How to Learn to Sing

If you want to learn to sing, daily practice is essential. While vocal training courses can be very helpful, they are not necessary if you cannot attend one. It may take time, but starting now will help you see results soon by simply following the steps below. This article will offer you some advice on how to learn singing.

Warm-up with breathing exercises. Breathing exercises help you control pitch and vocal stamina more effectively. It's no surprise that singers who can take deep and steady breaths tend to sing for longer periods.

• Practice opening your throat. Relax and widen your mouth as if you were a fish out of water. Do some facial muscle exercises.
• Try the following breathing exercise before warming up:
  
  • First, take a few breaths. When inhaling, imagine that the air actually has weight.
  • Direct the air to your lower abdomen (below your belly button) by pushing your diaphragm downward. Exhale, then repeat the process a few more times.
  • Take a soft feather and practice keeping it suspended in mid-air, as if you're juggling it with your breath. Gradually blow the feather higher and try to keep it from falling.
  • Don’t let your chest collapse while keeping the feather suspended. Try exhaling when your diaphragm rises.

Start warming up. Your vocal cords are muscles, similar to your arm muscles, and need to be stretched before lifting something heavy. There are several ways to warm up.

• Try humming or singing in a very high pitch, then switch to a very low one. When you sing in a higher pitch, your vocal cords stretch, and when you sing in a lower pitch, they contract. By alternating between high and low notes, your vocal cords will become more flexible.
• Practice scales in a major key, starting from middle C, then lower by a half step before descending and then ascending the scale. Don’t use too much force if you're not singing properly yet; aim for a gentle warm-up. As you warm up, you will hit each note in the scale more clearly.
  
  • The notes you sing will be Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-Fa-Mi-Re-Do, and can go up or down by a half step for each new scale.

Find your vocal range. Your vocal range is the range between the lowest and highest notes you can sing. Try listening to most classical music scales (which you can easily find online) to see which notes are the highest and lowest that you cannot sing.

• To find your vocal range, start humming and lower your pitch as much as possible. The lowest note you can clearly hum is the lower limit of your range. Then, hum in a higher pitch to the highest note you can maintain for 3 seconds, which is the upper limit of your range.
• Remember, your vocal range may vary each day, especially when you're tired or sick.

Try recording your favorite song sung by you. Make sure the background music doesn’t overpower your voice during the recording. After singing, check if you hit the correct pitch. Also, verify if you:

• Clearly pronounced the words, especially the vowels. At first, focus on singing louder and clearer than usual; practice singing each word correctly.
• Breath correctly. Challenging passages often require you to sustain your voice for long periods, so it's essential to master proper breathing techniques.

Drink plenty of water. It’s best to drink lukewarm water as it helps relax your vocal cords. Let your body absorb the water. Avoid consuming dairy products or thick drinks like smoothies right before singing.

Practice every day. Practice breathing, warming up, and recording your voice every day. Pay close attention to difficult sections that you’ve been struggling with. Remember, singing a song really well can take several weeks of practice.

• If your voice starts shaking, take a deep breath to stretch your ribcage. This action will help stabilize your breath, and in turn, make your voice more stable.

Learn to use your nose. Singing well is somewhat related to how you direct the airflow through your nasal cavity, which acts as a resonating chamber for sound. However, to avoid a nasal voice, you need to open your throat and position your tongue in a way that doesn't obstruct the sound from rising up from the larynx (slightly push your tongue forward to touch the back of your lower teeth when singing vowels). A nasal voice is often heard in country music and some R&B or gospel songs, but most listeners find it unpleasant.

Learn to 'sing safely' for a richer voice. A resonant, full voice comes from opening the throat and minimizing the nasal sound. This technique is known as 'singing safely.' However, be cautious. If you sing too 'safely,' your voice may sound thin and strained.

Practice singing vowels. Try to use your diaphragm to vocalize vowels once again. Focus on the vowels rather than consonants.

• Don’t strain the muscles in your neck while singing. Keep your neck straight and relaxed.
• Practice opening your larynx while singing vowels. Try singing the sound 'ng'; your larynx will close. Then try singing the sound 'ah,' just like when you open your mouth for a dentist check-up. At this point, your larynx will open.

