03 February 2010
Michael Harper - top tips

“I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free…” as the gospel tune goes. (Kirk Franklin, “Why We Sing”). This echoes some of the responses I’ve had from people when asked – “Why do you sing?”

Why not sing? It’s one of the first things we do. We cry, we scream, we coo, we sigh, we moan, groan, yell, chant, hum, grunt, gasp. Singing is just the organisation of these sounds on pitch in time interspersed with silences and sometimes painted with text. The Natural Voice Practitioners’ Network suggests that it’s our birthright to sing. Singing is something we do all the time – some languages such as Italian are very close to the declamation involved in singing. In language there is pitch and rhythm - singing only organises these.

You might say, “But I’m tone deaf!” Unless there is some physiological damage or disorder with the brain, ear, or vocal chords, learning to match pitch is merely a matter of practice. Some have had the benefit of being able to do this naturally or being around people who sing all the time. Others won’t have had the experience of singing in the family, school or community or perhaps someone said to them “don’t sing” or put them at the back of the choir and asked them to move their mouths.  Boys might have been discouraged when their voices broke. But just because it stopped or was interrupted at some point, is no reason not to try it again. If you don’t do it, you can start now. If someone told you can’t, remember that you can, you can, you can.

Just start (Basic approaches to singing):
1. Make a note – any note. It might sound ugly to you.  Let it, and keep singing.
2. Try it again.
3. Start easy, humming or singing very gently.
4. Practise singing something everyday even if it’s in the shower, then dedicate 5 or 10 minutes to it, extending the time if you have it.
5. Get a singing teacher or join a choir where you learn a bit about vocal technique and how to produce a healthy sound for you. There are many different vocal styles, so learn what’s easy and natural for your voice and add style to that.
6. If when you’re singing, it hurts, you’re probably doing something wrong.
7. Your voice is your whole body.  Use your whole body to sing.
8. Start warming up in a comfortable range for you (this may only be two or three notes) and gradually extend the range.  Remember muscles are involved in singing. Start gently just as you would when exercising any other muscle in your body.
9. Men and women should be able to sing in their head voice and chest voice.  Practise both.
10. Experiment with your voice and find all the sounds and colours you possibly can.
11. Everyone has their optimum vocal range with extensions on either side (high or low).  Explore your range and if you don’t know your voice type – soprano, alto, tenor or bass, ask a singing teacher or someone else who knows about singing.
12. Find your flow and go with it.

Everybody has their own voice, their own sound, their own story.  You won’t be Pavarotti in the end, but you’ll be you.

Why do I sing? No reason – just because.