How to Become a Great Singer
Like a musician learning to play an instrument, singers learn to work with the intricacies of their voice, practicing with it until they become expert in using it to express themselves musically. While becoming a singer requires a certain level of natural ability, persistence and a commitment to intense practice are every bit as important when it comes to making the leap from being an accomplished singer to a great one.
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Instructions
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Listen intently to performers who are generally considered to be great singers. Try to listen with a critical ear to their breathing, pitch and sense of timing. Such vocal skills are the result of serious practice, and you'll not pick them up simply by listening, but this type of critical review will help you become very aware of what actually constitutes a quality vocal performance. Developing a keen critical ear will further your appreciation for great performances, as well as help you quickly identify specific shortcomings in your own singing.
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Practice singing along with recordings of some of your favorite singers. Try to match their pitch, phrasing and breathing. Pay close attention to areas where you're having difficulty, and practice them over and over until you can perform them seamlessly. The aim is not to try and imitate the sound of the voice, but to emulate the technical performance. Practicing this way will help you develop a smooth and accurate vocal delivery.
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Record your practice sessions. Listening back to your own singing voice can be a great reality check, making your strengths and weaknesses immediately apparent. If your voice seems to trail off or get weaker at the end of phrases, you may have to work on breathing more deeply; if you hear yourself singing sharp in places, you might be going for a little too much volume or attack, and it might be wise to try to relax and go for less volume and more control. Whatever the problem is, you should be able to hear it more easily on a recording. Use this to your advantage by identifying your trouble spots and working to rectify them.
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Form or join a band so that you can develop the ability to sing well with other singers and musicians. Being a soloist is only part of being a singer. Learning how to sing harmony and background parts with other singers will do wonders for your understanding and appreciation of musical composition, and the sense of musical give-and-take you develop will make you a more versatile singer.
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Play live shows at every opportunity. Lots of practice and rehearsal will help you improve your physical singing skills, but singing live will teach you how to perform for an audience. Live performance can be nerve-racking, especially at first, but the interaction between a performer and a live audience is something that you can't rehearse, and experiencing it will take your singing to a new level.
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Tips & Warnings
Sign up for voice lessons with a professional voice teacher. You may already have a great vocal sound and style, but a skilled teacher will show you how to breathe correctly when singing and improve your technique, helping protect your vocal cords from damage.
Commit to a healthy lifestyle to help preserve your voice for the long haul. Avoid smoking and excessive caffeine consumption, as these wreak havoc on your vocal cords.
Don't be afraid of having your personality show in your vocals. Being a great technical singer is not everything. There have been great vocalists (John Lennon and Bob Dylan are prime examples) who may not have been technically sound, but whose personal style and conviction helped them put over a song like no other. Attitude is important.
Don't equate becoming a great singer with financial success. The music business has no shortage of extremely gifted singers struggling to make ends meet. Be sure that you're aiming to be a great singer for artistic reasons rather than monetary ones so that even if fame and fortune elude you, your vocal excellence will be reward enough.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit microphone singer image by Pierrette Guertin from Fotolia.com
