Singing Lesson: How to Smoothen Out Corrosive Vocals

PUBLISHED IN BUSINESS TIMES NEWSPAPER 21/11/2014 == This is a typical one. Inadequate breath and bad placement cause the corroded vocals you may be experiencing, when you sing. I will elaborate on this. If you sense that your vocal chords actually hurt when you sing, and that your tone is strained and somewhat displaced, then you certainly ARE corroding your vocals when you sing. I think the first thing you need to ask yourself is why is it that when you speak everything seems normal, yet it is quite the contrary when you sing? Does it make any bit of sense to you that when you speak you’re alright and when you sing – suddenly, your vocals are all stressed out and worse yet, you’re hurting? This short article will offer tips on how to go back to basics, relax; how to stop panicking and stressing out your vocal chords; and how to get on with it--smoothly.

Inadequate breath flowing through your vocal chords as you sing is the number one stumbling block (no doubt about it). You must have sufficient breath flowing through that area when you sing. How to fix the problem? Start by opening your mouth wide and just breathe out HAAAA. Make sure you’re not emitting any sound when you do this. Only release the breath. Now, once you’ve got the hang of this, repeat this exercise whilst adding just a bit of voice to it. Gradually increase your voice in small increments whilst ensuring that it stays SMOOTH—in that you’re not feeling any pain or corrosion in that area. Once you’ve struck the ideal balance, use that same balance when you sing ANY song. You’ll not only sound great, you’ll feel a lot better and more in control of what you’re doing.

Applying both the soft and hard tones when you vocalize is also a good combination. The less predictable the better and more interesting you get to sound. Ideally, you’ll want the listener to hear a clear and brighter vocal with a rich blend of tones that combine the smooth with the harder, more edgy embellishments. This helps to quickly capture the attention of your audience. So the next time you’re struggling and falling flat on your notes, remember that all you need to do is breathe.

My Letters from A Vocal Coach column is published in Business Times Newspaper every Friday. For great singing tips, grab a copy!

JOETT
Vocal Coach
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