Singing is one of the most popular forms of music around the world and it’s no wonder many people are attracted to this art form.
Many people are curious to know if they can learn to sing on their own.
If you’re one of them, definitely keep reading!
It is possible to learn how to sing by yourself. Understand your head and chest voice, practice breathing exercises, train your ears, practice singing, work on your range and projection, and record yourself singing.
Several ‘natural’ singers have developed their sense of pitch through systematic training. This involves consistent practice to perfect the harmonization of the voice.
This article elucidates guidelines you can use to learn to sing by yourself.
How To Teach Yourself To Sing
Use the seven steps below to learn to sing by yourself.
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Step One: Understand Head Voice And Chest Voice
As a potential singer, it is important to understand how your voice works. The most common way to do this is by understanding the relationship between your head voice and chest voice.
The head voice and chest voice are two different ways in which your vocal folds can vibrate.
Some people have more of a tendency to use their chest voice than others, but either way, both are important for singing.
Head Voice
This is a lower pitch vibration that is produced when you’re singing at the top of your range. It can be felt as a slight popping sensation at the back of your throat when you sing with an open mouth (as if you were humming).
It’s also the pitch most people use when they’re speaking or singing. This YouTube video on head voice can guide you in finding yours easily.
Chest Voice
This is a higher pitch vibration that is produced when you are singing at the bottom of your range (around F3).
You will feel it as a buzzing sensation in your vocal folds, along with a slight popping sensation when you sing with an open mouth. You can watch this YouTube video on discovering your chest voice to understand better.
Step Two: Practice Breathing Exercises
Singing is a controlled exercise, you need to be able to control your breathing to reach the highest notes.
Practicing breathing exercises such as singing long tones, humming without music, and humming along with the music will be useful for you.
“Ear training” is a term that is used in music to refer to the process of learning how to recognize pitches, intervals, and chords.
Ear training can be achieved through repeated practice at recognizing intervals and chords.
One way to do this is by playing songs over and over again until you understand what they are about.
You can watch this video for some basic ear training exercises and techniques that will be useful for you as a beginner.Â
Step Four: Practice With Online Resources
There are many resources available that can help you learn how to sing. Several tutorials on YouTube can teach you the basics of singing such as the basic warm-ups to more advanced techniques like falsetto and head voice.
You can check out this YouTube channel, healthy vocal techniques for many singing tutorials.
Additionally, you can purchase books from Amazon like vocal fitness training’s teach yourself to sing, read and practice the lessons to improve your voice.
Step Five: Work On Expanding Your Range
Most people who think they can’t sing have a limited vocal range, which means that the notes in their voices are located within a very small space.
For example, if you find yourself stuck on a high note, try singing the word hihayhay as three syllables: hi-hay-hay.
This will help you train your voice to produce higher notes easily and without strain. Singing a melody doesn’t require a high voice or even any specific vocal technique.
You just need to be able to sing the notes in tune and rhythm.
You can start by doing simple exercises where you sing the same note over and over again, like “do-re-mi” or “la-ti-do”.
This will help you get used to singing the same note over and over again, which is the most fundamental skill in singing.
Then, when you feel comfortable with that, try singing other simple melodies such as “la-ti-do”, or “do-re-mi”. In both of these cases, you will need to make sure that each note is sung clearly and at the right time.
When your voice has improved enough for you to be able to hold a note for longer than a few seconds without losing it, then you can add some complexity to your practice routine.
Projection refers to the ability of your voice to resonate throughout the hall or room where you are performing.
It is called “projection” because it projects your voice out into the air and can be heard by others in the room or hall where you’re performing.
When you project well, people will hear every note sung clearly. The best way to work on your projection is through singing exercises.
This can be done by using various keys and scales as well as different breathing techniques when singing so that each note resonates at its appropriate pitch level.
You can check out this video on how to project your voice to master projection.
Step Seven: Record Yourself Singing
It is so easy to forget how your voice sounds when you’re singing alone, so recording yourself is a great way to get an idea of what you sound like.
Recording yourself will help you to hear how you sound and how you can improve.
Be honest with yourself – record your worst performance and then compare it to your best, taking note of your mistakes or areas where you need to improve.
You can start by simply recording yourself singing into a microphone or downloading a free voice recording app on your phone.
This voice recorder app from Samsung is a great choice for Android users and this link contains some recording apps that IOS users can download and use.
You can play your recordings for professional vocal coaches or teachers who have experience in teaching people how to sing.
They will be able to guide you through your mistakes and help you to get better.
Tips On How To Keep Your Singing Voice Healthy
The following tips show you ways you can keep your voice in good health.
Tip One: Avoid Drinking Iced Water
Drinking lukewarm water is essential for keeping your singing voice healthy and hydrated. Warm water is naturally more hydrating than cold water, but if you don’t have access to it, you can use lukewarm water instead of cold water.
You can try to add a teaspoon of honey or lemon juice to your glass of lukewarm water to give it some extra flavor.
High humidity levels in the air can impact your singing voice by causing irritation that leads to a dry throat, nose, and mouth.
To keep your vocal cords in a great state, humidify the air in your home by setting up a humidifier with a mist setting that is comfortable for you.
Tip Three: Start Easy By Warming Up
Before you try to sing, warm up your vocal cords by singing scales or short phrases.
The diaphragm is the main muscle used in singing so warming it up means it will be more flexible and less likely to hurt when you start singing.
Here is a 5-minute vocal warm-up video you can try out.
Tip Four: Sing From Your Diaphragm
Practice using your diaphragm to produce sounds rather than just using your chest muscles.
This will help you develop more flexibility in your vocal range and increase the volume of your voice without straining it so much.
This YouTube video will guide you on how to sing from your diaphragm as a beginner.
Tip Five: Don’t Sing If It Hurts
If you feel any pain when you try to sing, stop immediately! If you can’t stop yourself from singing for long then at least stop for a few minutes and let your voice rest before trying again later that day or at another time that’s more convenient for you.
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FAQs
1. How long does it take to teach yourself to sing?
Learning how to sing takes time, but the more you practice, the faster you’ll get at it. It’s important to remember that there’s no “one” way to learn how to sing.
Some people are visual learners, so they can pick up techniques from videos or books; other people are auditory learners and prefer hearing their voices in a recording before trying them out themselves.
2. How many hours a day should I practice singing?
The amount of time you spend practicing depends on your goals for learning how to sing if you want to get better at singing for fun, you might only need an hour or two of practice each day; if you want a career as a singer, though, you’ll probably need more time than that!
3. Is learning to sing hard?
Singing is not hard, but learning this skill takes a lot of practice and patience to get good at it. Be willing to keep trying!
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Conclusion
Self-teaching singing can indeed be a difficult task, but it is achievable by following the right steps and practicing certain techniques.
If you have the motivation to teach yourself how to sing, you can make significant progress over time.
