When you’re learning something new, it’s important to get the education and instruction needed to ensure proper technique and avoid injury. The first thing people ask me when I mention “injury” is how can you injure your voice? Without proper exercises, it’s quite easy and happens often. I usually use the example of a runner who stretches before they run. Without stretching the muscles you are going to use, you risk injuring yourself. The same goes for your voice.
Even if you have excellent range and perfect pitch, without proper coaching, your vocal cords will not be conditioned to sustain for more than a short time. If you’re ready to take your singing to the next level, keep reading to learn several ways in which a voice coach can help.
Warm-Up Exercises
Your teacher will usually provide you with a number of warm-up exercises that fall within your vocal range. Your teacher will learn what your comfortable pitch is, and create exercises for you to sing to warm your voice up. Very often, your teacher will have you sit by a piano and play vocal exercises to get you warmed up and then gradually play the notes slightly higher than your comfortable key. This will help you expand your vocal range to hit higher (or lower) notes. Your teacher will also focus on your posture and explain how important posture is when singing. Warming up and posture are two very important pieces when it comes to developing your voice, and without a teacher, very often these things are missed. At RockOutLoud we’ve developed a FREE Alexa Skill with Vocal Warm-ups you can use to warm up. If you own an Alexa, download the RockOutLoud Skill today.
Breathing Technique
Sure, we all know how to breathe, and as a singer, you’ll need to be a lot more conscious about proper breathing technique. In fact, without properly breathing, you may only be able to sing a few songs before you feel winded and lose your voice. Your teacher will show you where your diaphragm is and how using your diaphragm helps you sing notes stronger and with more conviction. Often, singers will sing from their throat and not their diaphragm. Singing from your throat is a sure-fire way of losing your voice quickly.
Microphone Technique
What is microphone technique? Microphone technique (otherwise known as mic technique) teaches you how to use a microphone when performing. Of course, we all know that speaking or singing into a mic is all you need to do to get sound, but did you know there is an actual technique to it? If you watch closely, you can see professional singers pull their mics away from their mouth when singing, and then bring it back. Why would you ever pull a mic away while singing? When you’re belting out a strong note you don’t want to blow out the eardrums of your audience! Mic technique is also used to create dynamics. Dynamics is the manipulation of sound levels. If you ever watch a vocal performance of anyone singing in concert, you will see the vocalist constantly bringing the mic back and forth throughout the entire song. A good voice teacher will show you the importance of mic technique and will teach you exactly how it should be done properly.
Learning How To Sing In Harmony
Harmony is what makes a chorus in a song sound beautiful and full of life. In fact, vocal harmonies can make an otherwise boring song into an explosive piece of music. One of rock music’s most recognized songs is Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. Anyone who hears that song can point out harmonies in just a moment. Can you ever imagine listening to Bohemian Rhapsody without those beautiful harmonies? Me either! Without having a music teacher to walk you through the music theory behind how to find the proper notes to sing in harmony, you may spend hours pulling your hair out trying to find the correct notes to sing. Ask your voice teacher how to sing harmonies and save yourself from going bald!
Find Your Voice Coach at RockOut Loud
Whether you were unsure if you needed a singing teacher, or felt you could teach yourself, I hope our blog has helped you realize the importance of working with a professional voice coach. If you’re ready to take that next step, contact the team at RockOutLoud in Morganville. Your voice will thank you for it!
