You may have noticed that some of the most useful tips for singing don't involve singing at all. Breath support, diaphragmatic breathing, raised palette, neutral larynx, posture, and staying relaxed are all concepts that are vital to singing but in and of themselves involve no sound production at all. This somewhat comical idea led me to consider what helpful advice may go unsaid, due to its somewhat "obvious" nature to some. Obvious or not, here is a list of 5 tips for singing that don't even involve singing.
1. Be Prepared.
Before practicing, (or a session of any sort), make sure you have what you need in front of you. It's better to have something and not use it, than to need it and not have it. There's nothing worse than interrupting the flow of a vocal practice session to stop and look for your notes from last time, or to grab a glass of water. You don't want to be stopping and starting again once you're warmed up and ready to go.
2. Be Relaxed.
This is one singers hear all the time in one form or another. "Don't tense," "stay loose" and "nice and easy" are some of the phrases repeated to singers as reminders to relax. But vocal tension isn't the only worry. Stress anywhere in your body can interfere with your vocals. Before singing, be sure you've taken the necessary precautions to be as relaxed and free of tension as possible. Stretching, foam rolling, a massage, warm bath or nap are a few ideas to help you calm and release. The more relaxed you are the better and more free your voice will respond.
3. Be Open.
Almost all singers are their worst critics, and can be unnecessarily hard on themselves. Try to embrace whatever happens when you're practicing. Learn from any missteps or imperfections. Valuable truths and lessons can be found in our mistakes. Instead of getting frustrated with a bad day, learn from it. Ask yourself if there's anything you learned that you can apply next time (or every time). Stay in tune with your body and allow for discovering. Don't force anything, let what happens happen, and grow from it.
4. Be Realistic.
It's very important, especially for beginning singers, to keep themselves in check. Getting too idealistic or too pessimistic is a danger that can negatively impact vocal performance. Know that learning to sing and becoming good at it takes time. Don't expect immediate and drastic results. The only thing that will come of such expectations is disappointment and tension. You will struggle at times. You should if you're pushing yourself to improve. You may never have great vibrato or a 5 octave vocal range, but you will get better if you practice, and you will always have a unique voice unlike anyone else, and that can't be taught.
5. Be Present.
While maybe the most obvious of all, being present is also one of the most important tips for singing there is. Those who have the most focus succeed fastest. Make it a point to be 100% concentrated when practicing. Don't just show up and go through the motions, but listen to your voice and your body. Every session is a learning opportunity. Pay attention for bad habits or tendencies. The more "in the zone" you are the more you will learn and the faster you will improve. Take notes, and refer to them between sessions.
While these tips for singing may be completely obvious to everyone, it's the obvious things that are the most often forgotten, or taken for granted. Before your next session, take a moment to reflect on this list and make sure you're prepared, relaxed, and open to the experience. Remember to keep a realistic outlook and always be present and focused and you will find yourself a better singer without even singing.
Tom writes for Tips For Singing where he has a passion for helping aspiring singers Learn How To Sing
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