How to Sing

Guide Note

Everyone has an instrument built into their bodies, ready to be unleashed on the world: their voice! Although it takes a little time and practice to master your vocal cords, anyone can learn to sing with a few basic techniques. This page will help teach you How to Sing no matter what style you want to learn.

Table of Contents

Introduction

(Creative Commons photo by Inthebag.golf)
(Creative Commons photo by Inthebag.golf)
  • If you've ever seen the audition phase of American Idol, you'll know that there are a lot of people out there who think they can sing. You probably also noticed that most of them actually can't. But although some people seem blessed with the gift of a beautiful singing voice, anyone can learn to sing with a little practice.
  • This page will help you get started fine-tuning your built in musical instrument. And who knows, maybe someday you'll be standing on the stage, belting it out for Simon Cowell in front of a television audience of millions... Or just crooning in the shower!

Singing Glossary

  • Here are a few terms (among a vast vocal lexicon) that may come up as you learn to sing.
  1. Chest Voice: Generally speaking, your chest voice is the vocal range that resonates mostly in your chest. For many people (typically men) this is also their speaking voice.
  2. Diaphragm: This is the muscle directly below your ribcage that is utilized to expel air from the lungs when singing.
  3. Falsetto: Also known as "false voice," it is the highest range of singing in which one's voice becomes thinner with fewer overtones.
  4. Glottal Attack: The act of forcing air through the vocal cords when producing vowel sounds at the beginning of words.
  5. Head Voice: Generally speaking, the head voice is your vocal range that resonates mainly in your head as opposed to your chest. It typically is used for higher notes and is often confused with falsetto.
  6. Larynx: The part of the throat where the vocal cords are. Also referred to as the "voicebox."
  7. Passaggio: This refers to the point in which your vocal register switches from the chest voice to either the head voice or falsetto. In many males it is distinguished by a crack in the voice.
  8. Vibrato: A rapid pitch fluctuation in the voice used in many styles of singing. The most prominent example of vibrato is in opera singing.
  9. Vocal Cords: Also called vocal folds, these are the part of the larynx that vibrate to generate the sounds of the voice.

Vocal Ranges

  • There are a few basic singing ranges you might fall into. These ranges have less to do with what notes you can hit and more to do with what notes you are most comfortable with singing over a long period of time (and what range your voice sounds best in).

NOTE: When determining range, notes are numbered depending on what octave they fall in. Middle C is denoted C4, so the D immediately above would be D4, the C one octave above middle C is C5, etc.

  1. Soprano - The highest female voice, typically able to sing up to about high A (A5) or even C6.
  2. Mezzo-Soprano - Female voice that falls between alto and soprano.
  3. Alto Contralto - The Lowest female voice, usually able to sing down to E3.
  4. Tenor - The highest male voice, they can often hit as high as the C above middle C (C5).
  5. Baritone - Male range in between tenor and bass.
  6. Bass - The lowest male voice, it can dip down around the C two octaves below middle C.

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Step 1: Getting Started

You can start learning to sing at any age! (Creative Commons photo by Brian Kelley)
You can start learning to sing at any age! (Creative Commons photo by Brian Kelley)
  • It doesn't matter if you're going to belt out some opera Pavarotti-style or sing a pop song at an acoustic open mic night—you need to warm your voice up!

Breathing Properly

  • Before you make a sound, you need to make sure your breathing technique is correct. This will facilitate good singing form (not singing from the throat).
  1. When inhaling:
    • Breathe from the belly up, letting the air expand your lower abdomen before your lungs. You can picture your diaphragm area as a tire or balloon, expanding in all directions.
    • Dummies.com suggests imagining that the air is heavy as you inhale, or inhaling as though you're about to fill a balloon.
    • Vocal coach Melissa Cross recommends learning rib-reserve breathing. This involves creating an air reserve in your lower ribcage area that you never completely breathe out.
    • Practice inhaling this way until you get used to how it feels. Start slowly, then work on it until you can inhale more quickly for singing purposes.
  2. When exhaling:
  3. The full breath:
    • Combine the inhalation and exhalation process by breathing in for 3-5 seconds, keeping the air in for 3-5 seconds, then breathing out for 3-5 seconds. This exercise can be adjusted as your stamina improves by increasing the count to 6, 8, 15 seconds.
    • You can test your technique by lying on the floor with a heavy book on your belly. The book should rise and fall as you breathe.
    • Pay attention to posture. Standing up straight will allow you to breathe properly.
    • Practice breathing every day until it becomes second nature.

