MESSAGES

LOG IN
EXPLORE
HELP US
EDIT

Te gustara saber Cmo cantar? Lee acerca de eso en espaol!No thanks
Home Categories Arts and Entertainment Music Singing
ArticleEditDiscuss
Edit Article
How to Sing
Edited by SloWriter, Alan J, Krystle C., Caleb and 515 others
Setting the FoundationHealthy Singing HabitsThe AttitudeThe Performance
Singing is the one talent virtually everybody possesses. Of course, some are mor
e naturally skilled than others, but that can be overcome by dedication, practic
e, and more practice. Even if you're content to sing in the shower, there are so
me things you can do to improve your voice. Your golden voice will be ringing ou
t in no time!
Part 1 of 4: Setting the Foundation
1Choosing your singing style. The style you want to sing in can vastly change ho
w you sing. understand the demands of your particular style, but realize that le
arning the techniques of multiple styles can only make you a better singer. This
article mainly covers overall technique, but you can get specifics on particula
r styles like:
Beatboxing or
Rap
Ad
Sing Step 2.jpg
2Find your vocal range. This is essential, as singing pieces written for the wro
ng range may strain your voice until you sound like a bear with a cold.
Your range is largely determined by the size and shape of your instrument: your
voice. The size and shape of your larynx is the primary factor in your vocal ran
ge. You may be able to push the boundaries, but your range is largely fixed. Her
e is a general guideline to help you find your range:
Sopraninos: Reaching the highest of the ranges, a Sopranino can sing to D6 and b
eyond.
Sopranos: Sopranos sing from C4 to A5, or even higher.
Mezzo-soprano: The mezzo-soprano range extends from about A3 to F5.
Alto: The standard range for altos is approximately E3 to E5.
Contralto: The lowest female voices are called "contralto," and extend below E3.
Countertenors: Males with very high vocal ranges, into the alto and soprano rang
es of female vocals, or have a strong, clear falsetto, are called "countertenors
."
Tenor: This is near the upper end of the male's vocal range. A tenor can comfort
ably sing between C3 and A4
Baritone: A baritone singer ranges between F2 and E4.
Bass: The range for a bass singer is around F2 to E4, with a comfort range norma
lly between G2 and A3.
Contrabass: If you can sing G1 or lower, you are what's known as a sub-bass, con
trabass, or a basso profundo.
People will love or hate your voice based on its sound character, not just how m
any notes you can hit or runs/trills you can do. Your range can be developed wit
h the right training but be sure to use proven techniques that do not strain or
wear out your voice.
Sing Step 1.jpg
3Get started for free. There are hundreds of vocal training videos on YouTube, f
illed with everything from amateur tipsters to educated, professional singers. I
t can be a bit tricky finding a good vocal trainer on the Internet, but think of
it this way: It's a great way to find out if you like being taught how to sing,
whether you're ready to practice, and most of all, if you're ready to start tak
ing lessons.
Sing Step 3.jpg
4Take lessons. Find a vocal coach or qualified voice teacher who can help you be
come a good singer. Check with your local music store or your school music teach
er.
If you're serious about becoming a singer, taking lessons sooner rather than lat
er is the way to go: Poor performance techniques can ruin your singing voice for
good!
If you cannot afford a teacher, or do not want the dedication that comes with hi
ring a professional voice coach, consider joining a local choir.
There are also a few learn-at-home vocal training courses out there such as Sing
ing Success, Sing and See, Singorama, Singing for the Stars and Vocal Release, b
ut be sure to do your research to see which ones have really worked for other si
ngers.
Sing Step 4.jpg
5Get to know your singing tools. The more familiar you are with how everything i
s supposed to move and feel, the more attuned to your voice you will be.
Touch the top of your collar bone. About a half of an inch below your finger is
the top of your lungs.
Examine your ribs. They move like bucket handles attached to your spine and your
sternum. When you breathe in, they move upward as your chest expands. When you
breathe out, they move downward as the air in your lungs is exhaled.
Find your chest line. This is the place where your lungs expand the largest. Pla
ce your hands about halfway down your torso, towards the bottom of your sternum.
Take a deep breath, and move your hand till you find the point of maximum exten
sion of the ribs.
The bottom of your lungs is right below your sternum, where your rib cages meet.
This is the bottom of your lungs and the housing of your diaphragm. The reason
your stomach may pooch out when you breathe deeply is because your diaphragm is
pushing down on everything below your rib cage, not because your lungs are in yo
ur stomach.
Part 2 of 4: Healthy Singing Habits
Sing Step 5 Version 2.jpg
1Stand up straight! Correct posture helps so stand tall with one foot slightly i
n front of the other one, feet shoulder width apart. This allows you to breathe
easily and to allow maximum lung capacity to allow better notes and phrases.
Stand up straight, shoulders back and down, floating over your torso. Make sure
that your chest is high to give room for your lungs to expand and contract. Rela
x.
