10 Ways to Sing Better
Hi, I am Olivia and I’m a voice teacher. Below are foundational secrets I impart to every student. If YOU master this top 10 list, I guarantee better singing.
1. Allow yourself adequate belly breaths
With a silent singing breath, feel the air drop down to your tummy like a yogi. Inhale an adequate breath. A huge breath is not typical.
Breath should be forever engaged. Experiment vocals after big versus small breaths to find your desired air pressure. Airflow changes depending on what you are singing.
2. Relax your jaw
Keeping your jaw relaxed will instantly change the way you sing, both the way you feel while singing and the freeness of your sound. Why? Jaw movement directly impacts the way your vocal folds vibrate with each other.
Watch yourself in the mirror to see if your jaw is clenched or jutting out. Pretend you just went to the dentist and your mouth is numb! An exercise like this will force you to use your breath and save you from reaching for notes with your jaw and the muscles surrounding your delicate vocal folds.
3. Sing how you speak
While singing is not exactly like speaking, using your speaking voice as a baseline can be a healthy place to start. If you feel strained, consider speaking the song clearly, and sing with the efforlessness you have when you speak.
If you get laryngitis or a tired voice after speaking, explore your day-to-day vocal health.
4. Exaggerate your vowels
Open your mouth confidently and take advantage of open Ay’s, Ah’s, and ohs! Your voice will soar. Beware of diphthongs and continue to lift your soft palate.
5. Plan ahead
Plan your breaths and look ahead while singing to grace the tops of every note with fluidity and rhythmic timing.
6. Master the inner smile
A small smiley adjustment will keep your voice bright, resonant, and sparkling. Have you ever looked at someone across the room and given them that cheeky inner smile? You’ll feel your soft palate raise on the inside and a slight lifting sensation in your cheeks.
7. Be precise
Do you slide up to notes? Are you in front of the beat? Behind the beat? Does something just sound… off?
Consider your rhythm and pitch.
We might get lost while listening to the original singer and miss the intricacies of a tune. Master the art of patience to learn a song as precisely as possible, in all of its rhythms and pitches, and it will take you to the next level.
8. Sing with feeling
A great artist can emote through music. It might seem like magic, but it can be learned. There are a couple of ways to sing with feeling. Connect to a song’s lyrics with your eyes and sing with intentional dynamics. Map out your movements both musically and physically.
9. Be a bobble head!
This little adjustment in your singing posture can free up your sound. When you release your head and tilt your chin down slightly, you are doing your vocal folds a favor by putting less strain on them.
Watch: Performing With Confidence
10. Stay lifted
Phrases are the musical arc that you carry on a single, measured breath. Songs are made up of phrases. This is one thing that separates singing from speaking. If you stay lifted in your rib cage, inner smile, and use your breath to propel a song forward, you elevate your skills. This kind of nuance takes discipline to become second nature, so allow yourself regular time to practice your craft.
I hope you found this list helpful. Many of these elements are covered in my free Singing Foundation Course videos. Give it a watch or schedule a lesson with me! Consultations are free, and we can discuss coaching that works best for your singing goals. Questions? Feel free to shoot me an email! Cheers!
Start singing today and learn about vocal warm ups.