Learn To Sing

Find a teacher

Singing is one of the most unusual arts in that it is very difficult to describe how to do properly. You can

point to a keyboard or a fret board or a drum kit and say, do it this way or that, press here, push there.

The vocal chords themselves are your instrument and as such they are hidden and cannot be seen.

This makes it more difficult to explain to the beginning student what a vocal chord is, how it works and

how to best use it. This is a very unique challenge to the teacher of music, but one which can be overcome

with a willing student and, of course, practice.

Let it first be said that the best way to learn to sing is with a qualified teacher. There are many

other instruments that one can go a long way on your own without a one-on-one teacher, but singing

is not one of them. If you cannot afford a good teacher one of the best ways is to take a singing class

at your local university, adult school or high school.

You may join a choir or vocal ensemble but this is not where you will typically get any instruction.

I must emphasize the importance of learning the proper way of singing when you are first learning so

you will be set up for success later on.

If you are worried about singing in front of other people, don't worry too much. In a classroom setting

everyone has the same fears and the teacher should guide you through this phase of singing your first solo.

Learn to breathe

It may sound very funny to have to learn to breathe, but you do not breathe as a singer the way you

breathe in your everyday life. We will go into it in much more detail in another lesson, but you will

have to learn to breathe from the "diaphragm" and not from your chest. Sing from your stomach not

from your nose. This means to support your breath with constant pressure from your stomach (diaphragm) and not using your throat to pinch off your vocals.

Try this; lie down on your back and place a fairly heavy book on your stomach. Now take a deep breath

and try to make your stomach push the book upwards as you inhale. This is what we mean when we say breathing with your diaphragm. Taking this a step further, breathe and push the book upwards and when

you have a full breath, begin to exhale slowly while keeping the book from coming down. You will not be

able to keep it from coming down, but in this way you can begin to see what we are trying to accomplish here. Breathing deeply from the stomach and exhaling with constant pressure from the stomach and the diaphragm supporting your breath. We will continue this lesson later.

Keep practicing.Learn to sing Backup