Singing Tips

This is not a complete singing guide, but some tips which can be helpful. This is directed to singers and to you who record singers.

Who can Sing?
There are so many myths about singing. Many people believe that only "special" people can sing, you have to be "born" with it, it is "too late", etc, etc.
Anyone can learn to sing! Extremely talented people can go nowhere and moderately talented people can practice and go far. If you are willing to face your fears, commit to regular practice, you can sing.
However, that does not mean that you can sing anything. Not every voice is suited for all kinds of music.
Sometimes people wonder if they can learn to sing without a teacher.
Well...yes and no. A lot of voice training is actually "unlearning" all the habits we have picked up over the years. This can be extremely difficult to determine by yourself, so it’s helpful to have another pair of trained ears.

Coaching
The most important thing to remember is that relaxation is the key to a good vocal performance. Be aware that a singer may feel a lot of pressure. Keeping anxiety out of the vocal booth is one of the producer's and engineer's more important jobs. Any time you can fix a problem without ruffling the feathers of your songbird, you're doing everyone a favor.
Your singer's comfort and confidence levels are other factors that will affect the quality of the performance. Get off to a good start by having comfortable headphones, appropriate lighting, something to hold the lyric sheets, and a lot of hospitality to put them at ease.
If and when the going gets rough, it's wise to diffuse tension by suggesting a break.

Consistently Off pitch.
Intonation is a major issue for all vocalists, regardless of their ability, experience, and training. When a singer is off pitch, it can be because he or she is not hearing enough voice in the headphones or monitors if on stage. Therefore, a good headphone mix and stage monitors is essential. On the flip side, it's also possible that their hearing too much of one's voice and need to hear some more note defining music. Ask the singer's opinion on the balance and overall level of the headphone or stage monitor mix.
It may also help to turn down instruments that don't contribute to vocal delivery, like drums, percussion & bass.
The most important thing you can do as an engineer is be supportive and try to keep your recording session moving and enjoy the time. If your not getting a certain line, move on and get back to that line later on.
If the singer is not familiar with the song you will be recording, make sure to get a demo of the song to the singer well ahead of the recording time, so that they will have time to learn the song and get comfortable with it.

Off pitch here and there
It's usually easier to fix a few off-pitch notes or phrases than it is to redo an entire vocal performance. That’s why we punch in on single vocal tracks or record alternate phrases on another track and then compile them for the final mix.
What I do is record 4 to 8 tracks of the lead vocalist, one verse or even 1 or 2 lines at a time, and then compile the best takes later on. Take note though that you get al least 1 noticeably good take of every word. Take mental note, or take note on a lyric sheet what line you need to get a good take on, and record those lines till you have it.
Mind you, if your recording, you can always go back afterwards and pitch fix the vocal here and there, either manually or using Antares Autotune. I’d caution you doing that too heavily, as you will ruin the natural voice and make them sound computer-ish. Also, you can only really fix up to half a note sharp or flat, otherwise the vocal will start to sound Donald duck ish.

Key
First, before even working on your track, determine what is a good key for the intended singer, and get them to agree on a key with you. If you’re unable to work that out beforehand, then I go ahead and work on the tracks drums and midi performances in the general key range, but I don’t do any analog recordings as otherwise you will very likely have to redo them.
Tone
Often singers don’t want to sound screechy and will not give it their all due to that concern. However, screechy’ ness can be tamed at the mix stage, and the important thing is to get a powerful vocal. When recording back up vocals, singers should be put at ease that sounding screechy is of no concern really. Because when you blend multiple voices together, you need the power for one, and 2 you won’t hear this “screechy’ ness” in your vocal mix, as they will blend with each other and smooth themselves out. This is very important, because if you want powerful back up vocal parts, they will need to sing powerful (loud).

When the vocalist is too nasal. A solution is to have the singer pinch his or her nose shut and sing the melody of the song, substituting the syllable “we” for the lyrics. That exercise works best when repeated a few times, with awareness on keeping the tone in the mouth and not letting it go up into the nose.
When recording you will need to be exaggerative & almost overdo on the emotion a bit. Because in real life you get the physical emotion, but on a recording all you hear is the voice without any of the theatre and facial expressions. This is especially applicable to recording narrations and drama.

