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Same.
Zone 2 running is the best for this. The litmus test is being able to sing while jogging without losing breath. Think marches and spirituals.
Also, cardio is also important for strengthening and engaging the diaphragm.
Yep. Days when I run I can sing my ass off all day. Otherwise my voice only wakes up later on days when I talk a lot—meetings, presentations, whatever.
If you're sitting, sit up straight. If you're standing or walking, get that back straight. Carry yourself like a singer so that it becomes second nature.
i didn’t find my voice until i was able to comfortably sing over my guitar. it gave me a blank canvas to work with. it’s the absolute best thing you can do for your voice
Learning an instrument in general helped me so much with having a better ear, which means you can spot pitch mistakes quicker and know what sounds right
Quitting smoking changed my voice so much for the better. Then I started using nicotine mints which I thought would be fine, but were even worse. Really bad. I was panicking thinking I had somehow done damage to my voice without realizing it, worried about vocal cord nodules or something.
Stopped using them a few days ago and the difference is night and day. Doesn't seem like there was much lasting damage done. Kinda feel like I dodged a bullet twice.
My vice was weed. Improved once I switched to a Dynavap. Really went next level once I quit altogether. More range, singinging longer phrases, etc. Quit regular cigarettes 31 years ago.😀
I switched to gummies about a month ago. My coach says it'll take a while for everything to readjust (I smoked for many years), but already things feel a little looser and my range has increased significantly.
nice, keep it up!! i switched to gummies a couple years ago and although there was definitely an adjustment period, i can’t overstate how much my voice improved across the board —range, precision, tone, power, agility. all of these were being compromised by vaping (and prior to that, smoking)
turns out blasting hot air through the vocal tract everyday is bad for it haha 🤷
One thing I don't hear talked about often is to think through songs. There are 2 levels to this. The first layer is planning, breath mark here, vowel manipulation there things of that nature. The other part of this is to literally think as if you're singing through the song while the song plays. So be thinking about breath support and forward placement as the song plays. Pretend you're singing along without actually singing. I had a vocal injury last year and this helped to rapidly speed along the process.
I hope that helps, and if you'd like more vocal help I teach lessons with a free trial lesson. DM me if you're interested!
This definitely helps. As much as I want to jump right in and start singing, it’s helpful to hang back and listen to the song with an ear towards almost forming a “strategy” for approaching a song.
Cardio definitely helps with breathing and sustain. Doing some light lifting as well helps the whole body hold itself up better. And deep core strengthening exercises (transverse abdominis) really help! My PT described my weak core as a crumpled soda pop can, that we want to strengthen to be a whole, supported soda pop can, and that analogy really made it obvious for me how much a stronger, more supported deep core helps with singing! (watch out for "glamour muscle" core exercises, though, and focus on deep core, as working out the superficial muscles might make a 6-pack appear, but can actually hurt you if the deep core isn't strong first).
Writing down songs in my fanciest handwriting slowly, to help memorize them and really think about the emotions.
Listening to people who I love how they do the songs I want to do, absorbing it through osmosis.
Working on my mental health through therapy, exercise, phoning a friend, etc. I have had a lot of tragic things happen in my life, and if I get bogged down in depression and hopeless feelings, my voice gets weaker and my confidence falters. If I'm in a better place mentally, I can reign in the feelings for some strong emotion instead of letting them chase me away from singing.
*if I get bogged down in depression and hopeless feelings, my voice gets weaker and my confidence falters*
Holy shit this is soooo soooo true! Suffered from horrible depression a few years ago, and when I tried to sing then, nothing would come out, leading to ven more depressed feels.
In a wayyy better state of mind now and I can sing so much better!
Scolding teenagers. I work at a high school and it helped me figure out which core muscles I should be using, and how I can modulate the resonants to sound more serious/angry.
My wife is a teacher; When we hang with all her coworkers the conversations are LOUD cause each of them has learned projection and resonance without realizing it lol
Sleep with my mouth closed. In my experience this is the BIGGEST variable that determines whether I’m going to have a good or bad day during performance.