If you're sitting, the same things apply! Keep both your feet flat on the floor-
-don't cross your legs. Keeping your body in line allows for more control and su
stained singing without strain.
Sing Step 5.jpg
2Breathe properly. The voice is best described as a wind instrument, because bre
athing is 80% of singing and proper singing begins and ends with proper breathin
g. Breathe low, from your stomach, and push out, tightening the muscles when you
exhale.
If you try breathing from your chest, you will find you won't have enough suppor
t for high notes.
Practice the old fashioned book method: Lie on the ground and place a book on yo
ur stomach. Sing a comfortable note, and when you are exhaling/singing, try to m
ake the book go up.
Sing Step 7.jpg
3Practice your warmups. Before you begin singing or doing practice exercises, it
's always best to warm up. Try this: sing in your middle range, low range, then
high range, then back to middle.
You should spend at least 10 minutes on each range and do not stress your voice
if you're frustrated and cannot hit a note. Relax, then try again, carefully. Ot
her things to practice:
Dynamics: Dynamics are variations to the intensity of your resonance. Even the s
implest use of dynamics will make your songs come alive, and the more you practi
ce, the louder and softer you'll be able to sing healthily. Sing a comfortable p
itch and start very softly, crescendo to loud then decrescendo back to soft. Whe
n you start out you will probably only be able to sing from mp (mezzo piano, or
moderately quiet) to mf (moderately loud), but your range will increase with pra
ctice.
AgilityHit the "do re mis." Try singing from do to sol, back to do really fast ba
ck and forth, trying to hit all of the notes. Do this in increments of half step
s on different syllables. This will help your voice more flexible.
Sing Step 8.jpg
4Pronounce your vowels correctly. Practice all your vowels at every pitch (high,
low and in between). In English there are very few pure vowels. Normally, we wi
ll encounter diphthongs which are two or more vowel sounds elided together.
In classical singing, the singer will sustain the note on the first vowel and th
en say the second on the way to the final consonant. In country, singers like to
slide through the first vowel and elongate the second vowel on the sustained no
te.
For example: whereas a classical signer might sing "Am[aaaaaaai]zing Gr[aaaaaai]
ce" and a country singer would sing "Am[aiiiiiii]zing Gr[aiiiiii]ce".
If you can, always sing the first vowel for as long as you can before letting th
e second vowel in.
Here are some pure vowels to practice with: AH as in "father", EE as in "eat", I
H as in "pin", EH as in "pet", OO as in "food", UH as in "under", EU as in "coul
d", OH as in "home".
Sing Step 9.jpg
5Practice scales. Practice this often, especially if you have pitch problems. Mo
st coaches will recommend 20-30 minutes a day when starting out, as practicing s
cales will also strengthen the muscles used for singing and give you better cont
rol.
To practice scales, identify your range (tenor, baritone, alto, soprano, etc.) a
nd know how to find the notes that cover your range on a keyboard or piano. Then
practice the major scale in every key, moving up and down using the vowel sound
s.
At some point you can start working in minor scales as well. Solfege (Do,Re,Mi,.
..) is also an effective tool for improving pitch problems.
Part 3 of 4: The Attitude
Sing Step 10.jpg
1Be confident. Do not care what people think, just keep practicing. If you are l
imited by your inhibitions, your voice will be, too.
Be confident that you are going to get better, and you will continue to improve.
Making safe decisions will not stretch your abilities. In order to do new thing
s with your voice, you must be fearless.
Sing Step 11.jpg
2Be reasonable with your expectations. Regardless of where you are coming from,
if you can devote 20 minutes or more a day to practicing scales and songs, you c
an expect measurable improvement within four weeks.
Most pitch problems can be corrected within 3-4 months. Understand that your pro
gress is linked to your ability to practice daily (as with most training). If yo
u only do 10 minutes a day, a few days a week, you could spend a year or more.
Part 4 of 4: The Performance
1Make sure you have practiced. By the time it comes to performing your piece to
anyone, you should have practiced lots and are confident with yourself that it w
ill be comfortable and sound amazing.
2Stay confident throughout the performance. Audiences often have misleading expr
essions. If they don't look impressed, don't worry about it. Keep singing, and s
mile too- it will cheer them up endlessly.
3Keep your head up. Nobody wants to watch someone who is singing to their feet.
Keep your posture straight, head up, singing right to the back of the room. This
will make you look and feel confident, which will shine through in your perform
ance.
Ad
Add your own method
Save
Tips
While singing, always make sure you breathe regularly - not breathing can make y
our voice sound forced, horrible and may damage your vocal chords.
Be patient. Some people are just naturally born with the gift of singing, while
others need to work on it a bit more.
Breathe with your stomach. Deeply. Imagine the air isn't even getting into your
lungs, but going straight to your stomach. If you have to hit a note you find un
comfortably high, lift your soft pallet, not your chin. Your tongue should be pr
essed against the backs of your teeth. Your tongue shouldn't be curled up near y
our throat.