Vocal Warm-ups

  • You should always do a simple warm-up before you sing to ensure that you will be 100% from your first note (and to reduce the risk of nodes or other damage to the vocal cords).
  1. Always be aware of your breathing technique. Focus on breathing until it feels natural to you.
    • Do the breathing exercise detailed above, but sing and hold a single note that is comfortably in your range without changing the pitch.
  2. Begin warming up your voice in your middle range, low range, high range, then middle range again.
  3. Sing up and down a major scale.
    • Use a piano or guitar for a reference and begin in a comfortable mid-range.
    • You don't have to sing up the entire scale; just reach the 5th tone of the scale (for example C to G) then come back down.
    • Steadily increase the starting pitch of the scale you're singing. If it gets too high, don't strain your voice.
  4. Make different vowel noises and combine short and long notes.
  5. Sing along with warm-ups online or find a book or CD.
  6. Relax! Keep your body loose, including your entire chin/jaw area.
  7. The National Center for Voice and Speech lists their favorite vocal warm-ups for singers.
  8. The following video has a good example of some vocal warm-ups that you can try. Sing different vowel sounds (such as "oooh" and "eeee" in a smooth, legato style) over the piano figures.
Vocal Warm-ups

Step 2: Improving your Singing Technique

(Creative Commons photo by Tinou Bao)
(Creative Commons photo by Tinou Bao)
  • Now that you're warmed up and ready to go, it's time to start singing! There are many damaging vocal techniques that untrained singers can fall into. Luckily, utilizing the skills you learned in Step 1 will help you learn to sing properly.

Practicing

  1. Find a quiet place free of distraction in which to practice.
  2. Scheduling a regular time to practice can help you get into a regular routine.
  3. Choose a song you've written or one you love. It should be in a comfortable range for your voice.
  4. Sing the song with accompaniment (an instrument or recording), or a capella if you'd like. The latter will make it more difficult to judge your pitch.
  5. Don't forget to relax!
  6. Just like in your warm-ups, concentrate on breathing properly as you sing.
  7. Focus your sound to resonate in your cheeks and the roof of your mouth as opposed to your throat.
  8. Practice in front of a mirror and try not to make faces as you sing (no matter how cool they may make you look).
  9. Practice pronouncing your vowels and enunciating you words.
  10. If you make a mistake, go back and try again until you get it right.
  11. Drink water often as you practice.
  12. Practice for about 15-20 minutes per day. You can increase your practice time as you get better.
  13. General rule: if it hurts, you're doing it wrong. Stop!
  14. Be yourself. Vocal coach Melissa Cross says one of the worst mistakes you can make is trying to sound like someone else. Embrace the uniqueness of your voice.

Fine Tuning

  • The more you practice, the more your singing should improve. Once singing properly feels natural to you, it's time to start really working on your pitch and fine tuning your style.
  1. Get a more objective view on how you sound by recording yourself singing along to a song that you know.
    • When listening to the recording, establish what some of your vocal strengths and weaknesses are.
    • Vocalist.org.uk recommends listening for the following things:
      1. Intonation. Are you singing in the right key and hitting the right notes?
      2. Breathing. Are you using good breathing techniques or are you gasping for breath?
      3. Voice. How strong does your singing sound?
    • Ask someone you know who sings for an outside opinion, preferably a teacher or vocal coach. Asking friends and family can be nice, but they will be more inclined to compliment rather than criticize you.
  2. If you're not one of the lucky people with perfect pitch, you can use ear training to fine tune your ear and, consequently, your voice.
    • This will help you develop relative pitch, which which gives you the ability to stay in tune and sing scales and arpeggios without needing a note reference.
    • Ear training involves using solfege (do re me fa sol la ti do) to learn to identify intervals and how they relate to one another.
    • You can find free software or online ear training programs to improve your abilities.
  3. Work on your style points.
    • We're not talking about the fact that you wear Marc Ecko jeans every day—we're talking about your singing style.
    • If you're not sure where you fit in, try singing in different styles (like blues, soul, or choral music) until you find one you feel comfortable singing (or one that is the most fun).
  4. Sing with others often.
    • Not only will you be able to practice singing in tune with others, you will also get some valuable in-person interaction with fellow singers.
    • Ask whomever you sing with to give you pointers and tips on singing better.
  5. Practice, practice, practice!
    • Just like with any acquired skill, the more you practice singing, the better you'll get. You're not going to become Ray Charles or Aretha Franklin overnight. Just stick with it and you'll only get better!