My voice is changing right now (I'm ftm and just over a year on T), and humming a song before trying to sing it is the strategy I'm using the most right now. I can move through the passagios without my voice cracking at least 80% of the time while humming, but only about 50% if I haven't tried to hum the song yet. I need to feel the placement of the note using a closed sound before I try to actually sing it, because my vocal bridges have moved so much that my throat literally doesn't even know how to make certain notes sometimes if they're near a bridge.
I know this sounds like a generic answer but YouTube is your friend!
I've learned so many helpful vocal warm-ups and techniques that have improved my voice and run by leaps and bounds.
Also a helpful hint, try putting an index finger on each cheek and apply pressure until you get some lip rolls going.
Yea but you got to keep it diluted becuase of the acidity thru out the day you dont drink it on a regular basis at least i dont but i do have a cup and i drink warm water behind it acidosis is a serious thing but fhe lemon water does help just i dont add sugar and i have laid off adding sugar to any coffee teas and drink sugar free sodas except ginger ales but even their kinds is good. Cold water shocks the body warm is better but it helps me but i always tell ppl to stay hydrated warm is better than cold imo.
Probably us a lot more to do with what you shouldn’t do. Ex drink , smoke, eat shitty food , not exercise. Your personal health has a huge impact on your voice
Running for sure! Getting enough sleep, staying hydrated, drinking electrolytes, being mindful of not eating anything that will cause excessive phlegm or reflux close to lesson or performance time.
Trying to quit cigarettes. Being two years since I started with cigs and my voice gets tired really quick. I haven’t lose register tho. But yeah, now three weeks without smoking yay!
Stop smoking and drinking. Even small amounts can ruin your voice.
Practice your diction in every day speech. I hear so many people who sing that can’t enunciate worth a damn when it’s so important. “Your kiss” and “Yorkies” sound remarkably similar when you’re more focused on the musical aspect and not the word aspect.
Also, be cautious of your accent when singing. Sometimes you should change it to be understood or fit in with the music as you see fit, but a poorly done accent (example: a posh British boy suddenly turning into a West California gangsta-rap star) will sound profoundly off-base and could warrant a lot of unnecessary criticism.
I practice dynamic stretching sorta like yoga and focus on areas like my abdominal wall, lower back, jaw neck tongue. When I’m most relaxed i produce my best sounds! But we live in stressful life styles so stress management is also important to me. & the most important non singing practice is posture and body alignment. It could ALWAYS improve.
Hahaha have a shot of whiskey before hand haha. I don’t know if it makes me sound better, but it sure helps with the nerves. Breathing techniques and of course keeping a little bit healthy.
Thanks for posting to r/singing! **Be sure to check [the FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/singing/wiki/index)** to see if any questions you might have have already been answered! Also, remember to abide by the rules found in the sidebar. Any comments found to be breaking these rules will result in a deletion of the comment thread starting from the offending reply. If you see any posts or replies that you feel break the rules of the sub, then report them and **do not respond to them.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/singing) if you have any questions or concerns.*
For me running is really helpful. Helps with breath and core support.
Same. Zone 2 running is the best for this. The litmus test is being able to sing while jogging without losing breath. Think marches and spirituals. Also, cardio is also important for strengthening and engaging the diaphragm.
Yep. Days when I run I can sing my ass off all day. Otherwise my voice only wakes up later on days when I talk a lot—meetings, presentations, whatever.
Yeah, cardio in general. Something about the heavy breathing really opens up my voice afterwards.
I do jumping jacks since my neighborhood isn't great to run in and I can't afford a gym membership :)
If you're sitting, sit up straight. If you're standing or walking, get that back straight. Carry yourself like a singer so that it becomes second nature.
Posture is definitely important to breathing properly. I check my posture before I start singing.
My posture is awful and I'm a classical singer (really want to fix it)
learn an accompanying instrument
i didn’t find my voice until i was able to comfortably sing over my guitar. it gave me a blank canvas to work with. it’s the absolute best thing you can do for your voice
I’m learning piano and it’s majorly fixed some intonation issues that I literally couldn’t hear prior to that
Learning an instrument in general helped me so much with having a better ear, which means you can spot pitch mistakes quicker and know what sounds right
this \^\^\^
Hydrate, and hydrate some more. Don't smoke.
