How To Sing (Expert Vocalist Tips) - Personal Singing 101

Singing Is A Lifestyle

Singing is something that really lifts my spririt – often just singing a little song gives me a real ‘pickup’ of attitude and energy. If you are somebody that enjoys singing I feel sure that at least sometimes you feel the same as I do about it. I can’t really explain how, but when (for example) I’m up on stage I feel that the act of singing just surrounds and envelopes my body and even my entire being and just takes everything over. Yes, I know it might sound a little ‘corny’ to you, but I’ve found during my travels and from knowing lots of different singers, that many of the most successful of them would say that this is true for them as well.

Of course, the people who really experience this RUSH of sensation and joy are those who don’t just sing notes and words from a page, but rather truly are singing from the heart. If you would like to enjoy and experience like this in your singing life, but never yet have been able to, here are some tips you try out that can make your music more heartfelt.

Focus Your Emotions

(I would say that one key aspect of all these ideas is that of learning to focus in on very specific emotions and issues… and especially guard your mind from wandering off, instead just existing in the moment of the feeling.)Ahead of performing any song, it’s a good idea to allow yourself some “me” time, alone. If you can manage it, I would suggest you try to set aside 15 minutes. For a part of this period, stay quiet (that is, don’t sing,) but rather just take deep breaths and try to focus on the experience of breathing. Put all other thoughts aside momentarily. This can really be a help in getting you in focus for what you are about to do.

For the rest of your fifteen minutes, make a serious effort at visualizing. What do I mean by that? Just paint a vivid mental picture of how you would like to sound (and look, for that matter) during your singing. Put yourself for a moment in the place of somebody listening to you: imaging them being moved by the feelings you want to convey… actually try to FEEL (for example) that you are moved to tears, or laughter, or pride, or whatever it is that the song should make them feel. Use all your five senses, SEE the audience reacting.. FEEL the flow of music and emotion coming out from your heart, HEAR yourself and the sound of the hearers applauding you. I don’t know if this makes sense to you or not, but when engaging your senses in this manner, try to focus from within yourself, and not (for example) on the actual sounds of things going on in your surroundings. All of this can really help in getting you centered and in relaxing your ahead of any performance.

Another, simpler thing you can try is simply putting your hand over the heart when you are singing. Feeling the actual physical chest vibrations can help you ‘connect’ with your own emotions.

If you are singing with a group, such as a choir, chorus or other ensemble there is another way to engage your inner self. Just focus intensely on hearing the sound of the group as a whole – as a single entity, blocking out any attention to individual voices (including your own.) The act of ‘soaking in’ or ‘basking in’ the musical unity can really be soulful and uplifting.

On your journey towards becoming someone who truly sings ‘from the heart,’ practice one or more of these techniques regularly. Either one of them will stand out to you and ‘click’ with your individual personality, or some other method will naturally occur to you. It is, in a sense, truly a natural thing to sing from the heart; basically we just need time and a little bit of attention to overcome cultural and environmental ‘noise’ and truly listen to ourselves.

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