Psst… Voice Improvement, Done Here! – Exercises and Tips

If you are looking for a venue to improve your voice, this is not it. But this is a blog outlining a few voice exercises, that will improve your voice. Shall we get into it?

A good voice is highly appreciated. Melodious voices from singers have an impact on emotions. It evokes happiness, sadness, and a range of mixed feelings, and different emotions in different individuals.

However, these voices are beyond ‘good voice’. It includes more than voice and perfect tunes, like techniques and tricks, crucial for success.

The Different Techniques and where to begin?

Let’s take this process from the very basic vocal exercises, starting with a solid foundation. This article provides you with details on how to learn to properly warm up your voice, and how to tone your voice. It will enable you to understand various voice training techniques that help to achieve resonance.

How to Build a Strong Foundation for Voice Improvement?

Building a strong foundation is the first crucial step in any vocal improvement journey. Voice exercises is the first step. If you are also wondering how to strengthen your vocal cords, then follow these exercises:

Breathing exercises for singers

Breath is an essential component of voice. Breathing activity ensures a steady flow of air, supporting singers and preventing strains. Thus, practicing these voice exercises can provide beneficial results:

Just Inhale

Lie down flat and put your hands between the chest and abdomen. Breathe in slowly through your mouth, feeling an expansion of your belly and breathe out slowly from your nose feeling the belly is reduced. Continue doing so, while keeping the chest quiet at all times.

Slow breathing practice

Try doing slow breathing exercises for 4 seconds, then hold it for 8 seconds and release slowly in 8 seconds. Repeat it 4 times.

Panting

Put your tongue out and sing ‘ha’ in short breath. Feel your diaphragm by moving your fist placed in between your ribs. Complete the cycle with a long relaxing sigh.

Blowing through a straw

Of all the voice exercises this is the best breathing practice, blow through a straw and slide your voice up and down. Hum, a song through the straw. Engage your abs for accents, not your throat.

Lip trills

Sing the “brrr” sound, in a manner transitioning your voice from low, to high and back again. Repeat this action until you sense that your voice has become warm and velvety.

Use the timer below to regulate the above voice exercises

Vocal Warm-up Exercises

Just as muscles need to warm up before starting the main action, vocal cords also require warming up before singing. Here are a few voice exercises you can practice:

1. Yawn-sigh: Yawn silently (mouth closed) to inhale, then sigh through your nose to exhale. This relaxes your voice and improves range.
2. Humming: Hum on an “mmm” sound, up and down a scale. Keep your voice loose and warm it up gently.
3. Straw Hum: Hum through a straw, sliding from low to high notes. Hum your favourite song through the straw for added fun.
4. Lip buzz: Make a motorboat sound with your lips, vibrating as you exhale. Try pitch slides for a challenge.
5. Tongue trill: A bit more complicated! Twirl your R’s along with your tongue into a funnel and sing a scale starting from the low note up to the high note.

How to Master Your Voice?

We saw a few voice exercises above, now its on to mastering your voice.

Prepare your voice for optimal performance

Get your voice ready for its best performance. Always warm up before singing or talking at length to avoid damage and enhance your vocal quality. Use a piano or music app to perfect pitch-matching, proper breathing, and correct mouth acoustics as you practice going up vocal scales. Concentrate on vowel sounds, noticing what shape your mouth forms for each one. Do not forget that while projecting, you should keep your face soft but on point.

Exercise to enhance your lung capacity

A great exercise to improve your lung capacity is diaphragmatic breathing. Vocalists use various respiratory system exercises, focusing on the function of the diaphragm muscle to help regulate breath capacity. It helps a vocalist control the resonance of the vocal cords, making them stretched. It results in a more powerful and accurate voice.

Explore your range and choose songs that suit your voice

Just like each person has a unique fingerprint, vocal ranges differ too. Your vocal range is the spectrum of notes, from low to high, that you can comfortably sing in your chest voice (those notes you naturally project from your chest). Vocal ranges are divided into categories like soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, and bass. Determine your vocal range as this will help you choose songs that suit your voice and avoid overstraining.

Analyze your voice

You should analyze your voice. For this, you can choose one song and record yourself singing it. Carefully pay attention to the clarity of your articulation and maintain control of your volume when playing. After recording, allot some time to analyze your singing. Determine factors, including rhythm and pitch.

Feel the song and tell a story through it

Beyond hitting the right notes, singing is also about adding feelings and emotions to your singing and delivering your words correctly. It enhances your singing performance and provides a deeper connection between the art and music.

Tips for Better Singing

1. Maintain a good posture: Maintain good posture by keeping your head level, chest and shoulder lifted and abdomen flat. It allows for optimal breathing and supports your vocal projection.
2. Stay hydrated: A dry throat will interfere with the lubrication of your vocal cords and their smooth functioning. Drinking water should be an all-day activity, but ensure you drink plenty before singing and right after.
3. The thyroid tilt technique: It helps you develop a full, rich tone in your low register. Picture tilting your thyroid gland, found in your throat area, somewhat upwards. This slight tweak to the position can help make your voice sound deeper without strain.
4. Embrace your imperfections: The power of everyone’s voice lies in its uniqueness! Remember it is not about imitating your role models. So, do not be discouraged when you do not sound like the original singer. Focus on showcasing your singing style and shine while embracing your individuality.
5. Relax your face for a good sound: Do not clench your jaw or tighten your lips while singing because this restricts the airflow. Airflow is very essential in voice production. Use a relaxed facial posture when articulating vowels with your tongue to get a brighter and more natural tone.
6. Speak clearly, sing naturally: It is quite a common saying that the finest singing does not differ much from natural speaking. So, when you’re training, strive for singing with an equally loose and easy-to-converse-with sound. This way, your vocals will be more authentic and catchier at the same time.

Conclusion

To further develop your voice, you can explore several online resources. There are tons of online resources available to you now! Websites like Musicmaster offer a wide range of singing lessons online. It is taught by experienced singing teachers. These classes are designed for all -from beginners learning the basics to advanced singers looking to improve their technique. It gives you the advantage of learning music from the comfort of your home! So why wait? Become a better singer with the right online courses.

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