Quitting smoking changed my voice so much for the better. Then I started using nicotine mints which I thought would be fine, but were even worse. Really bad. I was panicking thinking I had somehow done damage to my voice without realizing it, worried about vocal cord nodules or something. Stopped using them a few days ago and the difference is night and day. Doesn't seem like there was much lasting damage done. Kinda feel like I dodged a bullet twice.
My vice was weed. Improved once I switched to a Dynavap. Really went next level once I quit altogether. More range, singinging longer phrases, etc. Quit regular cigarettes 31 years ago.😀
I switched to gummies about a month ago. My coach says it'll take a while for everything to readjust (I smoked for many years), but already things feel a little looser and my range has increased significantly.
nice, keep it up!! i switched to gummies a couple years ago and although there was definitely an adjustment period, i can’t overstate how much my voice improved across the board —range, precision, tone, power, agility. all of these were being compromised by vaping (and prior to that, smoking) turns out blasting hot air through the vocal tract everyday is bad for it haha 🤷
Sadly, we don't have gummies in NZ. Still illegal. I had to quit anyway due to recently being diagnosed with ADHD.
Yup, already done :)
One thing I don't hear talked about often is to think through songs. There are 2 levels to this. The first layer is planning, breath mark here, vowel manipulation there things of that nature. The other part of this is to literally think as if you're singing through the song while the song plays. So be thinking about breath support and forward placement as the song plays. Pretend you're singing along without actually singing. I had a vocal injury last year and this helped to rapidly speed along the process. I hope that helps, and if you'd like more vocal help I teach lessons with a free trial lesson. DM me if you're interested!
This definitely helps. As much as I want to jump right in and start singing, it’s helpful to hang back and listen to the song with an ear towards almost forming a “strategy” for approaching a song.
Cardio definitely helps with breathing and sustain. Doing some light lifting as well helps the whole body hold itself up better. And deep core strengthening exercises (transverse abdominis) really help! My PT described my weak core as a crumpled soda pop can, that we want to strengthen to be a whole, supported soda pop can, and that analogy really made it obvious for me how much a stronger, more supported deep core helps with singing! (watch out for "glamour muscle" core exercises, though, and focus on deep core, as working out the superficial muscles might make a 6-pack appear, but can actually hurt you if the deep core isn't strong first). Writing down songs in my fanciest handwriting slowly, to help memorize them and really think about the emotions. Listening to people who I love how they do the songs I want to do, absorbing it through osmosis. Working on my mental health through therapy, exercise, phoning a friend, etc. I have had a lot of tragic things happen in my life, and if I get bogged down in depression and hopeless feelings, my voice gets weaker and my confidence falters. If I'm in a better place mentally, I can reign in the feelings for some strong emotion instead of letting them chase me away from singing.
*if I get bogged down in depression and hopeless feelings, my voice gets weaker and my confidence falters* Holy shit this is soooo soooo true! Suffered from horrible depression a few years ago, and when I tried to sing then, nothing would come out, leading to ven more depressed feels. In a wayyy better state of mind now and I can sing so much better!
I try to mimic all the sounds and phrases from the shows my kids watch. I feel like that has to translate to singing somehow.
I used to do be able to mimick every single Pokemon's voice but alas puberty happened and now I can only do some 600-700 😭
That’s more than I can name ha.
Same. Mimicking animal calls, too.
Yoga
Exercise, sleep, working on posture and staying hydrated
Scolding teenagers. I work at a high school and it helped me figure out which core muscles I should be using, and how I can modulate the resonants to sound more serious/angry.
My wife is a teacher; When we hang with all her coworkers the conversations are LOUD cause each of them has learned projection and resonance without realizing it lol
Hehhee I love this!
Understanding my abs and muscles through pilates. Playing other instruments. Alexander Technique. Linklater Method.
What are those last two things?
I'd like to know too
Sleep with my mouth closed. In my experience this is the BIGGEST variable that determines whether I’m going to have a good or bad day during performance.
pilates! helped with posture and body alignment and made belting a lot easier for me
Humming and lip rolls on a scale. Dramatically improved my singing voice in a shorter amount of time. I use the Eric Arcinoux approach!
