As a musician, you are always looking for ways to improve your music and talent. One of the best ways that you can take your recordings to the next level is by working to improve your singing voice. While you might not have the time or money to pursue professional voice lessons, there are many small steps you can take to make your voice even better!
Take Care of Yourself
Many healthy habits are good for your mind, your body and your singing voice. Drink plenty of water during the day and keep your throat moist. If you live in a dry climate or the air in the place where you practice and perform is dry, use a humidifier to keep your voice in the best condition possible. When preparing to sing, you should drink warm water. Warm, not hot or room temperature water, is the best possible thing for your voice.
Getting enough sleep is also essential to improve your singing. The fatigue from a lack of sleep is very apparent in your voice, and being tired also increases the chances that you will damage your voice when you do sing. Abstaining from smoking cigarettes and avoiding smoke exposure will also protect your throat.
Use Emotion in Your Singing
Before you practice or perform a song, think carefully about what emotions you want to convey to the listener. When you start singing, work to weave those emotions into the song. Think about a time in your life when you felt those things and inject that feeling into your performance. If you are easily overwhelmed by emotion, think about the event before you start singing and not during the performance to avoid crying during a break-up song.
Know Your Range
Sing along with a piano and try to match your pitch to the instrument. What is the lowest note that you can sing comfortably? The highest? That is your range! Make sure that you sing with your chest and not your nose or throat, or you won’t know what the right range is. Knowing your range will help you to identify what songs are appropriate for you and what keys are the most comfortable for you to be writing and singing in. Want to sing a song out of your range? You can always change the key to make it more appropriate!