how do i develop a good tone in a few months?

Question

i wont have the money to get lessons for a while.
i know to sing from my diaphragm.
some one once told me to sing through a line but what does that mean?
i also was told to sing with my larynx down but how do i do that?
since my voice sounds different to me than to others how do i know if i sound good?
what would my throat and stomach feel like when im singing correctly?

Answer 1

1. The easiest way to get the diaphragm involved is to plie or squat while singing (warm-ups or repertoire). What it does is lower your center of gravity allowing for your diaphragm to lower and your lungs to expand at their full capasity. When doing this, put one hand on your lower abdomenon and one on your lower back. You should feel expansion on both sides.

Some good breathing exercises are as follows:

Breathe in for four counts, hold it for four counts, pluse hissing for four counts. Each time you do it, hiss for 4,6,8,10,12. This exercise really helps build good breath support.

Lay flat on the floor, put a heavy book such as a thick text book or dictionary on your lower abdomen. Breathe in until you can not any more, the book should raise a few inches when you get really good at it. To exhale do one long hiss through a space as if you are sipping through a straw.

Sit in a chair. Bend at your waist so that your head is hanging loosely and gently between your knees. Take a few deep breaths in. You should feel your stomach and back expand.

2. To sing through a line means to not take a breath until the punctuation in the music (lyrics or melody). To determine when to take a breath, look at where the periods and commas are in the text. You can typically take a quick breath there. Or if there is a rest written in the music, do not take a breath until you get there! Most phrases are 4 measures long.

3. To sing with your larynx down means that your throat is relaxed. To abtain this position your mouth and throat as the beginning of a yawn. At this point I should inform you about your soft pallet! Looking at the roof of your mouth in mirror you will see/feel your hard pallet right behind your upper front teeth. Right behind it is your soft pallet. Take a good yawn. You will see it raise. It is every trained singer's goal to keep this raised while singing. It takes a lot of practice! But this is what makes your tone open, full, and relaxed. To keep your throat relaxed you also need to make sure your tongue is relaxed. It should lay right behind or above your bottom front teeth.

4. No one likes the way their own voice sounds. I am a professional singer and still do not listen to myself! If other people like how you sound, that's all that matters!

5. Your throat should be relaxed. Use the technique above to achieve that! Your stomach should be somewhat hard when you push on it! Make sure you are standing tall, chest open (to get this bend at the waist and let your head hand loose. Slowly raise from the waist, bring your arms straight in front of you, up and over your head, and back. When you bring your arms back, do not collapse your chest.), breath right, and use proper breath support.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

when you sing, your throat should not hurt, that's very important. and a lot of times, when i sing, i feel like i've gone through a good workout, because i use my diaphragm so much.

be sure to warm-up a lot before singing, so that you get your best vocal-- and don't eat before you sing and don't drink milk or anything to that sort. water is fine.

if you lay down on the floor and breathe, you'll see if you are breathing correctly. also, the way you lay, is how your stance should be when standing, so that you have control.

also, if you want to know what you sound like, try cupping your ear with one hand, and your other hand over your mouth- as if to direct the sound towards your ear.

sing tall, not all pointed and from your nose. when i say tall, pretend you have an british accent when singing. also, when you sing, you're tongue should be behind your teeth on the bottom set

if this doesn't work, just ask your school's choir teacher for some advice.

hope it all works out

Answer 3

Singing through a line means not taking a breath every couple of words. Slowly pull your arm from in front of you to the side as you sing to the end of the line. This will help. Don't pull your head back when you sing, even if you see all the pictures of singers with the microphone down their throats. Cup you hands in front of your ears facing backwards, this will help you hear yourself.

Answer 4

The first answer has very good advice. You can also tape record yourself to hear how you sound. For warm-ups I would suggest starting on a hum while doing scales, then oohs, aahs, etc.

You can also check out voice lesson / singing instruction videos from the library! Of course they can't give you individual attention, but they still may be helpful.

Answer 5

Whatever you do, DO NOT check out Walgreens! I gave them 2 movies, they usually ruined either one of them...... one used to be a tousled desktop, OK, however the different...... Someone, after constructing it, reduce the movie (you understand, to make the four print movie elements - IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PHOTO. So one quarter of the graphics can ever be published once more. They appear to be whole idiots with movie.