Vocal tips

[Finesthour 7,287]

Well, this is a thread for the people who want to learn how to sing better, as I am one of the many.

 

I really love to sing. Like, a lot. But I am terrible at it.

 

I was wondering if anypony here had some tips on how to become a better vocalist, and how they were able to learn how to sing well.

 

(I'm looking at you Coco)

[Neikos 968]

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[PegasisterTaco 318]

I'm with you buddy. I need singing tips too. :T

[MVC NVMXD JVRXD 2,406]

The only vocals I'd like to learn how to do would be the stuff from "The Sound of Perseverance", and I doubt anyone knows how to properly do that.

But for tips... I got nothing.

[Tuxedo Kamen! 114]

Since we all seem to want some tips, and no one seems to want to give any, I will supply one. I am not a great singer, but I used to be much worse. Practice makes perfect. try practicing in a quite environment or record your voice and listen to it. After much practice you will be able to learn what different notes and pitches feel like. Singing is easiest felt, so be sure to be loud and annoying.

[Skullbuster 1,906]

its appears that there are more people wanting help then there are people willing to give it

[Creamy Arty 6,252]

its appears that there are more people wanting help then there are people willing to give it

Or capable of giving it. I can't believe we have so many talented artists and such but nearly nobody who can sing respectably well enough to coach the rest of us.

[Finesthour 7,287]

Just wait for Coco.

 

He is the best singer on the site, and also a teacher!

[RockinRarity 1,605]

I can sing too. I've been singing pretty much my whole life and have been in choir for many years. I took 5 semesters of voice lessons in college and finished my undergrad with a minor in vocal music. Currently, I sing at my church (and I'm one of the better cantors...)

 

I'll have to warn you, though, that it's harder to give tips on the Internet than it is to give them in person. Singing is a much more physical activity than you may think. Singing involves your entire body, not just your mouth, tongue, jaw, and vocal chords.

 

Here is the most foundational part about singing: you must sing from your diaphragm. The diaphragm is a muscle in between your stomach and your rib cage. Naturally, while we are sleeping and while we are breathing without thinking about breathing, we breathe from our diaphragm. Our stomachs will inflate when we breathe from the diaphragm. If you want to practice your breathing, lay down on the ground (and if you're a woman, plant the bottom of your feet on the ground closer to your hips so that your knees are bent upwards - our hips are wide and it is bad for our backs to be doing breathing exercises while completely flat on our backs). Then watch your stomach inflate and deflate as you breathe. Make sure that you are not breathing from your chest, ever. You can tell when you are breathing from your chest when:

1. Your shoulders start to rise and feel tense

2. Your stomach is not being inflated as much

3. You can feel the air tighten in your rib cage

 

Not only do you want to breathe from your diaphragm, you have to know how long you can sing with the amount of breath you breathe in. I can probably sing for about 10-20 seconds before I need to breathe again. More professional singers can probably go for longer, but it's OK if you can't last that long. It takes exercising your diaphragm before you can uses it for longer. You build endurance the more you practice. It works like running - the more you do it, the longer and faster you can run.

 

Another tip that I will give today is to RELAX while you are singing. You should feel NO TENSION in your face, shoulders, throat, or jaw while you are singing. I am not perfect at this, but the less tense you feel, the more comfortable you will feel, and the better you will sing.

 

I hope this has helped. There is a lot to singing that I won't be able to fit into one post, especially since I don't know what everyone's specific needs or questions about singing are.

 

You can also look up singing tips online. These steps are good. http://www.wikihow.com/Sing

 

If anyone has any specific questions, feel free to ask.