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Step 3: Protecting Your Voice

  • Your vocal cords are a delicate instrument. Things like nodes, polyps, and cysts can develop on your vocal cords. Sometimes, surgery is necessary to remove them.
  1. Never sing if it hurts. If your throat feels sore, don't push it. Rest your voice until it's 100% again.
  2. Don't sing if you're sick.
  3. Keep your vocal cords lubricated. Lukewarm water is the best way to achieve this.
  4. Alcohol dries the vocal cords out. Even if you're tempted to get "loosened up" before you hit the stage, you should avoid drinking alcohol if you're singing. Find another way to overcome stage fright.
  5. Don't yell. You may be angry at your bass player for being late to rehearsal, but shouting puts unnecessary strain on your vocal chords.
  6. Don't smoke. Besides the array of other health problems smoking can cause, it's not good for your larynx.
  7. When in doubt, rest. If you feel like your voice needs a rest, give it what it wants. Avoid talking (that means saying anything) for as long as possible.
    • If you have to talk while resting your voice, don't whisper. It actually causes more stress on the vocal cords than speaking.

Step 4: Performance Techniques

(Creative Commons photo by Chat W)
(Creative Commons photo by Chat W)
  • The singing itself isn't the only thing you can be working on. If you have any intention of performing, you'll want to think about some stage techniques.
  1. Microphone technique is something many singers don't even think about before they hit the stage.
    • You should familiarize yourself with what type of mics you like, how and where to hold it as you sing, how to avoid feedback, etc.
  2. Stage technique will help you look professional and captivate the attention of the crowd.
    • Moving around on stage can show that you're loosened up and having fun. Let the spirit of the music take over and prove to the crowd you're feeling it. If you are, they will, too! Movement in some situations, such as singing with a choir, is less appropriate.
    • Connecting with the audience can be a difficult task when you feel isolated and alone on stage with the crowd looking on. Making eye contact can help you build that connection, even if it's only with a few people.
    • Perform in front of a mirror or video tape yourself singing to get an idea of how you look when you perform.
  3. Memorizing lyrics can seem like a daunting task to some people. Although there are many methods of memorization, here are a few simple tips.
  4. Overcoming stage fright is often the largest obstacle of all for a singer.
    • Singing can be a very nerve-racking experience. You may need to build some confidence before you sing in an arena full of people!
    • Start small. Start getting comfortable in front of a crowd by singing one or two songs at a coffee house open mic night or another small venue. From there, you can work your way up to larger crowds and longer sets.
    • Test out your performance skills in a low-pressure situation such as karaoke. This can help you let loose and go a little over the top in a place where no one expects you to be a good singer.
    • Read Mahalo's guide to how to overcome stage fright for many more tips and tricks!

Step 5: Finding a Vocal Coach

  • Although the information on this page will get you off to a great start, nothing will do more for your singing than some one-on-one interaction with a vocal instructor who can give you direct feedback on how to improve your technique.
  1. Most schools have choir directors who also give private lessons.
  2. Ask your local music store if they have vocal teachers available.
  3. Check Craigslist or The Yellow Pages for listings of teachers in your area.

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Resources for How to Sing

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Have any great tips on How to Sing? Post your thoughts to the discussion board or email them to Evan: EvanB at mahalo dot com.