How to practise singing - Part 1
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Practice, rehearsal, run-throughs, exercise - whatever you like to call it - when we want to make positive changes to our voices, it’s essential. It’s where the real change happens. Where our range extends, where our agility and flexibility improve, and where we gain vocal stamina. These days we’re all constantly bombarded with distractions in our lives, and so we want to make any time we do devote to practising our singing really count. Work smarter, not harder, and all that.
Practising singing is so much more than just singing through your songs until you ‘get’ them. In this 2-part series, we’ll explore the why, what and how of practice as well as some common pitfalls.
First of all - why we should even bother practising in the first place?
Finding the motivation
Why do we even bother? Thinking about why we practise can sometimes be all the motivation we need to get going.
To make progress! The simplest reason of all. Without it, your skill level simply stays the same. Nothing changes if nothing changes
For the love of it. Because you value your voice, and what it gives you. Because it’s fun to make noise. This intrinsic motivation gives that sense of self-satisfaction when we do something just because we want to, rather than to meet an external goal
For a self-esteem boost. When you do something that takes you one step closer to your goals you get a little glow, for having valued yourself enough to make that investment of time and energy
For an extrinsically motivated reason - be it to get in shape for a run of performances, an audition, or an exam
To develop your sense of self-awareness. Understanding how you learn, how you’re motivated, how your voice feels when it's at its best or when you’re struggling, is a lifelong process that really deepens when we put the practice time in
For the endorphins - a good sing feels goooooood. It’s scientifically proven. What could be better motivation than that?!
So as we can see, the benefits of practising singing are many, and reminding ourselves of them from time to time can often be all the motivation we need. So now, once we’ve set aside the time and turned up to practise, let’s answer a question I get asked all the time - ‘What should I be doing when I practise?’
What can we practise?
Here is a non-exhaustive list of some of the things you can spend your time on between lessons, to keep you moving in the right direction.
A mindful moment or two before you start any practice is essential. A few deep and slow breaths in and out through the nose (or more if you have the time) to get your mind and body in the same place and connected makes whatever follows more efficient and useful
Warm-ups: sirens, SOVT exercises (e.g. straw work, lip trills, tongue trills, fricatives), humming, tension releasing activities… (See my separate blog post on warming up)
Scales and arpeggios (not just major please - think about the genre you perform in... blues scales/modes/pentatonic might be more relevant for you if you’re singing CCM) or creating melodic riff patterns will really improve your agility
Body work - tension releasing, strengthening, aligning - don’t forget to include your body in your voice practice, it’s too easy to leave out
Technique. Options here are endless, but the more specific the better: this is where the right teacher will be able to give you some useful exercises tailored just to you, your voice, and what you want to achieve with it
Technique to song/speech integration. Exercises and songs are different beasts. Ask your teacher for tips on how to bring those new techniques into your actual repertoire - a lot of lesson content is usually spent on this so if you’re having regular lessons you should have some ideas already
Research on the context of the time and setting for your song. When was it written? Where is it set? Does it have a political agenda? What is your character’s life like? What other things would affect your character’s choices?
Researching other voices - other singers, other actors: this isn’t a passive activity though, you need to really listen and analyse what they’re doing. What is it you like or don’t like about their voice? What can you learn from them? Can you imitate them? The aim isn’t to copy anybody else’s voice, but doing active listening can really open your eyes (ears?!) to new ways of doing things you may not have tried before
Seeking new repertoire. Spread your wings. Broaden your horizons. Steer clear of cliches (er….) and overcooked pieces. Unless you just love them, in which case - go right ahead
Lyric/text work:
learn the words by heart
emote/action them - work out your emotional journey for the entire piece and choose an emotion or action (not a literal action, or gesture, but an active verb e.g. mock, entice, attack) for each lyric/line/thought
assign your voice quality choices to the text, determined by the emotion or meaning
perform your song as a monologue
prosody work: your voice teacher should be able to guide you with this. Work on the rhythm, diction and intonation: do any consonants or syllables need to be emphasised or unstressed to help with conveying meaning?
A little cool down is useful after a longer or more intense practice session. Gentle humming in your comfort zone usually does the trick, ending somewhere in your speaking pitch range.
Part 2 coming up soon will look in more detail at how we actually practice, and what to do when we’re struggling with it.
Laura x
