Monday, February 05, 2007
How To Sing Without Straining Your Voice
Some are blessed with a voice that needs no work, but others are born with a natural voice that needs a little work. Many of us need to learn how to sing without straining your voice, because otherwise some long term damage can be done to the vocal chords. It's actually not a difficult process to complete and allows you to sing more clearly and with less effort once perfected.
If you are wondering how to sing clear and not strain your voices, let's first examine the mechanism under which this occurs. Straining occurs when you are working through your range and usually at the extremes of your range are where you experience straining, when switching from one level to another.
Sometimes, straining is a consequence of not having warmed up the voice properly. There are various exercises that you can try to learn how to sing without straining your voice. For example, drink a lot of water before and during singing - don't let your throat dry out. Also, Stay away from cigarettes, breathe in and out deeply before your routing and calmly run through your range. Some people say that even tea or honey can do wonders for the voice and prevent breaks.
Learning how to sing clear without straining means that you should also sing from the diaphragm and not the throat. Whilst there are some singers who sing from the throat, they risk developing nodules and do not have the endurance that other singers have. Secondly, they are more prone to breaks and strains as we have discussed. One way to learn how to sing and breathe from the diagram is to find someone who knows how to (not your friend who can but doesn't realise it), for instance a qualified singing teacher. You need only have a couple of lessons but you may find the cost prohibitive. Distance learning courses, especially those online can also be helpful in learning how to sing without straining your voice.
Aside from pre-audition exercises and regimes, you should also look after your long term singing health if you wish to know how to sing without straining your voice. Here is some useful advice on how to sing clear: avoid caffeine and alcohol (including mouthwashes), avoid persistent, regular shouting e.g. at sports events, and maintain a good general health - exercise regularly, eat well and get plenty of sleep. The best singers are those in peak condition - in this situation you are less likely to experience problems such as straining and breaking.
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