Singing Should be as Relaxed as Speaking
Written by singerii // // Vocal Training // 10 Comments
If you were to go out and ask 100 singers if singing should feel as relaxed as speaking, I believe 98 to 100 of them will say yes. Ironically, out of that same 100 people, 86 of them will probably sing with unnecessary tension the next time they open their mouth to sing.
Now, I’m not a vocal Nazi, nor do I believe that you must sing one particular way in order to be considered a “singer,” but I do know that most people, even professional singers, sing with more tension than needed.
So the logical question for you to ask me now is,
“Why would anybody knowingly make singing harder than it needs to be?“
My response is simply one word: Habit.
Most singers don’t pay attention to their singing, they just keep doing what they’ve always done assuming everything is okay. This is alright if you’re planning on singing a song or two and calling it quits, but what about when you have to start singing multiple sets? Then you start recognizing that little bit of tension, because the more you sing the more that once little, almost unrecognizable amount of tension grows into something much greater.
But don’t get down… we are all guilty of this occasionally (myself included). But the only way we will get past this habit is through awareness. So, your exercise for today is to sing the chorus of your favorite song. Then, speak it and see if it feels the same.
Now sing something a little bit more challenging… then speak it. Did speaking it feel better, worse, or the same? If speaking it felt better, speak that section of the song again this time being sure to observe just how relaxed it feels. Then, speak the song on pitch slowly bringing it back to full out singing. You’ll be surprised how much this simple exercise can help you identify and correct tensions that you might not have even been aware of previously.
As a side note, if you still have problems getting your song back to a relaxed speech level, drop the words all together and repeat simple sounds like Bye, or No, or Guh, or Mum in place of the words. By repeating the same sound, you simplify the vocal process even more allowing you to get rid of stubborn tensions. Once you can get the feel of it simplified, you’re better able to balance the sound on the actual words.
I hope this little online singing tip helps. Thanks for reading and as always, Happy Singing!
10 Comments on "Singing Should be as Relaxed as Speaking"
I’m really enjoying these posts. It bothers me quite a bit to come across vocalists that have weird habits like a nasally voice, or forcing rasp, or excess vibrato.
I have been having so much trouble starting a band with me and my friend. Writing a song is even more complicated to me. Not to mention i have a decent case of stage freight. After reading these article im amazed at how much more confident i feel now and how much more i understand about what i thought was so complicated. Thank you so much.
Very true! Makes a change to see someone spell it out like that.
> Response
Coolness.
hi-ya, I read all your articles, keep them coming.
Working on it! Sorry for the delay… I’ve been playing alot with video here lately, so soon the blog will be even BETTER!
Thanks for writing such an easy-to-uednrsatnd article on this topic.
Waooo… This is really beautiful. I am really impressed with your article. There is an improvement in my voice since the last time i visited. Thanks a lot!
You’re more than welcome Gabriel! More coming soon, I promise
“Singing Should be as Relaxed as Speaking” – I wish I can just simple do that, as far as I know I can sing on microphone and I can sing some higher pitch but not as extremely as a powerful voice.
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