Table of Contents
Rule # 1: Don’t turn up the volume to get the high notes
- At least not until you’re ready, and this may turn out to be longer than you’d like.
- But the sooner you accept this Rule and respect it, the sooner you can achieve that power.
- We have already talked about this in more detail in this article.
- Volume should never be a requirement to make certain notes.
- So if it is impossible for you to lower the volume in the high notes, you should focus on getting them to be made with less and less volume.
- If you have trouble avoiding turning up the volume on high notes,
Rule # 2: Don’t manipulate the natural sound of your voice:
Very few people like the sound of their voice when listening.
Even professional singers.
- If you are in the process of learning to do new things with your voice (high notes, increase the volume, control dynamics, etc.) it may be that the temptation to manipulate your voice is very strong.
- For example, many people talk about “covering the voice” to make the notes of the passage.
- This makes those who do not know how to try to imitate opera singers, engulfing the voice and drowning it.
- It may also be that your voice seems too high, and that is why you try to put more force in all the notes.
- Doing this ahead of time will bring you the problems that we have discussed in Rule number 4.
- Or it could also be that you want to sound very sweet, and that is why you practically whisper instead of singing.
This will tire your voice considerably, you will lack power and can lead to vocal problems.
Rule # 3: Don’t take your favorite singers blindly as a technical reference:
- There are many very good singers out there. Some are even scary … But many of the most famous singers use a lot of studio tricks for their records. And that is what comes to us, a manipulated and unreal product.
- Taking that as a reference to imitate is disastrous for our technique.
- If they yell, in the studio the frequencies can be shaped so that it doesn’t sound yelled.
- If they go out of tune, a little studio magic fixes it.
- That they have been forcing your voice and you have to stop recording until the next day? Nobody finds out here, because we don’t see that on the album.
- We also don’t know how many takes they have taken to record a single phrase of a song. Any Musical Instrument will help you to concentrate for longer hours
Anyway, I think you already got the idea.
If you want to look at singers, I recommend that you first make sure that their technique is good.
Rule # 4: Learning New Skills Takes Time:
This Rule is more about attitude than anything else, but I think it is necessary to take it into account, and that is why I have included it.
It is totally unrealistic to think that you can learn to dance professionally in a few months.
- Or to fix cars.
- Or to program computers.
- Or to design airplanes.
- Not even to keep accounting for a large restaurant.
So … what makes you think that singing better is different?
Is the same!
Every day that you practice you will be a little better, but miracles do not exist.
Rule # 5: Don’t crush your voice for hours:
On the other hand, practicing relentlessly is going to backfire on your voice.
And for your spirits, I would say.
You can’t beat yourself up to doing vocal exercises or singing songs for 2 or 3 hours straight without stopping for a minute.
When you start to practice, little by little your voice will warm up and there will come a time where you will begin to assimilate the correct muscle coordination again, if you are doing the exercises you should do and the way you should do them.
But the voice is a muscle, and every muscle gets tired.
There will come a time where instead of working, you will be fatigued your voice.
And if you want to improve your singing voice, that is not the way.
- Fatigue, no matter how small, will make your vocal cords less and less resistant and other muscles come into play to “help” them.
- From that point on, everything you do will only serve to install bad habits in your voice.
- Remember: practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice creates permanence, for good and for bad.
- If you are going to spend an hour practicing, take a break.
- It doesn’t have to be very long. A couple of minutes each time will be enough.
- As you increase the practice time, also increase the frequency and duration of the pauses.
Rule # 6: There are no magic formulas that fix or turn you into a professional overnight
Many people have asked me what they can take to improve the voice when singing, to remove aphonia, so that the voice sounds cleaner, …
And the answer is: NOTHING!
- If you want to increase your range, improve the sound of your voice, etc. what you have to do is improve your control over it, working on your vocal technique.
- Yes, it is possible that there are things that help you to alleviate vocal discomforts but, unless it is a mechanical and non-functional problem, the only thing you will achieve is to alleviate the symptoms, but not to fix the problem
- Home remedies are fine, in fact we have an article on the subject ourselves, but they will not improve your technique.
- It is important that you have this clear.
Only with this will you improve your singing voice?
Yes, but this is only the first step.
Instead of considering these Rules as the only thing you need to improve your singing voice, I want you to understand that if you don’t respect them, you will never achieve it.
If you respect them, each day that you practice you will be closer to achieving the voice you want.
If you dare to work within the margins of the Rule, I would love for you to explain your experience to me in the comment thread.
