Free Weekly Tips For Singers

from the Newsletter Series, ¨Hot Vocal Tips For Smart Singers¨from Barbara Lewis

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TIPS FOR SINGERS

Vocal Tip #1 - February 22, 2010

Find all weekly tips here.

Surviving those ¨I HATE MY VOICE!¨ days...

For every singer, at all stages of the singing game, there are days when your voice will not behave and you feel that you might as well give up NOW rather than suffer with it anymore.

Professional singers have little choice but to do the best they can and simply "go on." But after long years of effort and a lot of stage experience, well-seasoned singers know when the voice is just "cranky" as opposed to being really ¨in trouble.¨

For young singers, those difficult singing days can be quite a challenge. And if you don't handle them well, you can set yourself back both psychologically and vocally.

I was one of those impatient singers who would, in frustration, consider throwing the piano out the window of my practice room when my voice was not responding. Friends and fellow singers would know just by looking at me, that this was "one of those days."

So I know what I'm talking about when I say to young singers, "Walk out of the practice room and leave it alone for the day."

Why Won´t My Voice Work Today?

There are many reasons why the voice may not be in good shape:
- Overtired is the most frequent problem.
in my experience, singers work their voices too hard, and often in the wrong way. We singers tend to give ourselves concerts rather than working patiently on areas of the voice that need improvement.

We sing through a lot of material, enjoying the feeling of singing - rather than working on the tough parts of a song. We tire ourselves out, then feel furious when ¨that darn high note¨ wasn´t right. We shout, ¨My breath control is terrible!¨when a long demanding phrase is less than pleasing.

(Go here for ideas about increasing your confidence as a singer... Tips for Singers - Need Greater Self-Esteem?)

Tips for Singers - How Do YOU Practice?

So here´s one of the really useful tips for singers... After you do your vocal warm-ups, choose one or two passages in the songs that need work and find ways to execute them better.

Work patiently. (And don´t oversing.)

A Harvard Business Review article on ¨The Making Of An Expert,¨ states that for maximum improvement, musicians need to engage in ¨deliberate practice... which entails considerable, specific and sustained efforts to do something you can´t do well-or even at all.¨

On those days, when things are not going vocally well - give yourself a break for the day. When you come back to singing, aim for¨deliberate practice,¨ and watch your vocal abilities grow.

Please look here for Hot Tips For Smart Singers Weekly Tip #2 - Here´s Some Inspiration to Keep Building That Voice...

I Wish You Great Singing!

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