I just wanted to tell you about voice lessons online today. Many vocal coaches may hate me for talking about these because I think they could seriously cut into their business after what i have sen them do because if you want to know how to be a great vocalist then you can learn to how to sing online without needing people like myself to teach you … at least at a beginner and intermediate level.

For those who want to just check out how to take vocal lessons online click here

You see I recommended to Emma, a student of mine who was moving way out country away from civilization to perhaps try an online voice lesson. I first thought that we could communicate via skype and webcams but that turned out to be very hit and miss.

She was determined that she would become a great singer though and found an interesting website that had a full multimedia guide on how to sing better.

I was skeptical at first of course being a singing teacher but thought it looked decent so encouraged her to try it because our online voice lessons were not going well.

A few weeks later Emma called me and just RAVED about how good this system was and how she could use it whenever she wanted to and how she could learn at her own pace and of course how handy ot was seeing that she was 100 miles from any singing teacher.

Ouch! A bit of a blow to my ego as a vocal coach! … I was however intrigued about how you can learn to sing online using learn to sing software.

I headed over to the website she got this program off called singorama to check it out.

If you want a closer look too then the website is here.

I must say once i downloaded and looked through what it had to offer I was impressed. Everything i would teach to an up and coming singer was included as well as some great tools for them to use that either mimicked what a teacher like myself might do or sometimes going further such as the pitch software included.

I decided to do an experiment and change my teaching style

I gave my new students a copy of Singorama and told them to use this to learn and practice and come back to me once a week to clarify anything they did not understand and to get feedback from me and advice which the program could not give. I figured i could take on more students this way, and while I would be getting less hours I thought the quality of the time I spent with those students would be better.

The results of using online voice lessons like this were quite interesting.

• Students came to me more prepared
• Students came to me more passionate about singing
• Students that had been difficult to teach just “got it” all of a sudden
• I Enjoyed my teaching a lot more!

I actually did lose a few students who said they only needed this system which was why I think singing teachers might hate me for recommending this learn to sing software. However I believe that it has created a new avenue of learning for aspiring singers and that we singing teachers can adapt and do better teaching anyway.

You can learn how to sing online and become a better singer in a few weeks with this system with all the advantages that Emma told me. Voice lessons online may not be the only way to learn but i think they are a very helpful and inexpensive way to get started or to improve your knowledge of singing and fine tune it. After this you may need a coach to really get the best out of your voice but many also think this program is all they need.

In any case, if you are interested I highly recommend you check out Singorama and decide if it is right for you.

Visit the SingoRama Official Site Here

Time for some simple learn to sing tips! Nothing long or arduous, I just thought a collection of little singing tips to help out those browsing around for tips on how to sing might be helpful

Here are ways to learn to sing in no particular order:

1. Breath from your diaphragm deep down in your lungs not the shallow cheat breathing. This is breathing 101 for singers. Just make sure your stomach expands when you breathe in not just your chest.

2. Take the same amount of breathe if you are singing high or low notes. This is good practice and will also help eliminate the break between your registers making a more even and steady tone.

3. Do not strain yourself. Pushing yourself too hard when trying to sing high or low notes will just hurt your throat and damage your singing ability. If you cannot reach the note you want then gently push that boundary and try not to get frustrated!

4. Record yourself singing. This is a great way to hear your singing outside of your own head and be able to adjust your singing accordingly. Most computers have simple recording utilities.

5. Be humble enough to take in criticism. While it can be hard to hear someone be critical of your passion of singing it is the only way we can improve. Just remember that each time you get advice or are pulled up on something you are doing wrong you are one step closer to be a pro!

6. Practice does not make perfect as no one is perfect. However practice does make you a BETTER singer and little to no practice certainly does not! Set aside time to practice singing properly such as doing scales and the like every day.

7. Sing for the love of singing! While formal practice is essential make sure that you also just sing when you feel like it. Sing your favorite songs and revel in them to keep your passion for the vocal arts strong while getting practice too.

