singers / actors, as people use their voices every day to communicate. Enhancing voice skills will only benefit us in the long process - no matter what field you are in.
Here are some tips to help you improve your vocal experience.
Align your body
The voice is produced from within, which is why it is important to prepare our body first before we start singing.
A crooked guitar is not going to produce the same quality of sound with a straight, aligned one. And this is even truer to vocalists who use their bodies to sing.
Look at yourself in the mirror, check if your shoulders are aligned and your body relaxed. Place both of your feet apart as wide as your shoulders. Let your arms hang loose. Close your eyes and breathe, and try to release tension from all of your muscles. Remember that the key is being aligned AND relaxed.
A crooked guitar is not going to produce the same quality of sound with a straight, aligned one. And this is even truer to vocalists who use their bodies to sing.
Look at yourself in the mirror, check if your shoulders are aligned and your body relaxed. Place both of your feet apart as wide as your shoulders. Let your arms hang loose. Close your eyes and breathe, and try to release tension from all of your muscles. Remember that the key is being aligned AND relaxed.
Breathe Deeply
Imagine that your voice does not come from your vocal cords that are located on your throat, rather it comes from a much deeper place below the abdomen. When you breathe, try to breathe low. The breath is like the ammo of your weapon (the voice).
With powerful breath comes a powerful voice! And it is essential to develop a habit of breathing deeply not only for voice reasons but also health. Whether you are a professional voice user or not, there are only positive benefits in mastering the art of breathing.
With powerful breath comes a powerful voice! And it is essential to develop a habit of breathing deeply not only for voice reasons but also health. Whether you are a professional voice user or not, there are only positive benefits in mastering the art of breathing.
Create an 'eye dot'
Now you are ready to produce your sound, pick an imaginary dot in front of you that's about 2 meters (6-7 feet) away from you. Do not place the dot higher or lower than your eye-level. Remember to take a deep breath (and low!), and imagine reaching that dot with your voice.
Imagine going forward rather than upward, especially in higher notes. Lock your eyes to that dot and start gentle, and when you feel like you are ready for a stronger sound, push forward. Don't forget to check your body alignment every now and then. Whenever you feel that you are starting to build up stress / tension, stop and take a deep breath before moving forward with your sound.
And the most important tip of all . . .
Imagine going forward rather than upward, especially in higher notes. Lock your eyes to that dot and start gentle, and when you feel like you are ready for a stronger sound, push forward. Don't forget to check your body alignment every now and then. Whenever you feel that you are starting to build up stress / tension, stop and take a deep breath before moving forward with your sound.
And the most important tip of all . . .
Enjoy it!
There is no use in all of this if you do not enjoy it. It is called 'playing' music for a reason.
Whether you are singing about broken hearts or lemon trees, you still do need to have fun in your singing. Take short breaks when you cannot reach that insane note, do not berate yourself for not being able to sing in the same key with X singer - you are built differently and that's perfectly okay.
Aim to be better, but celebrate your imperfections. Learn to fall in love with your own voice!
Whether you are singing about broken hearts or lemon trees, you still do need to have fun in your singing. Take short breaks when you cannot reach that insane note, do not berate yourself for not being able to sing in the same key with X singer - you are built differently and that's perfectly okay.
Aim to be better, but celebrate your imperfections. Learn to fall in love with your own voice!
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I hope that these tips can help you in improving your quality of experience in singing. Good luck and have fun!
If you are interested in learning more in depth about the voice, do not hesitate to connect with me and arrange a private / group session that suits our schedule. Currently available for lessons in Jakarta, Indonesia. |
