Singing Tips!

[flicker_]

Posted: 8/17/06 at 1:13am

Post your tips on singing, taking care of your voice, things to avoid, etc.

Mine? Breathing. However, the phrase "breathe from your diaphragm" is really pointless and used far too often. The diaphragm is a muscle that extends across the bottom of the ribcage. It contracts in order to draw air into the lungs and relaxes when you exhale. It is an automatic response, meaning you can't control it. The diaphragm works whenever you breathe, no matter how you breathe. So, you can see how that advice is fairly silly. Then, what is the correct way to breathe? Well, when you inhale, your shoulders should not move up and your middle should expand, not cave inward. These are signs that you are breathing "deeply". In my opinion, the best way to improve is to practice. Through practice you'll truly find how breathing affects your singing and what you can do to improve.

Hope this helped! Now post away my little songbirds! Post, post!

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 8/17/06 at 1:42am

Don't lubricate your throat with caramel. I learned that the hard way.

[DancNdaMoonlite]

Posted: 8/17/06 at 2:02am

My friend Jessica (Jess925), who I love but has way to much time on her hands, made "The Guide to Saving Your Voice: Special Tricks, & Teas. How to Keep Your Voice in Perfect Shape".

In it, she said that eating ginger roots, vtamins b-12 and c, beans, grapes, and solid caramels is good.

Avoid dairy, soda, sodium, caffeine, acidic foods, spicy foods, cold beverages, cough drops, and certain bottled waters, such as Evian and Desani.

Special teas are Throat Coat, or any herbal teas.

Special remedies are:
1. A drop of sage extract in a bottle of water
2. Coca Cola & a lime wedge, 2 minutes in the microwave
3. Personal steamer

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 8/17/06 at 2:03am

What would be the most ideal meal to eat?

[DancNdaMoonlite]

Posted: 8/17/06 at 2:16am

I dont know. I guess a plate of ginger roots, vtamins b-12 and c, beans, grapes, and solid caramels? lol

[flicker_]

Posted: 8/17/06 at 2:17am

Cruel_Sandwich: Before a performance? Something light. A large salad with carrots, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, avacados, and maybe nuts. Some fish, like salmon, might also be good. If you are going to have bread or pasta, keep it minimal, since too many carbs can sometimes weigh you down. Avoid anything dairy. Have water with a lemon wedge. You should eat a significant time before the performance, so that you have time to digest.

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 8/17/06 at 2:28am

Ahh koo. Thizzanks, yo.

[duroc]

Posted: 8/17/06 at 10:44am

honey is also good for your voice. I used to eat a spoonful of it every morning, and it made a difference.

[missmezzo88]

Posted: 8/17/06 at 11:22am

I wonder why cough drops are bad? I use those all the time for my throat before I have to sing because I get hoarse and dry a lot for some reason...

[jaesdare]

Posted: 8/17/06 at 11:41am

cough drops with menthol are bad (and teas), the menthol dries out your throat

[John3]

Posted: 8/17/06 at 1:44pm

some cough drops also just numb the pain of the sore throat, and then you are just singing with the pain but just can't feel it.

Oh if you are in a touring production, or in a different town or something, eat the local honey (the honey made in the town). It has all the local pollens and will help with allergies and such.

[EmieMarie]

Posted: 8/17/06 at 4:55pm

my singing tip? Um I don't think... litterally I totally relax and don't even think aboiut diaphram or breathing and it just all comes out right.... i don't know if it's just me

[nate2]

Posted: 8/17/06 at 5:25pm

i use an oraganic throat spray called satori vocal rescue! It's all natural hebs and it tastes great! it really helps sooth your vocal chords and keep them moist and not dry. also helps if you have larangitis etc etc but yeah just go under google and type in satori it really works.

[dramatothemax]

Posted: 8/17/06 at 6:38pm

Don't sing Defying Gravity until you're 25, or you know, ever. HAH.

