How to sing

Practical guide on singing techniques.

Singing is an amazing adventure, where you can express yourself and create the world of your own.

Professional Singing

Gain confidence and deliver live shows.

Amateur Singing

Start small and build on that.

Learn to Sing: Basics

Your voice is part of your whole body and it's affected by the movement of surrounding muscles. You need to make sure your posture is correct, and that the supporting muscles, including shoulders and neck are relaxed and warm, otherwise you could strain your voice, and risk injury.

Posture

How you stand is really important. We suggest standing (best), or sitting with straight back (good).

Stand up straight - imagine a string pulling you up from the top of your head.

Place your feet shoulder-width apart, keep your knees unlocked.

Your head should be upright, looking straight ahead.

Keep your shoulders down and your abdomen relaxed.

Try to relax - tension will prevent you from making a good sound.

Standing Position

We recommend standing position.

Sitting Position

Many amateur singers sing in sitting position.

Warming Up

Singers are like athletes - they need to warm up before they perform. Warm-up exercises will make sure your voice is ready to perform. In this video Rebbecca Lodge offers advice. Warm up your voice to avoid straining and damaging your vocal cords. Always take a deep breath before you start and try yawning - yawning opens up your throat and helps your voice resonate.


Exercise 1

Breathe out through your mouth releasing all the air from your lungs.

Once your lungs feel completely empty, relax your stomach muscles, open your mouth and let the air flood back in.

Do this several times.

Now breathe in again and when you release the air add an 'sss' sound. See how long you can hold it.

Try this again using 'shh' and 'fff' sounds. This will help to build different vocal muscles.


Exercise 2

Close your eyes and spend a little time breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth. (When singing, you should breathe in through your nose and out through your nose and mouth.)

When breathing in, imagine the breath going down into the lowest part of the lungs, keeping the shoulders down and relaxed.

When breathing out, try to maintain your inflated shape, breathing out slowly until you feel as empty as possible.


Exercise 3

Counting four, breathe out whilst you bring your left ear down to your shoulder.

Counting four, breathe in and bring your head up to the starting position.

Repeat with the right ear.

Breathing

Take your time to practice your breathing.

Do the work

Sing with passion.

Breathing

Breathing well will support your voice. Singing when there's no breath left is a common way of tiring your voice. Follow the steps below to help improve your breathing.


Breathe deeply from your lower lungs - imagine a rubber ring around your waist (your diaphragm)

Breathe in and try to push the ring outwards.

Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose and mouth.

Avoid raising your shoulders as you breathe in - keep them relaxed and level.

Relax! Tension will prevent you from making a good sound.


To practice breathing well, try this:

Lie on the floor on your back with your hands on your stomach. Breath in (inhale) and your hands will rise. Now breathe out (exhale) and they will lower. In this position it is virtually impossible to breathe incorrectly. Try to breath in the same way when you sing. Practice breathing regularly to improve your technique and build your lungs capacity.


Exercise 1 - Hissing

Breathe in to the count of 4, breathe out, hissing, to the count of 4

Then, breathe in for 6, and hiss out for 10

in for 6, out for 12

in for 2, out for 12

in for 4, out for 16

in for 2, out for 16

in for 4, out for 20

in for 1, out for 20

The idea is to monitor your breathing, and ensure that you can last through long phrases. Be economical with your breathing. Make sure the hiss is consistent; that it is not louder at the beginning than at the end. You are aiming for a smooth even sound.


Exercise 2 - Snatched Breaths

Breathing in gradually, think of your lungs filling up in fractions, when you count. Focus on the diaphragm, being careful not to hold tension in the throat.

On the count of '1' - breathe in (¼ full)

'2' - (½ full)

'3' - (¾ full)

'4' - (full)

5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 - breathe out, gradually.

Repeat, on the count of '1' - breathe in (½ full) '2' - (full)

3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 - breathe out gradually.

Search for your voice

Take this journey and explore your voice.

Discover your perfect pitch

Take risks and learn from it.

Find Your Voice

Once you've warmed up, it's time to find out what your voice can do.


Voice Range

Your range is the span between the highest and lowest notes you can sing.


There are four main adult voice types - these are classified by their range:

Female singing voices are either Soprano (high) or Alto (low)

Male singing voices are either Tenor (high) or Bass (low)

To explore your range sing the note that comes most naturally to you. Gradually take the pitch up to the highest note you can sing without straining. Now take it all the way down to the very lowest note, again without straining. You can also try the above with a line from a song, raising or lowering the pitch each time you repeat it.


Try some of the exercises below. Start in the middle of your range and make sure that you are not straining - if it hurts, or feels uncomforatble, stop. Drink room temperature water throughout. Give yourself a break in-between each exercise. Remember to listen to the sound you are making, there are audio clips below to help you find the right note. As with a breathing warm up, there's no right or wrong number of times to repeat these exercises.


Exercise 1

Starting within the most comfortable range for you, slowly go up and down like a police siren, througout all your vocal range, with an 'ng' sound.

Breathe as slowly as possible, and snatch a breath when you run out, trying to ensure an almost perfect, continuous line.

You can do this exercise forever! But try different variations, like trying your lips buzzing together; try with your tongue trilling, or 'ooh'ing


Excercise 2

Start in the middle of your range with the note that feels most comfortable for you.

Hum 'mm' with mouth closed, gradually opening the mouth until you're singing 'ah'.

Do this over the count of 8. Try to feel the resonance on your lips and open up to a pure vowel sound.

