7 Singing Techniques Every Singer Must Know
You can’t miss out on these easy and effective singing techniques
For choir singers, technique is everything. It gives us the chance to hone our abilities, building up competency in the precise ways that unlock new skills and, ultimately, better singing voices. It’s also a great leveler. People who were not born with a naturally great singing voice can easily reach the same capabilities as those who were — all thanks to the right techniques!
Below, we’ve pulled together the singing techniques every singer needs to know. Make sure you are using these every time you step up on the risers!
Seven Most Important Choir Singing Techniques
1. Anchor Your Body
Anchoring techniques are physical cues that focus your attention on the voice and support better performance. They also fold into other parts of your training, giving you a way to prime yourself for the full spectrum of posture, breathing, and singing techniques that you train. By finding the ways that parts of your body can get you into the proper position, you amplify the rest of your training.
2. Relax the Throat
Tense vocal cords often keep you from performing your very best. While many singers think that “trying their hardest” means pushing as hard as they can, this is not the case. A relaxed throat is able to move much more easily through the vocal range, producing beautiful sounds everywhere it goes.
3. Work on Diction
Diction is the ability to pronounce the lyrics that you are singing. Of course, on a fundamental level, it is important for the audience to understand you, but diction can go far beyond that. Great diction gives you choices, allowing you to bend certain pronunciations for a better flow or sound. It also means you’ll be able to understand how your various singing techniques are impacting your ability to be understood.
4. Be Aware of Phrasing
Phrasing refers to the way singers break up their lines with pauses. Sometimes, we pause because the lyrics have a period or comma. And sometimes, we just need to breathe! When we become aware of our phrasing and use it conscientiously, we give ourselves the chance to make sure we have breath when we need it and are communicating the right emotional information to our audience.
5. Train Your Registers
Different registers refer to the parts of the voice that give you certain qualities and show up most strongly in a distinct part of your range. They refer to your chest voice, head voice, and falsetto. The more you learn to transition between these registers and combine them, the smoother your singing voice will be. You can also beef up your tone and enrich your overall sound.
6. Hit High Notes Without Pushing
When we start out in choir singing, our natural instinct is to push really hard when reaching for high notes. But this is dangerous for your vocal cords. If you want to get up high, a better method is to provide breath and gradually expand your vocal range.
7. Take Care of Your Instrument (You!)
An overlooked technique in the world of singing is taking care of yourself. You will greatly improve your ability to sing if you are well-rested, hydrated, and fed. If you are groggy, thirsty, and hungry, you will not perform at your best. In this way, becoming a dedicated choir singer is a path to health and wellness.
Always Improve Your Voice
These seven essential techniques will improve anyone’s choir performance. They key you into your body, making you more intentional and skillful in your choices. They also build up your physical capabilities so you can actually pull off the choices you make!
If you consistently train these techniques, your voice will be transformed. It’s such an exciting journey!
Stay Informed at INTERKULTUR
Our Newsroom is filled with helpful tips and tricks for choir singers to be at their very best. We also have news and information on upcoming INTERKULTUR events where you and your choir can compete for glory on an international stage!
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