Breathing
Breathing for singing is like breathing out a slow stream of very warm, moist air on your fingers placed close to your lips.
The diaphragm is the muscle singers use to CONTROL the breath on the exhale.
Singing from your diaphragm, breath support & breath control are all commonly used terms among singers. Of course, what do these terms mean?
In this particular case, your diaphragm is what we normally call the stomach.

Definition for diaphragm:
Primary muscle used for respiration, located just below the lung bases.

No diaphragm is weak. It cannot be. Every living person uses it every minute of every day to breath, to stay alive. It is one of the most used muscles in the body. Sit ups do not strengthen it. Overweight people, thin people, average people all have strong diaphragms.
But, singers must learn to control their diaphragm on exhaling because it is the control of the breath that makes good singing possible.

When inhaling, the chest should be raised very little. The pressure of breath against the chest must be maintained for as long as you are sustaining a tone or sing a phrase.

Breathing exercise.
Inhale deeply and exhale completely. Again inhale and exhale.

Now try it again, only this time inhale for four counts, hold your breath for four counts, exhale over four counts and then wait four counts before repeating. Remember to inhale deeply and properly for singing.

Inhale 2 3 4, Hold 2 3 4, Exhale 2 3 4, Wait 2 3 4. (repeat)

This basic exercise is an easy one you can do every day. Plain fact, the more you exercise your breathing, the more control you will have over your voice. As you make progress, challenge yourself to increase the breathing count to 8, 12 or 16.
For best results mix and match the numbers. The size of singing phrase is never the same, so practicing all different airflow situations is ideal.
Breathing correctly needs to be a habit, meaning you need to do it correctly without thinking about it. So in the beginning you really want to concentrate on the proper technique.

Breathing technique:
Start by taking a deep breath, filling your lungs all the way down to the abdomen (not just the top half of your lungs). Then let it out very slowly in a constant stream. Imagine that you're exhaling through a very thin straw.
Do this ten times.
Next, do five more, but on these, pick a nice comfortable note and hold it through the entire breath. Don't let it change in pitch or volume. Use a different pitch for each breath.
Next, do five more of these, gradually CHANGING the volume for each note from zero up to a medium volume and back to zero over the entire duration of the breath.
For the last set of five breaths do everything you just did in the previous five, but change the vowels: a,e,i,o,u. Make the change gradual in any order you wish.
It sound like a Buddhist chant, so maybe don’t do it when you have visitors.

Vibrato
Some alternative singers may not always use much vibrato, but singers often suffer when they don't have vibrato, because they sing a little flat, or without much dynamics, force, or expression. So try to eventually develop a nice vibrato.

Some singers do have vibrato, but it's naturally kind of fast or quivery. That's OK for some kinds of music, like country music. But learning to control it or use it differently, will expand the range of styles of songs you can sing & record well.

(Exercise: Blow on your finger in a steady stream, as if singing a note. Alter your breath to form a stronger and softer stream of air.)

At this point I should mention that you can find a lot of vocal exercises on line if you do a search for them. Often different peoples opinions will conflict, but you can still find a lot of helpful information.

TIMING
Singers with timing problems tend to err toward one extreme or the other. Most tend to rush, often out of nervousness. As a singer, try to keep that in mind. Singing a little late if a bit more comfortable then singing rushed. Course, the ideal is to sing on time.
Try moving a part of your body in time with the beat if that helps. Preferably not something to noticeable. (Tap your foot, or tap yourself with your finger.)
If your recording someone on a song, make sure you have a metronome of some kind playing for a rhythm reference.

POPPED Ps, Bs, AND Ts
Remember that there are many causes of popped plosives on the vocal mic and that the singer is not always to blame. Nylon-mesh filters should be standard equipment for any vocal recording, not only to eliminate popping but also to protect the delicate diaphragms of your microphones.
Most of the time I’ve just used a coat hanger, circle shaped, with a pair of women’s stocking pulled over it.
Although a foam-rubber windscreen may be more effective as a preventive measure, foam can cut high-frequency information, making the vocal track sound muffled or dull.
Sometimes, moving the mic up or down an inch or two will get it out of the blast zone.
The singer can also experiment with moving the head slightly to either side of the mic, in effect aiming the plosives away from the diaphragm.

SIBILANCE
Sing clearly. Take note not to drop sibilance’s, such as ss’s, t’s etc.