Practice singing high notes. High notes are like the icing on a cake: not essential, but incredibly impressive if done correctly. By now, you likely understand your vocal range, so you know which notes you can hit and which ones are beyond your reach. Focus on practicing the high notes you struggle with. With persistence, you’ll improve.

• Reaching high notes is similar to jumping. You might be on a trampoline, or simply jumping into the air. Imagine reaching the highest point of your jump as you sing a high note. Take a deep breath and open your mouth wide. Singing high notes doesn’t mean you have to sing too loudly.

Continue practicing your breath control. Make sure to consistently work on your breathing exercises. The more you breathe correctly, the smoother your singing practice will become.

• Try the following breathing exercises to master inhaling and exhaling. Focus on releasing air evenly and steadily, as maintaining a steady stream of air is the goal in this practice:
  
  • Inhale for 4 seconds, then exhale for 4 seconds.
  • Inhale for 6 seconds, exhale for 12 seconds.
  • Inhale for 2 seconds, exhale for 10 seconds.
  • Inhale for 4 seconds, exhale for 16 seconds.
  • Inhale for 2 seconds, exhale for 16 seconds.
  • Inhale for 4 seconds, exhale for 20 seconds.
  • Inhale for 2 seconds, exhale for 20 seconds.

Participate in local singing competitions. Think about what you expect from your own performance; if you’ve been singing for less than three months without formal training, you may face challenges—but singing is your passion, right?

• If you truly want to become a professional singer, you need to get used to performing in front of an audience under the pressure of stage lights. Singing in your bedroom is one thing; performing in front of dozens or hundreds of people is a completely different experience.

Ensure you have a qualified teacher if you're serious about developing your skills. A vocal coach can provide direct feedback, tips, and advice. They will create a learning plan and help you achieve the goals you've set for yourself. For anyone who aspires to be a singer, studying with a vocal teacher is essential.

Perform a song without accompaniment when you feel confident. Post your video on YouTube. The positive feedback you receive is often more valuable than negative comments.

• If you can't find a singing teacher or feel shy singing in front of strangers, try practicing with someone you know who loves singing or enjoys your voice. Invite them to your house and rehearse in a small room for about 5 to 6 months until you're comfortable. This method is really effective.
• Don't force your breath out. Let your air flow naturally.
• Whenever you think about practicing, focus on proper breathing techniques. Correct breathing increases your stamina, allowing you to sing for longer periods.
• Sit up straight – don't slouch, and sing vowels with depth.
• Sing in tune. This is similar to harmonizing, where notes in the supporting harmony weave with the main melody. You’ll notice your voice gets louder as you sing. To sing well, imagine your voice is like your speaking voice – if you want to speak louder and clearer, you need to breathe in and out properly.
• If you're worried that your voice isn’t good enough to post on YouTube, try getting feedback from friends, and then sing for strangers until you're ready to accept positive comments and not be affected by negative ones online.
• Instead of pushing your tongue against the roof of your mouth, try placing it on the ridge of your lower teeth, almost sticking it out of your mouth. Relax your jaw so that the sound flows more freely.
• To aid your breathing practice (a technique used in meditation as well), place your hands on your abdomen and feel the movement. For men, you can tighten your stomach by wearing a tight belt.
• The key to learning how to sing is practice. If you sing daily, even just for relaxation, you'll soon become a skilled singer.

• Avoid drinking milk before singing as it produces mucus in your mouth and throat.
• Don't smoke. Smoking is harmful to both your lungs and your voice – and you need both to sing and breathe!
• At first, don’t sing continuously for too long. Your vocal cords need time to strengthen and become more flexible.
• Clearing your throat can actually damage your voice.
• If you sing for long periods, take a sip of a throat-soothing drink or suck on a cough drop.
• Avoid using a lyric sheet as it diminishes your ability to convey emotion through the song. Be confident, look around at the audience, but don't overly focus on their facial expressions or gaze.

• A voice recorder with a built-in microphone or one that has a mic input. For example, a karaoke system.
  • You can also use the recording function on a good-quality MP3 player to check if a microphone works properly.
• A portable music player or MP3 player to play the songs of the artists you wish to follow and learn from.
• Printed lyrics of the songs.
• A stand to hold the sheet music.
• Water.