Fun With Singing

The voice is a remarkable instrument, capable of many different sounds. You can always add effects, either organic or electronic to add to it, as well. Here are some ideas you may not have thought about to add to your songwriting to enrich a song's sound or just to help you be a better singer.

PRACTICE!

I can't tell you enough how important this is. Sure, there are vocalists that insist that they never warm up, but I've heard how rotten they can sound in concert, too, and many were so blitzed on alcohol that they would think anything they did was good. Having heard a tape of myself after one such episode of my own, I got my backside into a vocals class and it really improved my sound. Even practicing scales or humming along with a radio on the way to work each day can help, just like doing a few crunches everyday can help tighten your tummy. I love finding songs that make me work my weak spots, just like my vocal coach used to torture me with, but I find Journey far more fun than the classical pieces that made me practice jumps over and on my break point. Make sure you do plenty of practice at full performance volume, too-many is the time I've been embarrassed by how rotten I sounded when I got in front of a band that ended up far louder than they told me they would be, and didn't give me a decent PA system to sing with, then wondered why I didn't sound good at high volumes. If I'd practiced that loud to begin with, I might have made that tryout, but live and learn.

TECHNIQUE MATTERS

I can't emphasize enough how important this is-even getting a book can help you here, but a good coach that knows the genre you want to sing in is better. It's amazing how just learning to give yourself proper breath support or being aware of what is going on in your jaws and nose can change your entire sound and range. One coach I had made us work on making animal noises or crying like a baby-both of which can scream for hours without getting sore throats, unlike most adult humans. Doing any sort of tummy exercises and jogging or other aerobic exercise can greatly improve your sound and ability to sing well for longer periods of time, too. Taking an acting class to work on performance, projecting and enunciation can really help, too-I can't tell you how many times I've seen singers that you can't understand, or who are nervous or totally boring to watch-all of which can be helped by a little instruction.

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