Are you ashamed to sing?
Do you have the desire to sing well, but are ashamed because you can't hit the notes?
Have you ever been told at school to just move your lips when you sing? Have you ever been to singing teachers in the hope that they could help you and it just made you feel even more embarrassed?
The voice is something very personal. During puberty, the voice changes. So you have to get used to your voice again. Unfortunately, there are many music teachers who have little knowledge of voices. And most songs are composed in a key in which many voices have a kind of transition area.
The next apparent problem: You can't press a key and then hear the right sound.
The voice is something very special and although there are different types of voice that have a lot in common, every voice is very individual. The most important thing at the beginning is to get to know and become comfortable with your own voice. What can it actually do? How does it sound in the low and high notes?
Above all, our voice cannot sound if we do not provide it with enough breath to vibrate. So the first step to being able to sing and hit the notes correctly is to breathe well and "support" the tone.
In my lessons, I have repeatedly come across various students who apparently didn't hit the right note at the beginning. What I noticed with all of them, however, was that if they sang in the same tone range as they spoke, there were no problems with intonation. Perhaps you have noticed this too? The vocal range in which you speak is the vocal range that is familiar to you. You have a connection to the sound and the muscles in your vocal cords are used to it. If you hardly sing or don't sing at all, this naturally has an effect on the muscles and mobility of your vocal cords and on your own connection to this vocal range. That's why it's so important not to let the joy of singing be taken away from you.
I came across something else:
Students who sing songs that they really enjoy singing and listen to alone, they sing really well. And suddenly the intonation is no longer a problem, there is expression, it is fun. So why is it sometimes so difficult to sing well when you are not alone? That is a good question.
The answer to this can vary greatly from individual to individual. A very likely factor is partly the psyche. It stresses you out when you think about singing in front of others. This causes the diaphragm to tense up and you can no longer breathe as well and freely. And since singing involves breathing, it is of course more difficult to sing well when you are breathing heavily. This is completely normal and no reason to panic. It is much more important to learn to relax and loosen the diaphragm through breathing.
How you do that?
Well, firstly through breathing exercises that help you to stop breathing too high. This means either standing up or sitting down or lying on your back or stomach. Then you breathe in by closing one nostril and only breathing in through the other. The next step is to breathe out audibly through your mouth, preferably on an "F". This is a first variation.
There are a few other variants. If you would like to know more about them, please feel free to contact me or start with the 14-day free trial period of my "Basic Course 1". There I start with the "Respiratory Sensitization" module.
Another reason is a completely natural physiological reflex: the closing of the vocal cords to give the torso more strength.
What do I mean by that? The vocal cords have different functions in our body. On the one hand, they are used for speaking and singing, but on the other hand they also serve to close off the torso. The vocal cords are located horizontally in the windpipe. When they are open, we breathe in and out; when they are slightly closed, without pressure, with a small glottis, then we speak or sing. The sound is created by the air that is set into vibration by the vocal cords. When they are completely closed, they ensure that the windpipe is closed off in order to develop more power in the torso and to be able to lift something heavy. You will certainly be familiar with the phenomenon that occurs in tennis or other sports when you make this sound. This is the air that escapes briefly due to the exertion. This is also the reason why you feel like your throat is constricting more and more with the higher notes. And this is exactly why a well-developed breath support is so important when singing.
I explain this in more detail in the video of the balloon exercise. Here is a little taster:
There are of course many other possibilities, such as the area in which certain transitions between chest voice and head voice or modal voice and falsetto take place, what type of voice you have, how your tongue is positioned and the like. With a little patience and good training, at least the intonation problem can be solved relatively quickly. However, the basis is and always will be breathing.
I hope I have given you some encouragement to focus on your voice and just start singing and breathing. It is important to use your voice regularly, as the vocal cords are actually muscles.
Have fun! And until next time,
Your Barbara Marie-Louise
PS: My basic course 1 is made up of 3 modules that help you build the necessary foundation to get started with singing: breathing sensitization, breathing support and vocal tract gymnastics (building up the articulatory muscles). It is a video course where you can set the pace yourself. A step is unlocked every 3 days. You can move on to the next step when you have completed the previous one. The video course lasts a total of 13 weeks and you are welcome to ask me questions if you don't understand something.
The first 14 days are free of charge, only after this period has expired will the amount be debited.
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