Tips on singing?

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Line your throat with Vaseline, makes your voice come out smoother. An old Elton John trick.

Whoah, do not do this. All it'll do is make your throat slimy, unless it's the kind with menthol, in which case it'll really screw up your singing voice. I saw a guy get sent home from a college level jazz ensemble practice because he had Vicks Vaporub on his chest and it was messing with some of the other singers' voices.

OT: You picked a bad time to ask for help from the internet. If you had asked a month out and you had included a recording, we could have given you some useful tips for improvement, but at this point what you need is not to mess up whatever you're already doing. I could give some tips on how to properly form vowels and such, but you'd be too likely to overdo it and make things worse. The biggest thing you can work on at this point is not choking when you get up on stage. For me that always meant having practiced my piece until I could sing it in my sleep, but I got over my stage fright at a very young age. If you still get stage fright, you need to do whatever it is that helps you personally get around it, while still working on your audition piece.

Edit:

Also this:

2 Breath control is EVERYTHING. Breathe with your gut.

Although more specifically, it's your diaphragm, not your gut. If your chest moves at all while you're breathing, you're doing something wrong, although this is a skill that usually takes someone who knows what they're doing being physically there to demonstrate it; I've never seen anyone get it properly without someone else physically correcting their posture and doing a hands on demonstration.

 

[ajemas]

I've been a singer since before I could talk, so I'm well aware of the pre-audition jitters. I've also been in a prestigious chamber choir for quite a while, so I must be doing something correctly, right?

Anyway, this is something you can do right at your desk. Stand up and just take a breath like you are about to sing something. You don't have to sing at this point, but just take in that first breath. OK, now do it again and pay attention to your shoulders. Did they move at all? If the answer is yes, then you aren't breathing properly!

It seems so simple, but that first breath is very important for singing. You want to be breathing from your diaphragm, not from your chest. Your diaphragm is located right below your lungs, and can be used to draw a much more effective breath. It will help you sing louder, longer, and with more pitch control by giving you something called "breath support". This means that, by using your diaphragm, your breathing will be much more supported and efficient, coordinating your breaths in time to the notes that you're singing.

To breathe from your diaphragm, start by putting your hand on your stomach. Now, without using your stomach at all, breathe in so that your torso expands. Breathe in deeply, and make sure that your shoulders don't move. If you did it properly, you should see your hand move as you breathe in. Next, exhale. As you do this, your hand should sink back in to your stomach. Do this a couple of times, and practice singing solid notes after breathing in this way. Next, work your way up to singing your particular part.


This is the a very common mistake that beginning singers make, at least in my experience. breath control does take a while to get the hang of, but it should give you an edge at least for your audition. If you want some more help with specifics, notes, pitch and volume control, or in reading and playing your music on the piano, don't be afraid to shoot me a message. Hope this helps, and good luck!

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

I've been a singer since before I could talk, so I'm well aware of the pre-audition jitters. I've also been in a prestigious chamber choir for quite a while, so I must be doing something correctly, right?

Anyway, this is something you can do right at your desk. Stand up and just take a breath like you are about to sing something. You don't have to sing at this point, but just take in that first breath. OK, now do it again and pay attention to your shoulders. Did they move at all? If the answer is yes, then you aren't breathing properly!

It seems so simple, but that first breath is very important for singing. You want to be breathing from your diaphragm, not from your chest. Your diaphragm is located right below your lungs, and can be used to draw a much more effective breath. It will help you sing louder, longer, and with more pitch control by giving you something called "breath support". This means that, by using your diaphragm, your breathing will be much more supported and efficient, coordinating your breaths in time to the notes that you're singing.

To breathe from your diaphragm, start by putting your hand on your stomach. Now, without using your stomach at all, breathe in so that your torso expands. Breathe in deeply, and make sure that your shoulders don't move. If you did it properly, you should see your hand move as you breathe in. Next, exhale. As you do this, your hand should sink back in to your stomach. Do this a couple of times, and practice singing solid notes after breathing in this way. Next, work your way up to singing your particular part.


This is the a very common mistake that beginning singers make, at least in my experience. breath control does take a while to get the hang of, but it should give you an edge at least for your audition. If you want some more help with specifics, notes, pitch and volume control, or in reading and playing your music on the piano, don't be afraid to shoot me a message. Hope this helps, and good luck!

Listen to this person. He (she?) Knows what they're talking about.

 

[Brutal Peanut]

Line your throat with Vaseline, makes your voice come out smoother. An old Elton John trick.

Whoah, do not do this. All it'll do is make your throat slimy, unless it's the kind with menthol, in which case it'll really screw up your singing voice. I saw a guy get sent home from a college level jazz ensemble practice because he had Vicks Vaporub on his chest and it was messing with some of the other singers' voices.

It's a quote from a t.v. show. I forgot to put all the JK, JK, JK, LOL, stuff so people would understand that I wasn't serious.

 

[Bomberman4000]

My advice would be sing to your strengths. I myself am a Baritone/Tenor 2 (honestly depending on what time of day it is and how warm my voice is) so in order to make up for having a somewhat limited range of maybe 3 octaves I focus hard on dynamics.

I try to capture the who and the what the character in the song represents. I try to make who I'm auditioning for believe that I am that person. My voice wasn't the best when I was in college and doing musical theater, but I got parts because I was comfortable with who I am, knew what the essence of the character was, and played to my strengths.

Also, that breathing stuff that ajemas was talking about is spot on. A very good place to start.

 

[theparsonski]

Thanks for all the help guys, I had my audition about an hour ago and I honestly felt it went rather well. I know that I was better than a lot of the people there, and I think I was one of if not the most confident while doing it (despite not having sung solo infront of anyone since I was 5). I think I have a good chance of getting a non-chorus part, so I'm pretty pleased with that anyway, even if I don't get Enjolras. All these tips were very helpful, thank you! If anyone is genuinely interested in how I do, as I won't find out for a few weeks then drop me a message and I'll tell you.

Thanks again!