How To Practice Singing: Basics
Becoming a singer requires practice, hours and hours of practice in everything from ear training to breathing to yes, singing. There are some basic tips that can help a singer get started and establish a routine as well as remember and learn from each practice session.
Where you practice your singing matters, and most people ask where to practice before they ask how to practice. However if you have an area where you can be alone, that traffic is low or non-existent and that is quiet, it can work as a practice space. You may want to ensure you have room in your practice area to move while practicing performance techniques and stage presence and to do breathing exercises in various positions.
Therefore, although you do not need a ballroom to practice your singing in, you probably need an area larger than a broom closet. People practice in the shower, on the way to work, even in the garden all the time however you do need to be sure you can be alone and can stand up properly and possibly move around at least some of the time.
Scheduling Singing Practices
A schedule can help in singing practice as much as the area and the exercises. In a busy life, it is all too easy to put off necessary practice unless a specific time is devoted to it each day. Some people cannot function in the morning or not well, and for those an evening schedule might be best. Other singers find that early morning practice sessions are great for them. Whatever works for the individual singer and their schedule is perfect.
The household routine may also influence when singing practice is scheduled. If you are practicing at home where everyone is up early and gone early then morning could be perfect. However, where the house is busy all through the day then late evening practice may be necessary. Even during lunch hour or after work a practice session might be just right. Remember to turn off the cell phone or send it to voicemail and turn off any unnecessary noises such as the TV during your practice time.
You may have some specific tools that you use during singing practice and it is important to set them aside and have them ready when your scheduled time arrives. Wasting time hunting for the notebook, music or the recorder may consume much of your scheduled practice time.
Duration of Practice Sessions
When you first set your practice schedule, you may set an hour but find you are unable to practice an hour. This is because like any athlete at first you are building stamina and technique. Do not go beyond what is comfortable and although at first that may be only 15 minutes a day, eventually you can work up to an hour or so of singing practice. Remember to allow time for your voice warm ups as well as breathing exercises. Those are just as necessary as the actual voice practice. If you have a flexible schedule you might practice until you tire at first (this can sometimes be as little as 10 minutes in the beginning), rest and then return and practice a little more.
Singing does not hurt; if it hurts then you must stop what you are doing. Examine the cause, stop and take a break, if you do not feel well put off the practice. If you are trying to hit higher notes and it hurts, do not do it. If you push your voice to the point it hurts then recovering can take much longer than if you simply stop and examine what you are doing and take a break if necessary. If after a couple of hours of rest your voice feels normal the chances are, you simply needed a break but you are doing it right. When practicing you is trying to improve your sound and voice and this will not occur instantly but requires a concerted effort. Set realistic goals and make note of your progress each session.
Practice Tools
Besides bringing your best voice to practice, you also may want to bring a few tools to help you get the most from your singing practice session.
- A piano in the practice room is nice, but a keyboard can provide the cues for notes just as easily. A keyboard is much less expensive than a piano, provides accurate notes, which is what you may require in the beginning, and takes up much less space than a baby grand piano. A distinct advantage to a keyboard is they are always in tune, a piano on the other hand usually requires tuning.
- If you don’t’ have a keyboard do not worry you can use a tape recorder. You can also record music or notes and use a tape player to play them back. If you are practicing a song, using a tape player can provide the music and you can even record your voice as you sing.
- Recording your voice during practice also allows you to evaluate your practice session later and monitor your performance for flaws, areas that need improvement or know when you get a difficult song right. There are a number of technologies to choose from that can record voices including mini-discs and some PCs. Try to be sure you have as good a quality recording as possible to be able to hear exactly what you were doing during practice.
- A pitch pipe although not necessary can be nice to set a starting note. It is low tech requires no electricity and can be carried around in a pocket. You can get a pitch pipe and to play the starting pitch if you do not have a piano or keyboard handy in the practice room.
- The metronome is a time honoured means of insuring that you stay on rhythm during singing practice. The metronome is small devices that make a ticking sound which can help the singer maintain the right speed and tempo. Singers may slow down during difficult parts of a song and not even realize it. The metronome provides an audio cue that helps the singer keep track of the tempo and stay with the song. Metronomes can be as large as an old desk clock or as small as a credit card and all serve the same function to make a regular sound. If you do not have a metronome handy then a regular clock can be used instead. The hand that measures the seconds is moving at sixty beats a minute and can be used to keep time when nothing else is available.
- A full-length mirror is a very useful addition to any practice room. Watch your face, your mouth your body and how you are standing in the mirror and this can help you improve your singing. Slouching while singing is not allowed and a mirror can help the singer correct this during practice.
- After the practice session is over, and then take time to listen to the recording you made and make notes on what you feel has improved as well as areas you feel may need more focus. Keeping a practice diary can help you chart your progress.
