can anyone suggest a few simple ways..?

Question

...that I can improve my voice which is currently amateur karaoke level.I am singing with my friends band at my daughters wedding.Just 1 or 2 songs but don't want to let anyone down...

Answer 1

You have had lots of excellent advice from other answerers, so all I am doing is providing to with a link to a website which has several free tip sheets for improving your voice - LOTS of good ideas, and a suggestion that you try out the website midomi.com - you can practise your singing, record your own versions of songs and get feedback from other site users, all free and fantastic fun if you love singing.

I reckon you will be a huge hit at your daughter's wedding - good luck.

Answer 2

Voice training is a long term process and you wont get much better in just a few days. As a general rule, take plenty of water, neat. If you're really keen, practice into a mike (plus playback crit) and facing a mirror. If you're really-really keen join a nearby friendly neighbourhood barbershop harmony club. The voice coach there will be able to be precise about your specific needs after a check ("audition") and advise as to what sorts of songs and at what pitch you'd be OK with. Keep off alcohol for best controlled results - Sweet Adeline in the corner entertains no-one. Maybe you could make up a 4-part harmony quartet with buddies? Try not to have a cold on the day!
Whatever, enjoy your opportunity! Have a good day. It'll be hers, of course, so relax and don't worry about yourself or your performance!

Answer 3

This is a good question - a bit more unusual than the average ones!

Great that you are singing at your daughter's wedding. I'm sure she will be so pleased and proud that it won't matter too much if its not perfect.

But - the tips here are all helpful. Practise is good, so is singing in front of a mirror and also recording yourself.

You could have one or two lessons with a professional coach? Try looking in The Stage newpaper, or "Contacts" to find a coach.

But most important of all, is your CONFIDENCE!! Keep building up your self esteem. The main thing is that you can tell the story of the song and engage your audience. If you can do that, thye will love you, even if you do a Rex Harrison!!

Good luck!!

Answer 4

Do light vocal excersises every day - simple things like scale & vowel work which over time will help to increase your range.

Work on your breathing which will give you better control.

Record yourself signing the songs, listen back and be critical, take notes and improve the areas you didn't like the sound of. Record yourself once a week and you'll notice the improvement!!

The week before the wedding try to avoid dairy as much as possible. Also have a honey in warm water once a day. Lemon shoudl be used sparingly as it can dry up the throat!

Good luck, I'm sure your daughter will be happy & very proud!

Answer 5

It will take years to really cultivate your voice and if you're really serious about singing, the best thing to do would be to take voice lessons, but if you just want to sound good on the wedding day, try these hints.

Practice, and when you do practice, do it in front of a mirror. Watch several things: your mouth - how you form the words, how much or little you open your mouth; your abdomen - be sure you're breathing from your diaphragm - when you breathe effectively, your stomach should go in and out, your chest shouldn't rise and fall; your neck and throat - if you're having to lift your chin or otherwise strain your neck to reach the notes, you're hurting your voice, and you probably sound strained.



Also when you practice, record yourself and listen to it later to see what you sound like. You can also practice with one ear plugged, which will allow you to hear yourself as well as the music (try it: plug one ear and then say the alphabet or something out loud. Weird? Yes, but very useful when practicing).

Be sure you warm up your voice by doing scales or other excercises before you try to belt out that tune - it will sound better, and you'll be less likely to hurt yourself.

Stay away from milk and dairy. It will clog up your vocal cords. Also, alcohol will dry you out. However, if you smoke, don't try to quit just because you think it will make you sound better. If you're a regular smoker, your lungs and throat are used to having that stuff in them and quitting won't do anything but make them react very differently than you're used to, which will make it hareder to sing. Quitting in the long run will help, but in the short term, it could actually make you sound worse. Also, tea may seem like a great idea, but the caffeine in it can dry you out. Room temperature water, and lots of it, is your best bet.

The only other thing I would suggest is be sure that you're singing the songs in your own style. If you're covering another band or artist's song, don't try to sound just like them. Be yourself, even if yourself is just an amateur karaoke singer. I would imagine that your daughter will be touched that you made the effort to sing for her at her wedding and will be too happy to care what you sound like.

Answer 6

I do singing performances as well and I have some tips for you!

1- Don't drink any acidic drinks (such as lemonade or orange squash). Acidic drinks will attack the throat and make your voice 'scratchy'.

2- Do drink water. Water passes straight down the throat and doesn't damage anything.

3- Choose a song that compliments your voice- if you choose a really high song for a really low voice (or vice versa) your performance will not go well

4- Try some 'singing sweets'. My colleague uses singing sweets and her voice is always very good!

Good luck with the wedding!

Answer 7

As a classically trained singer and part-time teacher, I can give you a few pointers that often get overlooked. Practise is good, but only if you practise in the right way.

1) Think about posture. Stand up straight with your feet comfortably apart. You need to be at your most comfortable, but standing up straight with your head level will improve the sound.

2) Breathe from your stomach. I know this sounds weird, but instead of breathing in by opening up your chest and raising your shoulders, try to breathe in straight from the diaphragm. Your stomach muscles should control the breath, so you can control your notes more easily. Takes a little practise though.

3) Remember to warm-up if you can. Singing is physical, and as with all physical activity, a warm-up is essential.

I hope these help, and good luck at the wedding!

Answer 8

sing in the shower. it works. the steam opens up the voice to it full potential. try basic warm ups. don't over strain your voice. on the night take some honey to coat your vocal cords it makes it easier to sing thoses notes that u just can't seem to get. overall just do what u can. I'm sure ur daughter will love ur songs no matter if a couple of notes are out of tune or not. good luck and get drinking some honey.
it is also a good idea to avoid dairy, chocolate and fizzy juice.

Answer 9

I thinks its all about knowing the words so memorise the song you are going to sing and keep it simple nothing with high notes that you cant hit.
Failing all that get the band to play louder and just enjoy your daughters wedding - go for it mate

Answer 10

If you want to know a very good vocal coach try to visit https://tr.im/oGVQG an online vocal coaching tutorial. Everything, ranging from breathing fundamentals, vocalizing exercises, techniques on singing high and low notes, how to not go off-key/out of tune/off-sync, musicianship and music theory, proper diction and articulation, and a lot more are covered, all in our native language. It can be quite technical in nature, but it really helps since it covers the musical aspect of singing deeply and not just concentrates on how to impress people with your vocal range, riffs and runs and other cliches that do not necessarily make one a complete vocalist.