Dairy kills all nice sounding vocal-ness. Smoothies too. Blah. In my opinion, if you think too technically about how you're singing, it can make matters worse. Focus on the acting and what needs to come out will. The only way you'll hurt your voice is if you're singing, or rather screaming crazy songs out of your range without coaching.

[aspen]

Posted: 8/18/06 at 1:30am

Breathe in as though you're trying to smell a bouquet of roses. It's a great way to get an idea of what a deep, relaxed inhale feels like.

WARM UP. Every morning before you begin speaking. Every time you're going to start singing. Warm up, warm up, warm up! And after heavy singing/belting and each night before bed, cool down.

Don't cough. Hum scales/siren for 1-2 minutes to clear phlegm.

Learn anatomy. No, your larynx is not a bunch of cords like the strings on a guitar. Air passes through two thin membranes stretched over your windpipe. These membranes are similar to your eyelids. When air hits them, they vibrate against each other. They are also just as delicate as eyelids, and should be treated that way.

Do not force vibrato. Forced vibrato can "stretch out" the membranes of the larynx, meaning as you age you may begin to develop a vocal wobble.

Vibrato occurs naturally when the muscles of the throat/neck are relaxed, because this allows the larynx to vibrate freely within it's muscular "casing". When the muscles of the throat are tense, the larynx is held firmly in place and natural vibrato will not occur. This isn't a perfect description of the anatomy, but it's a good visualization.

Always sing in the mask, unless you're specifically going for a guttural sound. And for goodness' sakes please don't sing nasally unless it's a character voice. You WILL sound flat if you sing in the nose. Period.

[ILoveMyDictionary]

Posted: 8/18/06 at 3:22pm

Oh. I need this thread. Thanks for the tips.

[EmieMarie]

Posted: 8/18/06 at 5:03pm

oh! And as soon as you start to feel sick, ZICAM. My voice teacher SWERAS by it, And it works so you can protect your voice

[aspiringactress]

Posted: 8/18/06 at 6:07pm

Don't go overly nasal, but don't be scared of it either.

Nasality is a legitimate sound when it comes to singing. Sound will resonate in the 'chest', the 'head' or the 'nose'. When singing, play with the placement to find what works best for the note and vowel and character and circumstance. Don't just rule out all nasality. It exists, it's normal, it's HEALTHY as long as you don't use it to get out of good breath support.

The most freeing thing anyone ever said to me when I began belting was: "You have to get the ugly sound to get to the pretty sound" And it's true. In order to REALLY become absolutely comfortable with your voice, and your belt especially, you need to experiment with sound and placement, and a lot of times, it will sound horrific. Eventually you can move from vocalizing to really singing pieces, and it all comes together.

[aspen]

Posted: 8/21/06 at 1:50pm

I see your point, aspiring... I just think that having good nasal resonance and singing "nasally" are two different things. It's all about wording, I guess lol =)

[aspiringactress]

Posted: 8/21/06 at 2:10pm

Agreed.

Random, but non acidic fruit juices fell great on the throat.

[Matthewjames]

Posted: 8/21/06 at 2:41pm

hey I resent the anti nasal comments

the nasaly singing works for idina
it got her a tony
hahah

[Matthewjames]

Posted: 8/21/06 at 2:45pm

I heard a rumor that Megan Hilty gargles with asprin

[nate2]

Posted: 8/21/06 at 3:10pm

gargaling salt helps too i guess if you have a really bad sore throat!

[aspen]

Posted: 8/21/06 at 5:48pm

Yeah, I've heard if you put some baking soda in with the saltwater it's better because it makes the salt less abrasive.

Hey Matt, why aspirin I wonder...?

[jaesdare]

Posted: 8/22/06 at 11:31am

well actually, gargling with salt and lukewarm water when your throat first starts to feel scratchy can prevent a full on sore throat. for fast "healage" steam your head over the sink, or if you have a steam room- flippin lucky.