Lay on your back and hold your breathe. Count to 10 and stay calm until you are
ready to sing. You will notice your voice is stronger.
Keep your chin pointed slightly down and your pectoral muscles flexed. Most sing
ers lift their chin up to sing with more power,while it only works temporarily.
Keeping chin down not only works better but saves your voice. Listening to passi
onate singing and practicing various vocal techniques, will enhance your skills
and pleasure. This is a great way to sound better.
Avoid drinking soda or milk, as these beverages cause mucus buildup in the back
of the throat. Instead, drink warm tea with honey or room-temperature water when
you are thirsty.
Sing with all your heart! Passion will often make the voice believable and more
emotional.
The more you practice the more you can control your voice.
Get in shape. You'll be able to breathe better if you are in good physical healt
h.
Use a loud 'shh' as if you are telling someone to be quiet but don't force any m
uscles. This will help clear your throat and softly warm it up.
Show 7 more tips
Ad
Warnings
If your voice is really hurting you and you notice that you can't even speak wit
hout your voice hurting, do not use your voice at all. You need to be silent for
the rest of the day. Drink lots of hot tea and, if you have a steamer, steam fo
r 20 minutes. Steaming is where you breathe in steam through your throat which w
ill fix it. If you don't have a steamer then get a bowl the size of your head an
d fill it with boiling water. Get a towel that covers the rim of the bowl and br
eathe in the steam (put your mouth over the bowl and breathe through the towel)
If your voice begins to play with you and hurt, stop singing for an hour, warm u
p, then try again but more relaxed. Not only can you damage your vocal chords, y
our voice will sound stressed and unpleasant.
Pre-existing tension in your jaw, shoulders, neck muscles and all surrounding ar
eas can hurt you. Make sure you are completely relaxed before you sing. If your
jaw is wobbling while you are singing, that is a sign of tension in your jaw, an
d this can result in muscle tissue tearing if it continues.
If you are trying to sing a low note and produce a raspy sound, you are damaging
your voice. Basically, your vocal cords are rubbing against each other. A node
is like a callous on your vocal cords, and it won't go away without surgery or p
rolonged vocal rest (more than a year). The best cure: don't get one.
Related wikiHows
How to
Sing Like a Goddess
How to
Sing Soprano
How to
Sing Better if You Think You Are Bad
How to
Sing Clearly
How to
Find Your Singing Range
How to
Sing With Vocal Vibrato
How to
Sing Classically
How to
Breathe Correctly to Protect Your Singing Voice
by TaboolaSponsored ContentFrom The Web
Scientific Research Reveals How To Attract Women
Lifegooroo
4 Bodily Signs a Heart Attack is Near
Newsmax Health
The #1 Food That Will Make You Age Badly
Women's Life Today
10 Foods to Eat Every Day for Perfect Skin
Amerikanki
8 Habits That Speed Up the Aging Process
Lifespan.com
Have You Seen The Daughter of The King of Saudi Arabia?
World Observer
Top Tips to choose your Wife/Husband
TopTipsNews
Why Almonds Are The Next SuperFood
DallasNews.com
Sources and Citations
http://www.singwise.com/cgi-bin/main.pl?section=articles&doc=DeterminingVocalFac
h&page=2 - research source
Article Info
Featured Article
Categories: Featured Articles | Singing
Recent edits by: Lugia2453, izzy, Mick Ashton
In other languages:
Portugus: Como Cantar, Espaol: Cmo cantar, Nederlands: zingen, Franais: Comment appr
endre chanter, Deutsch: Singen, ???????: ????????? ????, ??: ??, Italiano: Come
Cantare Correttamente
DiscussPrintEmailEditSend fan mail to authorsAd
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 3,819,696 times.
Was this article accurate?
YesNo
Random Article Write An Article
Related Articles
How to
Learn to Sing
How to
Break a Glass with Your Voice
How to
Sing Campfire Songs
How to
Sing Punk
Share
Featured Articles
How to
Determine the Age of a Tree
How to
Insert an Image on Keynote
How to
Be Sophisticated
How to
Make Your Own Bath Salts
Meet a Community Member
Meet Souphead, a New Article Booster and Featured Author who has been active in
the community for over a year. She has started 33 articles and made over 3,000 e
dits on wikiHow, and she enjoys using the Quality Guardian and Video Adder to he
lp improve advice around the site. The first article she ever worked on here was
How to Write a Personification Poem, and her favorite article on the site is Ho
w to Clean a Book. She loves the idea that even one small edit can improve so ma
ny peoples understanding of a topic, and she appreciates how everyone in the comm
unity manages to take time out of their lives to help out. To new community memb
ers, she advises: Try a range of contributions and find what you enjoy most!
Join The Community
Follow Us On...
HomeAbout wikiHowTerms of UseRSSSite mapLog In
All text shared under a Creative Commons License. Powered by Mediawiki.
Become
an Author!
Write an Article