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Athletes do it, actors do it and if you are serious about your singing you need to do it also. When athletes practice, most of their time is spent NOT playing the game. They are shooting 100 free throws, running through tires, hitting 500 five-iron shots at the driving range, doing pushups, etc. When the professional singer practices, much of their time is spent NOT singing songs. They are singing exercises specifically designed to strengthen the voice, improve quality and high range, expand breath control, develop a smooth vibrato, etc. The is called vocalizing, and, even though the top professionals consider it essential to their careers, many amateurs feel that such activities are nonsense. Why would I wan't to spend time singing stupid exercises when I could be singing songs? If a football team felt that way, and spent all their time just playing the game, they definitely wouldn't be on the winning list. An effective vocal exercise program needs only 15-20 minutes each day (or as often as possible), and should include the following: 1. A few minutes of light humming, using some 5 note scales or a song like fara jacque, which is made up of little connected scales. Start your humming on a low pitch, and after you've sung the scale or song once, try singing it a little higher in pitch. Do this for about 3 minutes, feeling your lips vibrate and feeling the sound buzzing up in your forehead. It should feel and sound nasal. 2. Do the same scale or melody using vowels. Start with the ah vowel, moving to the EE, to the O and the eh and then the au. This should take about 5 minutes. Try to sing with a very clear and bright sound which feels more in your head than in your throat. TRY TO KEEP YOUR THROAT OPEN during all these exercises. It helps to breathe in like you are going to yawn. 3. Work on your breathing by hissing through your teeth. You should use some light force on this. Don't be lazy. As you repeat this, try to go longer and longer before running out of breath. Keep your chest high and don't let it collapse. 4. Start singing a comfortably high note on an ah. Then slide down your entire voice until you reach your lowest note. Make sure this is a complete slide, not a series of steps or bumps. Then move up a little higher and try it again. When you need to go into your head voice or falsetto, go ahead. Just try to keep your sliding sound constant and smooth. That's it. Of course you can add your own variations and exercises, but these will help a lot. A good recorded singing course or a good teacher will expand on these in ways to help you even more. Want to learn more easy techniques to improve your singing? Download my powerful new FREE ebook: TIPS & TOOLS FOR ALL SINGERS?at:?http://vocalvision.com/ad1.php Al Koehn is a nationally recognized voice teacher, known for achieving amazing results with simple techniques. http://vocalvision.com
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