8. Practice singing in front of a mirror. Using our reflection adjust your posture, head angle, arms, legs everything! You will be amazed at how a slight shift in posture will help your singing.

9. Practice your pitch. Hitting the right pitch is one of the most difficult things in singing so you should spend extra time perfecting this skill. Using a guitar, or piano if you can try hitting the same pitch. Also try to train your ear to know which key is which by the sound alone.

10. Keep your mouth open when singing. Sounds obvious but too many aspiring singers do not really stretch their mouth and lips to let more sound out.

11. Open the back of the mouth/throat when singing. Another bad habit is to restrict your singing by closing up your throat at the back … open it up to let more air flow and you will not strangle your notes.

12. Sing with belief! Know the feelings and emotion of the song you are singing and really believe it when you sing. This makes a massive difference perhaps not to the technical skills but to what you are trying to convey which is more important.

13. Don’t breathe in too much air. While you do need to breathe in a decent amount of air in your diaphragm if you overdo this you can create too much pressure which will hurt the timbre of your sound.

14. Keep your tongue relaxed. This is a tip i saw the other day and only recently realized its important. A tense tongue can really hurt your sound so make sure to relax is and let it sit forward in the mouth often resting on the bottom teeth instead of tensely pointing.

15. Move! Don’t stand still when singing, this can make you static an your body will become to too making your sounds flatter and with less energy. Sway or step and move a little as you sing and it will relax you and also give you a better vocal sound.

I hope these learn to sing tips have given you some inspiration and taught you some new ways to learn to sing better and stronger!

Get More Singing Help With Singorama!

I received an email from a young man the other day who was desperate for help. He was an actor and had managed to score a part in a fairly big production on his acting skills and good looks but for some reason they just assumed he could sing which he claims he could not. “How to improve my singing voice!” He asked as he was fearful he would be cut from the part. “I sound terrible!”

The first thing I thought was that his attitude was probably the thing that was really holding him back. I firmly believe that ANYONE can learn how to sing no matter what their natural talent is. Some learn faster than others but everyone has a unique and beautiful sounds waiting inside them to be set free with the proper singing techniques combined with a passion for the vocal arts.

Now, one way to improve your singing voice quickly is to follow my advice I put up recently on how to better your singing voice in a week. However in this case I think this young man had most of the qualities needed to be a good singer. He was committed and hard working, he could sing somewhat he admitted but thought he sounded bad and he also was willing to learn. So what was the problem?

Attitude.

If you think you are bad, you will always sound bad and you will lose all confidence and show people you are not confident. Being a great singer involves being a little bit fearless, a little bit egotistical even. This guy was not afraid to stand up in front of hundred of people to perform while acting but singing terrified him!

It is hard to make that shift mentally perhaps but if you sing for the love of singing your natural voice will come forward and you will conquer that fear. Even if your voice is not perfect when you are confident your body language will scream it out and your voice will do the same and people will be impressed because it is impossible not to be impressed by confident singing!

While patience may be a virtue, there are many young singers who believe they do not have the time. How to better your singing voice quickly is all that is on their minds so they can enter that competition, or just because their lifestyles are so fast they expect this process of being a better singer to be aswell!

Now I feel like a bit of an old fuddy duddy when i try to explain that bettering your singing voice takes time and practice and knowledge but I do try to impart some wisdom for those wanting to improve their vocal abilities quickly. Here are a few things you can do that i guarantee will make you a better singer in a week!