Extended phrases
Overly sustained phrases are a problem when the dwindling supply of air results in strained or off-pitch notes at phrase ends.
A thing to watch out for that a lot of singers do is to let their voice peter out at the end of a line. To deliver a convincing vocal you should try to hold out your notes with power and give them definite endings. (Not fade out and weaken)

Do’s and Don’ts
Quick fixes for tired voices such as hot sauce or alcohol are to be avoided.
Singing while sick or when the vocal cords are tired or swollen should also be discouraged.
Be aware that stress, a busy schedule, allergies, and lack of sleep can also take their toll on a singer's stamina.
DO’s:
• Get plenty of sleep before.
• Drink water during sessions.
• Drink warm tea with honey (not sugar) to soothe and moisten the throat and clear congestion.
• Try deep-breathing exercises during sessions.
• Gargle with hot salt water to reduce swelling of the vocal cords.
DON'Ts:
• Don’t push the endurance by continuing to sing once your voice becomes uncomfortable or painful.
• Don’t drink alcohol or orange juice. Caffeine and dairy products should also be avoided before and during sessions.
• Don’t talk excessively.
• Don’t whisper to save the voice. (It is actually worse for the voice than talking.)
• Don’t cough or clear the throat loudly, because that is abrasive to the vocal cords.

Singing pointers:

Place your feet flat on the floor and stand with "good posture".

Don't do anything that will hurt your voice.

No ice-cold drinks. Reason: It tightens up your vocal cords. They must be warm and loose in order for you to sing properly.

Don't sing your loudest for extended periods of time.

Keep away from air conditioning for at least two hours before a performance.

Don't exert yourself the day before a singing performance.

Keep the tip of your tongue below your teeth.

Don’t sing and dance at the same time. (Lip sync)

Learning how to sing well takes time. There are no shortcuts.


Breathing properly for singing requires the shoulders to remain down and relaxed, not rise with the breath intake. A singer will gain power to their voice by strengthening the muscles in their ribcage and back.
Communicate the music's message. During performance it is very important to communicate the message of the song.
If you make a "mistake" don't point it out to your audience, even with body language. It is likely they did not even notice.
And even if they did notice, pretend you didn’t notice.
Diaphragm support. Develop the strength and coordination of the diaphragm and become a pro at controlling the speed of the airflow released, the quantity of the airflow released and the consistency of the airflow released.
Free your natural voice. Don't be a slave to any music style -- even your favorite one. Learn to sing with your full and natural voice by developing your vocal strength and coordination. Then add style to achieve any singing style you desire.
Never guess the pitch you are about to sing. Hear the note in your head before you open your mouth.
High notes require consistent and steady airflow. Many students tend to hold their breath as they sing higher. Let the air flow.

Increase your breathing capacity and control by doing breathing exercises every day.
If you are having trouble getting your body completely involved with singing, try doing some jumping jacks for a few minutes before getting started again.
Know your limits. Don't sing too high or too low. Never strain or push your voice. Doing so will not result in a higher or lower singing range, or a stronger voice, only a voice that has suffered undue stress.
Low notes are often sung with too much airflow. Try decreasing your airflow to achieve a more natural, more relaxed tone.
Don’t sing if it hurts to swallow.
Open your mouth wider. Nine times out of ten this will help you achieve a stronger, more defined vocal tone.
Exercise your voice daily by singing along with songs of various styles.

Singing Exercises & Scales
• Stand with your shoulders relaxed, arms by your side.
• Breath in slowly.
• Sing overly accented scales using: Baa Bee Bii Boo Buu. (Example)
• Sing one note, holding the note for as long as you can without becoming short of breath.
• Try singing up and down a scale using “do, re mi…”.
• Sing short notes (known as Staccato) as well as long ones - Practice to Staccato.
• Record your efforts, notice the notes that do not sound right and concentrate on those until they do!


Body position points:
Good posture .
Keep your chin level.
Keep your knees loose.
Keep your head up.
Keep your shoulders sloping and relaxed.
Keep your toes pointed forward with your weight on heels and soles.
Keep the front of your neck loose - don't stretch it.
Keep your back muscles relaxed.
Avoid holding your shoulders lifted and puffed out.
Stand with your shoulders relaxed, arms by your side.
Breath in slowly.
Relax and SMILE.
Claim the keys.