Skip to main content

How to Prepare to Sing

Take care of your voice to ensure a lifetime of singing.

Preparing to sing requires a proper warm-up to prevent damage to your vocal cords. Warming up properly makes it possible to sing more effortlessly and with less strain. Cold singing is OK when the music stays within the middle of your range, but for pieces that require extended ranges and phrases, it is necessary to give your body time to adjust to singing each day. Take care of your voice and prepare it with a warm-up before each practice, rehearsal or performance to protect and extend the life of your voice.

Step 1

Drink plenty of fluids throughout the day. Preparing to sing requires a holistic approach that does not confine itself simply to the moments before you go on stage. Take care of your vocal cords throughout the day to keep them in top condition.

Step 2

Avoid drinking caffeine before you sing or perform. Caffeine dries out the vocal cords, making them less flexible and elastic.

Step 3

Sing an exercise that uses the sound "hmmmm" by starting on a note in the middle of your range and singing down a perfect fifth, or five steps on the piano. Add a minor second each time, and continue singing this exercise until the highest point of your range. This will improve your flexibility and prepare your vocals for singing extended works.

Step 4

Buzz by allowing the lips to vibrate freely on the notes of a C major scale. Continue up and down the scale and then start again a half step higher. Perform this exercise on several scales to help warm up your voice and prepare to sing.

Step 5

Practice singing chorales and songs that stay in the middle of your range as a warm-up. The key is to prevent yourself from singing anything extended and to warm up and stretch the vocal cords until thoroughly warmed up for singing preparation.

Tips


Avoid dairy products before singing. Dairy creates unnecessary phlegm and congestion within the vocal cords, making it difficult to vibrate.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

List of Musical Techniques and Their Meanings

Musical techniques are the building blocks of any basic music training. These techniques allow performers to improve their coordination and develop accuracy through repetitive daily exercises. Musical techniques progressively build upon previously learned techniques. Scales Scales form the basis for other musical techniques. Student may study major and minor scales as well as modern scales, such as the whole-tone and octatonic scales. A scale consists of patterns of half steps and whole steps. These whole steps and half-step arrangements will be different for each scale. Scales are musical techniques that can help a performer to play faster and more accurately, and make learning new pieces easier. Chords Chords require knowledge of major and minor scales. Chords come in several different forms that affect the sound. Triads consist of three notes spaced a third apart and classified as major, minor, augmented and diminished chords. Seventh chords build on triads and have an additional no
Post a Comment
Read more

Why Claude Debussy Never Cared About Music Theory

  Claude Debussy was born on August 22, 1862. So, I felt writing a blog post to celebrate would be appropriate. Debussy was a revolutionary composer who challenged the conventions of Western music. He was influenced by the impressionist painters, the exotic sounds of gamelan music, and the symbolist poets. He created a musical language that was expressive, colorful, and atmospheric. One of the most remarkable aspects of Debussy's music is his use of harmony. He did not follow the rules of tonality and functional harmony that dominated the music of his time. Instead, he used modes, scales, chords, and parallel movements that created a sense of ambiguity and fluidity. He also experimented with timbre, texture, rhythm, and form to create musical images that evoked moods and emotions. Debussy's music can inspire us to think outside the box and explore new possibilities in our own compositions. We can learn from his innovative techniques and his artistic vision. We can also apprecia
Post a Comment
Read more

Musical Instruments That Make Animal Sounds

Common orchestra instruments are capable of animal sounds. Instruments throughout history have replicated and imitated animals. From Beethoven to Bernstein, composers have sought new and interesting uses for traditional orchestra instruments. The temptation to recreate nature through musical sounds comes in both literal and abstract ways. Learn about instruments and animal sounds they make so that next time you hear one, you will be able to identify what instrument is making the sound. Lion's Roar As its name suggests the lion's roar makes a sound very similar to a lion roaring. Taking a bass drum and puncturing a hole in the head of the drum accomplishes this. A rope extends and pulls through the drum creating a sound that is very similar to a lion roaring. This instrument is so accurate it is often used in film scores and to indicate the roar of a lion in orchestral scores. Trombone The trombone is capable of imitating the sound of many animals. The glissando technique involv
Post a Comment
Read more