• Keep your arms away from your body when you sing. The classic clasped in front of you works but you can also simply have them hanging at your side but slightly forward of the body. This will allow the ribcage to expand fully which is a big help. Some students i have seen like to clasp the microphone close to their mouths which presses their elbows into their ribs inhibiting sound … don’t do this!
• Relax your body. While you want to be better at singing fast rushing and being tense about it will just destroy your efforts. Try moving a little as you sing, swaying or stepping forward and backward … whatever feels comfortable. If you stand stock still you will increase tension and look like you are terrified too!
• Here is a trick if you hit a note too low and need it to be higher. Smile slightly as you sing and lift your shoulders and hands slightly. This physical action helps you mentally tune in to the right note!
• Conversely, for low notes you should do the opposite if you hit them a little bit too high. Lower your arms and hands slightly and drop your jaw slightly to open your mouth further. Do not constrict your airways doing this though as that will make a worse sound. Again these actions will mentally help you drop the tone to the right level.
• To learn quickly you perhaps should not delve into the classics and learn the theory. Instead you should follow your passion for singing which is a very good thing anyway! Sing every day but do it in your natural tone and to your favorite sounds. Imitate your favorite artists but try to find your own comfort level in this genre.
• Practice! How to better your singing voice quickly or slowly all comes from hard work and practice. If you want to be a better singer in a week then you need to practice hard for a week! You want to be better in a month you need to set a schedule and practice for that month!

Now these tips will take you part of he way to becoming a better singer but for those that want a really speedy but more comprehensive way to learn to sing I recommend downloading singorama which is an excellent audio & visual course you can get instantly.

Oh, and read that last tip again … and again … and again!

Proper breathing techniques for singing are vital to producing the right sounds and effects the quality of those sounds even more.  Mastering a breathing technique for singing is therefore an important step to becoming a better singer.

Here are a few exercises that will help you breath more correctly to hit the right pitch and hold notes longer and stronger too.

1. The Slow Blow

Start off by filling your lungs with air. Do this  right down to the bottom of your abdomen not just the top of your lungs too to achieve a more diaphragmatic inhale and exhale.

Let this breath out as if you were blowing through a straw but also make sure that you do this slowly. This will help you understand breath control and is a great way to strengthen your lungs and learn proper breathing.

Make sure this is so slow in fact that if you were to light a candle in front of your mouth the flame may flicker but would not go out from the force.

2. Adding a Note

After doing the slow blow about 10 times make sure you feel ok and then try adding a note to this. As you breath out sing a note but hold your control and slow breath as you do this.

Dont aim for too high a note, just a comfortable note in your speaking range will do. Each time you do this try a different pitch also and continue this several times.

3. Volume Changes

Ok, hope you are doing well so far. Now it is time to throw in something a little more complex!

Change the volume of the pitch you are singing for the next breathing exercise. Go from soft to moderate and back down again but as you are doing this keep the exact pitch. Do not change your note or let it go sharp or flat only adjust the volume.

Repeat this several times at different pitches.

4. Timbre Changes

Ok, I hope you are good at doing that rubbing your tummy and patting your head at the same time because we are going to throw another task into the mix.

These next breathing technique for singing involves everything you have done before but this time as you singe the note and change volume you need to also change the timbre of your voice while doing it.

Singing through the vowels or singing random sounds by adjusting your tongue and lips will achieve this change in timbre and will be a challenge while controlling your breath, volume and maintaining the same pitch but if you can master this then you have proper breathing techniques for singing that will help you be a better singer in no time!

Can you teach yourself to sing or is it the exclusive domain of trained vocal coaches? If you are an amateur or as professional this is a very interesting question that can be a bit divisive amongst singer and people who charge to do singing lessons.

My personal opinion is YES, you can teach yourself to sing and sing better than before. The only thing to beware is that without any guidance at all you can pick up bad habits that will stock with you and be very hard to remove later on.

For instance I once had a student who was self taught and did very well but she had a bad habit called “scooping” where she would start slightly under the note she wanted then quickly adjust to the right note. It was not overly noticeable but happened enough that it really showed … the thing is, she didn’t realize she was making this mistake!

However, by just listening to singers and practicing on her own very often she did achieve a level of singing that was to be admired.

Teaching yourself to sing to me means finding the right guidance and information and then practicing by yourself a LOT. You do not need a singing coach but they can help later on to fine tune any issues and make a good voice a great voice but to start it is all about passion and hard work and a little bit of research so you do not ingrain too many bad singing habits.

Can you teach yourself to sing? Yes … and i encourage everyone to do so because even if you just sing for yourself learning to sing gives the world just the little bit more music and joy