Voice Lessons?

Question

I was wondering if there's anything i can do at home without going to a voice lesson teacher. I'm ok with going to one later but for now is there any at home things i can do to help? I open to any suggestions. Thanks

Answer 1

A couple of months ago my 2 bffs and i went to take singing lessons. the teacher was really good (she had professional experience). Here's some tips the teacher gave us:

1. if you are going to be singing for a long time you should warm up ur throat first by singing do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do a couple times and by do-re-me I dont mean the song, just sing the notes (from middle c up an octave(8 notes) to the next c). it helps if you can play the notes on a piano while you sing them.

2. whenever you sing, try to OPEN your throat. By that I mean you try to sing out your lungs (not like opera) but dont like, try to twist or squeeze your voice because it sounds bad. Try to just open your throat and sing.

3. When you listen to music, you will notice that every singer has a different voice. You have your own unique singing voice. Don't try to imitate someone else's voice because then it is not natural. So when you sing naturally your voice will sound much better than when you try to sing like someone else.

4. Take deap breaths and try your best!

5. NEVER stress your voice. If you dont normally sing on a daily basis, then you should build up your practice time. Like, you can start out by practicing for 15 or 20 minutes a day, or every other day. This is really good because it also helps train your lungs. Then each week add on 5 or ten minutes to your practice time. Trust me, you dont want to start singing on a burst of energy and keep singing for like, an hour or two, because the next day your throat will burn like crazy and it really hurts. So take your time, there's no need to rush, and have fun with it.

If you want (or feel confident enough) you can have a friend help listen to you. I hope you really like singing, because it is really fun, and i hope these tips really helped you out!

Answer 2

I've sung opera for the last 12 years, so you might want to take these into consideration:
No smoking
Avoid drinking alcohol one day before and after a performance. Alcohol dries up the vocal chords.
Try diluting a spoonful of glicerin in one liter of water. It smoothes up your vocal chords and doesn't taste of anything.
Try to avoid super cold drinks on really hot days.
Don't strain your voice. If you feel some keys are too tough, it means you have no training to do them, so if you don't want to lose your voice, let it go.
Try to feel the vibration in your nasal cavities when you hum. This is more or less the same thing you have to do when you sing. Try to "place" your voice over your mouth pallet and NOT in your throat!!! (if you do tyhis, you will get vocal chord nods and those only come off with surgery!)
last but not least, if you do intend to do this professionally, don't get cocky and thyink you can teach yourself. Quit that attitude of "I don't want classes because I'm gifted". Find a decent coach and study. Singing 5takes effort and discipline. The fact that you have a nice voice, only means you have a talent... but it doesn't make you a singer.
Hope this helps.

Answer 3

Well, as a former instrumentalist who has lost his "chops," I remember the time as a kid when all I would do is listen to recordings of Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass and play the solo part by ear, imitating every aspect of Herb Alpert's style. I guess you could do the same thing with your favorite artist(s). And, in your case, you could start memorizing lyrics. A good vocalist has to be able to memorize reams and reams of lyrics.

But more importantly, why don't you want to start studying with a voice teacher at this time? I'd say, if you're really serious about singing, why not start taking lessons sooner rather than later?

Answer 4

In the time you are not singing, you can still be doing things to improve yourself as a performer. For example:

Do light weight exercises for your back and abs to help with supporting the tone.

Drink lots of water to stay hydrated. If you get hoarse, suck on cough drops and drink tea with honey.

Listen to famous singers in your voice part and style of singing to learn from what they do, what they sound like. You might also listen to their CDs to find works you want to add to your repetoire.

If doing classical training, learn German, French, and/or Italian. Knowing the language you're singing in helps with diction and the emotion you put behind the words.

If training for Broadway or opera, watch movies or stage performances of the famous shows in the respective genre. Knowledge of many shows will help with auditions and performances come around.

If training for more concert/album production, build your repetoire, and read a book or take a class on how to plan the music for a recital.

That should keep you occupied. Good luck.

Answer 5

If you are pronouncing that your voice sounds relatively stupid, then you definately have got to train songs that differ with the tone so, train a sluggish deep vocal tune, then paintings your method as much as the greater tone... I could recommend vocal classes, provided that you are being critical and are inclined to pay for them.

Answer 6

There are books and software you can get that can help you. You can do a web search on them. Also, if anyone you know takes lessons, have them teach you their exercises.