Page Contents
Can You Learn to Sing Better?
I had a roommate in college who said to me, “It’s not that I’m a bad singer – I just don’t have a very pretty voice.” With pop idols getting younger and younger, and “natural” savvy in the media, it’s easy for intermediate or beginner singers to believe that improving your singing voice is simply a matter of natural talent or “having a pretty voice,” but nothing could be further from the truth.
Make no mistake: you can absolutely learn how to improve singing at home. While the natural tone of your voice plays a role, it is a very small one, because elements such as voice projection, breath maximization, and range can all be improved with implementing them in practice such as vocal exercises and even the shaping of your mouth while singing.
Follow The Path Of Great Singers
You’d be surprised at the drastic difference in your range after you are properly warmed up by a good singing coach. Even Taylor Swift brags about how she feels as though everything is easier after she is warmed up by her singing coach.
If even the most recognized singers in the world seek practice and help, and if they continue to learn how to improve singing, then perhaps even my roommate in college could have overcome the fact the she “didn’t have a pretty voice.”
The truth, however, is that most of the pop artists have technology that makes them sound better, even in a live setting. And the untalented (in my opinion) and talented alike singing sensations have access to the best coaches and resources to actually help them to develop a better singing voice and to maintain it.
Seek Professional Help To Improve Your Singing
Most of the elements of a polished singing voice are learned. If singing was a natural ability, there would be no vocal coaches, and certainly no universities teaching voice as a field of study. To succeed, you not only CAN learn to sing better, you MUST do so.
You can learn to improve singing by getting properly warmed up every time that you singing, by using proven vocal exercises that stretch the vocal chords and improve your range, working with a vocal coach who will give you a third party opinion and work with you to develop your specific needs (or a home study course, which can be a more affordable and more convenient option), and by practicing different vocal chord stretches and air flow manipulation.
All voices are different, and each singer has his or her own singing style, but every singer can also learn to become a better singer. There is no “one-size-fits-all” singing voice, and there is no stamp of approval that defines a “pretty voice,” but there are ways to improve your projection, pitch, range, and control. When you do those, you will improve your singing voice, even if you don’t have a naturally “pretty” voice.
Improve Your Singing Voice With Optimal Breathing
Proper breathing plays the most key role in improving your singing voice, and maintaining proper support with the breath will help to increase your vocal range. Insufficient breath is the most common mistake made by singers learning how to improve singing, but it is also the easiest to correct. Maintaining sufficient breath is an important first step in learning how to sing properly.
Develop Great Breath Support Video by Madeleine Harvey
The Breath Support Way
The optimal breathing pattern comes in the form of “diaphragmatic breathing,” which is when the lowest part of the lungs take in the breath, rather than the lungs. When singing, your abdomen should expand rather than your chest. If your chest is expanding when you are taking deep breaths while singing, then you are not using optimal breath, and this will limit your projection and muffle your tone.
To practice diaphragmatic breathing, lie on your back, put your hands at your side, and breathe deeply. When you are taking in full breaths, your diaphragm will cause your abdomen to expand, and your lungs should stay flat. You may notice that you can “force” air into either your lungs or you abdomen, even when one feels as though it has reached full capacity.
While practicing or performing, you can improve your breathing by standing flat-footed while keeping your arms at your sides and your palms facing forward. Arch your back and allow your shoulders to move back. This position will allow for maximum breathing, and help you to move more air, improving your range, projection, and clarity.
Breath is your support as you sing, especially for sustaining notes and hitting pitches that challenge your range. When you maximize your breath intake, your singing voice will improve, because you will be able to project louder while improving vocal range.
If you take voice lessons from a singing coach to learn how to improve singing, your first few lessons will likely focus on correcting your breathing. Without proper breathing, your vocal range and clarity will never reach its full potential. When you correct your posture and breathe with your diaphragm, you take the first and most significant step to improve your singing voice.
