Stay loose in the throat and the voice box. Perform a very natural bodily reflex: the yawn. Pay attention to natural yawns, make a sound when yawning and remember how it felt. While yawning, there is no pain, stress or tension in the voice; this is how to sing. To achieve high notes, practice the yawn sound higher and higher to discover the “flute voice” few people ever realize is there.
Average singers have trouble being heard, but there is a simple lesson to improve projection, which is the ability to produce a fuller, louder sound without straining. Try speaking, in a relaxed manner, to the far side of a large room. Next, “hold out” or sustain one of the spoken vowels to discover projection. Remember never to force this full sound. Keep “the yawn” while speaking as well as while singing.
Posture and breath support are essential. Stand up or sit up straight while singing, so that the lungs have plenty of room. Place hands low on the hips and feel toward the abdomen with the fingers. Let a large, quick puff of air out of the mouth and feel the lower abdomen jump. This is one of the most important muscle groups used in vocal support--the diaphragm.
Warming up with five minutes of mild vocal exercises is the best way to avoid straining later on. Try a five-note scale of do-re-mi-fa-so, down and up. Lower the scale a half step a few times and also take it a few half steps higher, avoiding the tendency many singers have to get louder and more tense while singing higher. Remember to stay loose with the yawning feeling instead. There are two or more natural “breaks” in the voice while moving through the vocal range; we hear these most in yodeling, but practicing scales in an unforced, loose manner will gradually smooth out the breaks.
Pavarotti avoided drafts by covering up with a silk scarf. Get enough rest and steer clear of cold germs. Excess mucus, the bane of all singers, lessens with warm drinks and lemonade.
One of the most difficult things to learn is vocal placement. “Don’t” is the best advice here: don’t sing excessively through the nose, don’t muffle the voice by singing deep in the throat and don’t forget to produce pure vowels while singing. Voice teachers often tell students to “sing through the mask” for the most desirable “bright” sound, but the sensation eludes many. It is simply an open sound that resonates through the mouth and palate.
Pitch, or intonation, is directly dependent on the singer’s ability to listen and to concentrate. When singing well and projecting, other sounds are very difficult to hear. This is why good pitch is important. The best way to produce the correct pitch, once all other vocal techniques are known, is to concentrate on singing and nothing else--and to be completely familiar with the piece being sung before singing it.
Some singing situations are not conducive to good vocal habits. Trying to sing too loudly over a large group of singers or over loud accompaniment, sight-reading with a choir, trying to hold out notes too long, singing for many hours or while overtired--all can easily contribute to bad singing habits and painful straining. Don’t try to sing like anyone else; be yourself and be relaxed while singing.
Remember to sing vowels and to punctuate with consonants. Diphthongs (double-sounding vowels) should have the second vowel portion sung only at the very end of the note. Let lips and tongue work hard at producing consonants while keeping the throat and the vowels very open.
Bathroom showers or a recording of a voice will always sound different from “head resonance” heard by the singer while singing. Don’t be concerned with this. Keep up the techniques and stay self-assured.