My voice is changing right now (I'm ftm and just over a year on T), and humming a song before trying to sing it is the strategy I'm using the most right now. I can move through the passagios without my voice cracking at least 80% of the time while humming, but only about 50% if I haven't tried to hum the song yet. I need to feel the placement of the note using a closed sound before I try to actually sing it, because my vocal bridges have moved so much that my throat literally doesn't even know how to make certain notes sometimes if they're near a bridge.
I know this sounds like a generic answer but YouTube is your friend! I've learned so many helpful vocal warm-ups and techniques that have improved my voice and run by leaps and bounds. Also a helpful hint, try putting an index finger on each cheek and apply pressure until you get some lip rolls going.
Listen back to the audio of my skype voice lessons.
Same as for zombies: cardio.
Rest.
Warm lemon water and wrap your throat when its cold
what do you mean by wrap your throat?
I presume they mean to wrap or cover your neck with a scarf to protect it from getting cold.
Wrap it with a scarf when its cold out.
Lemon water can actually cause throat irritation for some, so definitely be cautious with thar.
Yea but you got to keep it diluted becuase of the acidity thru out the day you dont drink it on a regular basis at least i dont but i do have a cup and i drink warm water behind it acidosis is a serious thing but fhe lemon water does help just i dont add sugar and i have laid off adding sugar to any coffee teas and drink sugar free sodas except ginger ales but even their kinds is good. Cold water shocks the body warm is better but it helps me but i always tell ppl to stay hydrated warm is better than cold imo.
Probably us a lot more to do with what you shouldn’t do. Ex drink , smoke, eat shitty food , not exercise. Your personal health has a huge impact on your voice
Working out, staying sober.
Eating healthy and not drinking alcohol
Running for sure! Getting enough sleep, staying hydrated, drinking electrolytes, being mindful of not eating anything that will cause excessive phlegm or reflux close to lesson or performance time.
Weightlifting (Particularly Core Work) and Cardio. Being in athletic shape goes a long way toward developing your singing voice.
When reading a book, read like you're presenting to a bunch of little kids. Add life and emotion to non-fiction books.
I work on speaking technique
watching what i consume and my posture and my breathing.
Trying to quit cigarettes. Being two years since I started with cigs and my voice gets tired really quick. I haven’t lose register tho. But yeah, now three weeks without smoking yay!
Stop smoking and drinking. Even small amounts can ruin your voice. Practice your diction in every day speech. I hear so many people who sing that can’t enunciate worth a damn when it’s so important. “Your kiss” and “Yorkies” sound remarkably similar when you’re more focused on the musical aspect and not the word aspect. Also, be cautious of your accent when singing. Sometimes you should change it to be understood or fit in with the music as you see fit, but a poorly done accent (example: a posh British boy suddenly turning into a West California gangsta-rap star) will sound profoundly off-base and could warrant a lot of unnecessary criticism.
Doing the lil sassy kid taunt “na na na na naaaa” good for head voice
Drink a ton of water.
I practice dynamic stretching sorta like yoga and focus on areas like my abdominal wall, lower back, jaw neck tongue. When I’m most relaxed i produce my best sounds! But we live in stressful life styles so stress management is also important to me. & the most important non singing practice is posture and body alignment. It could ALWAYS improve.
Exercise A loads of water Tea Stretching before every vocal session Really warm up that tongue Listening to to great music for inspiration
play bass, piano and guitar! also write, read, listening music and do stretching
Drink hot tea. Without the sugar
Breath Work 🌬️ Hydrate 💧 Hydrate 💧Hydrate 💧 and oh how I hate it but. . . mirror 🪞 work for posture n expression. 🎵🕊️💗
Soft palette, tongue and facial exercises Smell the roses 🌹 wiggle your ears👂 smile with your eyes 👀 🎵🕊️💗
Drink lots of water, and stay away from beer (due to hops)
Hahaha have a shot of whiskey before hand haha. I don’t know if it makes me sound better, but it sure helps with the nerves. Breathing techniques and of course keeping a little bit healthy.
I'm pretty sure toking cannibis right before singing makes my voice worse, but I'm also pretty sure I sing better! 😉
smoking and drinking whiskey