- Open your mouth when you sing! Aussies are really lazy in our speech, we barely move our lips. But when you're singing, the wider the opening for the sound to come out, the richer the sound will be. Tiny opening - tiny sound. Thin lips - thin sound.
- Breathing from the top part of your lungs only is a common error for untrained singers - this can cause serious health problems over time. Sing from your diaphragm and get some lessons on correct breathing technique.
- Don't allow your vocal chords to dry out ...keep them lubricated when you're singing by frequent sips of room temperature water
- Singing with a group can be challenging if harmonies are happening - you want to go and sing other people's notes instead of your own?! Practice singing against the radio at high volume using a song you know well. It helps train your brain to concentrate on your own voice and notes, and 'tune out' the other distractions.
- Warm Up before you start a sing session - whether it's a performance or a rehearsal. The singing voice uses different/additional muscles to the speaking voice and these need to be limbered up before a workout. AND the more fit and relaxed these muscles are, the better quality sound outcomes are achieved. {further info on this, below}
- Performing in public can be a challenge for many new singers. Two tips to remember: 1. if you're working with lyrics, don't let the sheet lift any higher than the bottom of your chin 2. remember to smile! Put yourself in the audience' shoes - are they looking at a group who is happy to be there, joyful in their singing? - or are they seeing a group of individuals terrified out of their mind, hiding behind their props, and wishing they were anywhere but out in front!
Daily practice is important for building your vocal fitness. If you want to improve your singing, there's little point in turning up for your weekly chorus without having done any work during the week between sessions. In the busyness of everyday life, it's so easy to forget what you learned a week ago, so write your chorus notes and work on those notes thru the week. Don't rely on other members to give you start notes, harmony notes, or remind you about the vocal arrangements.
Get the best out of your chorus experience by putting in the commitment.
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| CHORUS ETIQUETTE |
WARMING UP
Just like your stretching exercises before a gym session, your vocal muscles need some stretch/relax warmups before a singing session. Tight muscles result in a tight /strained sound and if the session is heavy, damage can be done to those muscles. Relaxed and tuned muscles, on the other hand, are primed to give you a sweeter sound and an easier workout.
- deep breathing exercises to start, gets the diaphragm working and circulates the air around the lungs
- loosen and stretch the muscles around the mouth, helps articulate clearer lyrics and open the 'channel' for better volume
- arpeggios to vibrate the vocal folds and stimulate flexibility
- if you're singing with other voices in the session, begin with a 'round' to get the ears listening to each other's phrasing, timing, and breath points