Move up to a note and hum - 'mm' turning into 'eh' (as in 'bed')

Try a higher note with - 'mm' - 'ee'

Then try a lower note - 'mm' - 'or' (as in 'door')

And then lower again - 'mm' - 'ooh'


If you have access to a piano the first note in the above exercise is C, then D, E, D and C again.


Exercise 3

Start on a note that's comfortable for you, and slowly sing 'mee meh mah mor moo', all on the same note.

Go up a note and sign it again. Repeat the phrase, going up a note each time.

As you get higher, make sure the sound doesn't get lost in the back of your throat - remember to use your diaphragm, to avoid a weedy sound.

Then try it on these different notes, making a tune: G - F - E - F - G - E

Descending down the scale: F - E - D - E - F - D or E - D - C - D - E - C

Go down as low as you can, but don't strain your voice.


Exercise 4

This time start around middle C for women, or an octave lower for men:

Start at 'ah', then go up one step (semi-tone), and 'la', then up one stop on 'mah', then up one step on 'fah'.

1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1 or

C-D-E-F-G-F-E-D-C

Repeat the exercise again from C, going through the vowels: 'ah', 'eh', 'ee', 'or', 'oo'. Feel your mouth opening into the vowel.


Exercise 5

Try the exercise again, this time jumping through the notes to build flexibility.

Start at 'ah', then go up one step (semi-tone), and 'la', then up one step on 'mah', then up one step on 'fah'

1 - 3 - 2 - 4 - 3 - 5 - 4 - 2 - 1 or

C - E - D - F - E - G - F - D - C

Articulation is a key

How much can you sing on one breath?

Sing words clearly

Take your time.

Articulation

As well as building your range it's also important to focus on your articulation. It is important to be able to sing words clearly and that the effect of pronouncing a word does not affect the quality of your voice.

Slowly sing the tune of 'Do - a deer' from the Sound of Music to 'aah', making sure you sing really evenly and that the sound you are producing is consistent.

Next, add the words: try and keep the consonants really smooth and the vowels clearly formed. 'Do - a deer, a female deer; Re - a drop of golden sun...'.

See how much of the song you can sing in one breath. When you do breathe make sure it is in a logical place in the text - would you breathe at that point if you were speaking it? Keep listening to yourself at all times.

Practice makes master

Don't be afraid to go on stage.

Take every opportunity to sing

Whether it is a charity event, or family do - sing!

Practice

Go through breathing exercises and vocal exercises regularly, to ensure that you're warmed up before singing, and that your singing technique is sound. Even a little will help - ten minutes of regular practice can make a big difference. Put on one of your favourite CDs and sing along to a song that you know well. Choose songs that have a familiar, simple melody and a limited range.


Try a tricky song or a difficult note - it may be challenging, but this is a great way to develop your technique and range.

Take passages of songs apart and really think about the words and sounds you are singing.

You can sing anytime anywhere. Practise singing in the shower or anywhere you won't be overheard. Long car journeys are a great opportunity to practise in private!

Sing with passion

People will see whether you feel your music.

Have fun

Relax and do your best.

Best Singing Tips

Follow a gentle warm-up each day and you'll find your lung strength and capacity will increase.

If you can't read music, look out for song books which come with a CD of the music to sing along to. This will help you learn the notes.

Record yourself singing and listen back to yourself - are you in tune? Are you sounding the words clearly?

Be brave. Try singing in front of a friend for feedback.

When you're singing, make sure you have some water handy. Try to cut back the amount of tea, coffee and alcohol you drink - these can all dehydrate you.

Try to avoid smoky environments, colds and infections. If you have a cold, don't sing - rest your voice until you're feeling better. Never sing with a sore throat.

Your voice is like any other muscle - It gets tired, needs exercise and needs rest, especially if you are making it do things it doesn't normally do. If you haven't done much singing before, it's particularly important to make sure you warm-up properly. Never strain your voice. If you feel tired, stop. Don't risk damaging your voice.

Start singing lessons - this will change your approach to singing and make you a real singer.

We recommend "30 DAY Singer"

Learn at home by watching fun video singing lessons with friendly instructors.

Convinced you can't sing because you're "tone-deaf" or weren't "born musical"?

Not true! Those are singing myths.

This course can turn anyone into a great singer. All you need to do is follow-along with the exercises and in only 30 days you will start to notice a big difference in your voice.


HITTING THOSE NOTES

"I was able to hit those notes on key and with ease after only one week on that tough song we all have on our playlists. Thank you 30 Day Singer"! JIM PIDGEON

GOOD TEACHERS WHO KEEP ME FOCUSED ON MY GOAL.

"30 day singer is very good. The instructor is a good teacher and he keeps you focused on your goal. I like that you can choose your own time and speed, so this course is really good for me. Thanks very much". JOHAN RIEBEEK

THE COURSE IS GREAT, STRAIGHT TO THE POINT, AND VERY EASY TO FOLLOW.

"The course is great, straight to the point, and very easy to follow course. At first, I had my doubts about it, but the the second week, and after doing all the vocals exercises on a daily basis as instructed, I started to feel a difference. My voice is very clear now, and I can easily hit high notes I wasn't able to do so before. And most importantly, I'm confidently now a lead vocal in my band, thanks to 30 Day Singer"! JASMIN

I AM LOVING IT...

"My name is Susie and I started the 30 day singer program and I am loving it. It has helped me figure out my voice range which I had no idea what it was at all. I love to sing and have decided to make it my new hobby. I want to sing better for myself and hopefully one day do a musical at our local theater". SUZIE

OUR RATING

5 / 5