What's good way to improve on your singing voice without taking expensive voice lessons?

Question

I'm joining my high school show choir, and I auditoined today. The teacher said I had a nice voice but need to improve so I can get into intermediate show choir. The problem is, voice lessons are very expensive right now, so I can't do that. What's a good way to improve on your singing voice without taking voice lessons?

Answer 1

Karaoke...and practise, practise, practise.

Answer 2

Learn as much as you can about the voice and how it works...and how to take care of it. Warm ups and Warm downs are very important.

I do agree that vocal lessons should start after 16.. ALL the stars take vocal lessons at some point.. ALL of them.. The good ones anyway. But you can learn a lot on your own first.

There are plenty of books, dvd's etc. that can help. I used the Rock and Roll singer's survival guide myself and it worked wonders.

The best out there is Mark Baxter. He has an FAQ page and his own site. URL's below. On his site you will also find Free Singing Lessons. Once you start reading you will realize that he knows what he's talking about...

Hope these helps

http://www.stagepass.com/faqvocal.html

www.voicelesson.com

http://www.stagepass.com/markbaxter/

Answer 3

1) Breathing techniques.

** Breathe in for ten seconds and out "sssssss" for twenty seconds. Try to time yourself to get longer and longer. Do this four times every morning.
** When you stand and breathe, don't let your bum stik out behind you -- push your pelvis forward a little bit. Then draw your shoulders back and down, and pull your head back a little bit. This will make your spine straighter and give you far more breath.(It takes a lot of work!!)

2) Singing exercises.
** Whatever warmups your choir director does at the beginning of your rehearsal, do them every day. Especially about the middle of the day -- although it might be weird to sing by yourself at school!!! -- or when you get home from school.
** Sing along with any classical music you can find. Try really hard to notice the difference between that music, and the pop music on the radio. I know that your "show choir" probably sings pop music -- but the way the classical singers sing will give you techniques and strength to sing better! (it's like cross-training.)

3) Listening exercises
** Play a song you know well. Sing along a little bit, then turn the music down for about 30 seconds and keep singing, then turn the volume back up. Are you singing the same notes? Did your voice wander a lot higher or a lot lower? Do this as often as you can, sometimes with shorter or longer intervals of singing by yourself. If you have poor pitch, it will be a lot harder to sing harmony.
** When another section in your choir is singing, dont' goof around and talk to your friends. Listen to them and follow along in your music. In your head, sing your part along with them and see if you can do it without accidentally singing their part.

Finally, sing and sing and sing, but always sing without shouting, without sticking your chin forward, and with tons and tons of air.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Do NOT do the karaoke method.....do yourself that favor. You're too young to take voice. I don't recommend anyone under the age of 16 taking voice lessons. You need to let your voice develop on its own.
Your vocal maturity doesn't happen until age 35-40. Ask your vocal/choral director for some basic technique exercises. You could hurt yourself if you do exercises that are too advanced for your age. Be patient, be consistent.....growth happens naturally and with good basic techniques for now.

Answer 5

You need to learn how to breathe properly. There are plenty exercises on the Internet. My teacher had me inhale a deep breath and then slowly release the air by saying the "s" sound, like a tire leaking air. Ask your teacher for some hints. He/She should be showing you some techniques to use. Good luck.

Answer 6

Learn the chromatic scale and try to master it. Sing all the time trying to break that scale to another octave. Don't worry if your voice cracks in the beginning. As the saying goes "practice makes perfect".

Answer 7

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Answer 8

There are voice training CDs you can purchase. One thing you have to remember is to always do warmups.

Answer 9

Record yourself practicing, and listen to your recordings- it will help you find what is working and what is not. Ask your teacher for recommendations, too.

Answer 10

do a lot of singing in the bathroom or shower