The Way We Sing

To some people, the gift of singing comes naturally. They open their mouths and music just flows out. But for most of us, a few simple exercises can go a long way toward helping us sound like songbirds instead of screech owls.

First, stand with your feet shoulder-length apart. Imagine there is a string attached from the top of your head to the ceiling. Imagine the string helps you stand up straight and tall.

Now choose a song and sing it aloud. Relax your shoulders and don't yell the words. Be natural about it.

Take a Breath
Breathing is an important part of how singing sounds. The breath passing through the vocal cords in your larynx, or voice box, is what makes the sounds. The vocal cords are two flaps of muscle that adjust to create pitch. Your breath makes them vibrate, and our ears interpret these vibrations as sound.

When you breathe normally, your chest will rise and fall. When you sing, however, you want your abdomen to expand outward when you inhale.

To check if you are doing this correctly, find the space in the middle of your chest below your breastbone. Place two fingers against the muscle. This is your diaphragm.

Now inhale. You will feel your abdomen rise. Tighten your stomach muscles so you feel pressure beneath your fingertips. Keep that pressure steady as you exhale and sing. The ability to control your diaphragm is what makes good singing possible.

Now Sing
Try these exercises to make your singing muscles stronger.

1. Take a deep breath in through your nose and blow it out through your mouth. Try blowing the air out as quickly as you can, then try blowing it out slowly. Remember that the air you take in should be stored in your abdomen. Do this ten times.
2. Hold up your index finger. Pretend it is a candle, and blow it out with one big blast. Use your stomach muscles to push the air out. Do this ten times.
3. With your lips closed, sip in small amounts of air through your nose. Do this a few times before releasing the breath.

Here is an exercise to loosen your tongue. Say "Lips, lips, tip of your tongue" as many times as possible without taking a breath. Tongue twisters are a good way to warm up your voice so you don't strain it.

Sing your song loudly, but with-out screaming, then sing softly. Sing some of it loudly and some of it softly. Sing it fast and slow, and then at a normal pace. Have fun with it, but breathe properly.

Remember that practice makes perfect. Voices improve with use, so make a list of your favorite songs and sing away every day. Soon you'll sound like the song-bird instead of that screech owl.