1. Always do a vocal warm-up
Whatever you do, don’t underestimate the warm-up. This is one of the most important things you will ever need to know as a singer. Just as world-class athletes wouldn’t even think about competing without first warming up their bodies and muscles, singers need to warm up their voices in preparation for the tough job of singing. If you are a beginner vocalist, do it under the supervision of a vocal coach.
2. Warm-up gradually
It is important not to immediately start with your most difficult and in-demand workouts. Make sure you slowly increase the intensity of your exercises. Start very gently with a simple and gradually increase the intensity, effort, and range. Once your voice has warmed up, start singing some of your less vocally difficult songs. This gives the muscles time to continue stretching and warming up before reaching larger, more demanding material.
3. Drink plenty of water
Make sure you always have plenty of water to rehydrate your “vocal instrument”.
4. Breathe with your diaphragm
Full abdominal breathing actively engages the diaphragm, the trampoline-like muscle that extends through the lower chest and below the lungs. By developing awareness and control of the abdominal breathing process, the singer learns to fully maintain and amplify the voice, and control, develop and sculpt the vocal tone. Abdominal breathing is essential for the development of sound production.
5. Vary your exercises
To better develop as a singer, you will need a wide range of vocal exercises in your arsenal. It is important to practice with different vowels and consonants, as well as to vary the pitch, air supply, rhythm, tempo, duration, range, and vocal techniques. Your vocal coach must come up with individual exercises for you that can help you “hone” your vocal technique.
6. Record yourself
It is vital for a singer to love their voice, however, many singers do not love their voice after hearing a recording. By recording lessons, rehearsals, performances, etc., the singer will be able to recognize areas for further development for himself.
7. Singing with piano
If you are singing while playing the grand piano, you can do such a trick: put a mirror above the piano, it should be placed on the level of your head – you should see your face clearly in the mirror. Use a piano light to highlight your neck muscles, to see how and when they working. You may need to pick a piano lamp that would suit your needs the best.
8. Open your mouth wider
If you watch foreign stars, and their live performances, you will see how much they open their mouths! This is a magical position that will give you an incredible amount of perks for your best sound. Put on your “vocal mask” before you start your vocal lesson.
It works, since the larger the resonator cavity, the better the resonance, the easier it is to sing, and the less air we spend, but at the same time, everything should not be taken literally. Do not forget that moderation is the key to the health of the vocal apparatus. It is not for nothing that many people promote singing in a speech position because speech is a natural function of our vocal apparatus, most people speak without straining and can do this for quite a long time (lecturers at the university, teachers). Some suggest the following method for finding the optimal opening: open your mouth as wide as possible and then, slightly covering, relax your cheekbones. Greater opening will lead to cramping and fatigue. Entertainers don’t need to open their mouths as wide as possible. Of course, it depends on the musical material.
9. Watch the position of the larynx
The larynx tends to move up and down while singing. Experiment with different positions of the larynx. This will also allow you to diversify your sound. tongue position
Another factor that determines vocal tone is the position of the tongue in the mouth. By bringing the tongue forward and touching the tip of the tongue to the back of the lower teeth, the tone will become brighter and clearer, as this position of the tongue will create a shallower, reduced resonance space at the back of the mouth. This straight tongue position allows sound to move forward freely, and also provides a brighter resonance in the sinus and resonant cavities at the front of the head. Pulling the tongue back down to the throat reveals a deeper resonating chamber, which contributes to a deeper, more classical sound.
10. Rest before the performance
For some vocalists, this may seem obvious and easy to spot. We work better when we rest, so try to minimize stress and tension in your voice before a concert.
11. Don’t eat before class
While singing, whether in performance or rehearsal, try to avoid food, especially sugary or fatty foods, and alcohol. Some products create havoc in our mucosa and make our vocal apparatus very tired. Wait until you finish singing. As they say, an artist must be hungry!