How to sound and look professional when giving a vocal performance is vital to maintaining a singing career. Good posture techniques and warm up routines ensure a solid gig every time.
BBC Learning To Sing website has information on posture and warming up exercises. Beneficial Yoga poses for breathing and posture, especially the lion pose are available at Aryasamaj.org as a pdf. The Alexander technique (developed by F. Matthias Alexander) is a holistic approach to posture. Alexander Technique.com has an in depth website for more information.
Tips for Ensuring Good Posture during warm up practice include:
- Sing with head in balance with base of spine, eyes looking straight ahead.
- Keep balance on balls of feet, rather than heels, this relieves pressure from base of spine, keeps pelvis aligned.
- Stand with feet in line with shoulders
Warm-ups should take between 15 and 30 minutes in the morning, take small breaks and drink water. Useful points to note include:
- Practice in front of a full length mirror, where one’s posture and breathing technique can be watched. (Put one hand on side of ribcage and the other hand over diaphragm)
- Record sung scales to practice. Audacity is free recording computer software. Online scales in different keys that can be saved are availabe at Vocalist.org and Sam West, a vocal coach, has vocal exercises and scales that can be downloaded.
- Try to train the mind to relax, use imagery technique.
- Have a glass of water handy. (It is recommended to drink 6 to 8 glasses a day to keep hydrated)
The Handbook for Working Singers by Roma Waterman, Published by Schirmer Trade Books, (ISBN 0825673291) covers good practice techniques in more detail, and includes tips for singing in a choir, live work and for recording sessions.
Types of warm-ups
Breathing Warm up exercises are used to control and “support” airflow and to build-up the diaphragm using abdominal breathing.
Breathe in deeply and make “ssh” sound as you exhale, as if blowing out a candle. Do this exercise three times, then use “vvv” sound, repeat three times. Then use “zzz” sound”, repeating this technique three times.
Vibration Warm ups are for exercising the vocal cords and include: humming scales and using “Vee”, and “Oo” sounds going up and down the scale.
Resonance warm ups are used to facilitate vocal delivery. For Chest resonance try a dark angry shout (operatic sound) scale. For mouth resonance sing an “Aah” sound up and down the scale. For Head Resonance sing a Far Away Shout scale. For Nasal Resonance try a nasally na, na, na, na, na, scale (this is used alone used for character voices, but normally is blended with Head Resonance). Resonance exercises are useful in placement techniques where the different resonances are used to change vocal tone.
Scale Warm ups
- Agility Scales – used to expand range. (Increasing interval scales and Octave Scales)
- Arpeggios – the notes of a musical chord are sung separately but quickly one after the other
- Chromatic Scales - notes ascend and descend in semitone (half step) intervals
- Legato Scales – Smooth, flowing
- Staccato Scales – Short, detached notes
- Legato & Staccato Scales – combination of smooth and detached notes
Singing World has online music tutors that use internet facilities so lessons can be taught online.
If you find you have a problem with a dry mouth due to nerves or having to take antihistamines or from travelling a Dry Mouth Mixture of 30 ml glycerine, 10 ml aloe vera juice and 10 ml honey placed in a small spray bottle, shaken well and sprayed into the mouth can be useful.
Cara Moore - Cara E. Moore is an author, poet, playwright and writer who has written for internet sites, newspapers, magazines, theatre and ...
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