5 Useful Singing Tips...

Welcome to the week! Yay, it's Monday... bleurgh...! :) Only joshing, Monday is a new week, which brings lots of new opportunity and the chance to learn, practice and improve! So, in-keeping with this methodology here's not one, not two.... BUT 5 tips to help you to become a better singer! Yes, I kid you not, that's 5 free singing lessons!

1) Don't compare yourself to others. We are all different and have different voices. You should focus on your own voice and sing in a way that feels comfortable to you. This way you will give your voice room to grow and progress and develop in your own way.

2) Balloon Breathing. A great exercise called Balloon Breathing has been devised to help you with your lung capacity. All you need is a balloon and you try to fill it as much as you can in one breath! This will help you become more aware of your diaphragm and help you to improve your breathing capacity. So, the next time you're at a party try this out and see who can get the biggest balloon! hours of fun! Oh, and fainting... lol, use carefully :)

3) Slow down! Practice any lines or runs you may be having difficulty with by slowing them down! With time you will get better and be able to speed them up gradually. Then, you will master any parts you are finding troublesome!

4) Be heard by yourself. Here's a simple singing tip for helping you hear yourself when you are performing. It may be that you are singing in a group or in a loud environment and you are struggling to hear yourself. To combat this, you can put your hand beside your cheek with your middle finger in your ear and this will amplify your voice in your head and help you hear it clearly. Give it a try now and hear the difference (unless of course you are sitting at work or in a lesson when you read this... eek!)

5) Having trouble remembering lyrics? Having a lot of lyrics to memorise can be tricky! First Off, try breaking the song into sections and focusing on each section repeatedly to help drill it in and you'll be chucking those lyric sheets in the bin in no time. Try using a highlighter in your lyrics sheet to separate the sections visually. And try to incorporate hand movements or dance moves with particular words. This will help you remember certain words or phrases in a certain section of a song. After trying all these you be throwing those lyric sheets away in no time.

And, that's it! Nothing too rocket-sciency there I reckon, but some lovely tips to get you singing better :)