Steps that Can Dramatically Change Your Voice:
1. Finding the Appropriate Resonance and Delivery
Bringing your voice into a more speech-like level by not making every line sound the same. When we speak we emphasize certain words to deliver our point and use colorful dynamic, singing should be the same! I find often as a vocal coach singers have a “switch” that goes off when they sing that makes them over sing, over use vibrato, and takes away from a natural authentic delivery. A more conversational tone will also prevent over-enunciating which doesn’t sound authentic to the listener, and your delivery of the lyric won’t be as effective.
As for resonance, you want to have a depth and clear placement to the voice. This means finding resonance in the face (or mask area) to get a clear sound that has strength to it, and then add depth to the sound by activating the chest cavity. When we sing we actually involve our full body to make the sound come alive. Often I tell singers to sing from their feet. Especially as you go higher the sound really needs to be anchored deep in our body so it doesn’t crack in half! Working with a vocal coach will help you activate these areas of resonance. Even the smallest shift can change the sound!
2. Sing in the Right Range for You
As you work to develop your range by using exercises and working on your technique, make sure you sing in a range that is comfortable for you when on stage or performing for an audience. It is not “failure” to lower or raise a key from the original. Everyone’s physiological design to their voice is slightly different, so experiment with finding the keys for your favourite songs that fit best in your range and tone! This can make a massive difference to how a song sounds and is delivered. It's better to sing in a range that is comfortable than to push for notes not yet in your range!
3. Work on your Pitch:
Pitch is controlled largely by breath support (often when we sing flat we are not sending enough air through, and sharp we are sending too much air which is driving the pitch too high) Work on exercises targeted towards breathing and diaphragmatic support.
Learn to Listen as you sing. Really pay attention to the band or track when you are singing. So often we get caught up in what we are doing, we don’t listen to the musical parts and our pitch ends up straying away.
Pitch is truly developed by consistent practice! As this muscle (literally! your diaphragm sits at the top end of your abs) is developed you will find that your singing is more spot on.
4. Healthy Vocal Cords
You can practice forever, but if your cords are not in good physical condition they will never be able to achieve the sound you are going for, the proper resonance, and you will end up very frustrated! Stay VERY hydrated (singers need hydration similar to athletes to keep the vocal cords moving freely), limit foods that cause acid reflux, smoking, dry environments, caffeine, pop, dairy and spicy foods. See an ENT specialist if you feel there might be something greater going on.
Ultimately what we put into our singing is what we will get out. Work on these 4 areas and your singing will absolutely move from good to great! If you have any questions feel free to contact me to book a session or send me an email!
Happy Singing!
Karli

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