Let’s get one thing very clear. There are no quick fixes… but these tricks can sure help.

Warming Up

If in doubt, warm-up. If not in doubt, warm-up. If you have 10 minutes, warm-up. If you don’t, have a small warm-up.

At risk of sounding like a broken record, just please warm-up.

Vocal functions are largely down to a complex coordination of muscles. If you sing without stretching them out, you will tire your voice and affect the sound; meaning you won’t sound your best, let alone leading to problems down the line.

It’s best to work out an effective routine that works for you –

You can create one as a quick fix when you’re in a rush and one for when you have a bit more time.

For ideas and more info, check out my post on The Ideal Warm Up, but small hums, sirens, relieving tension and stretching your facial muscles is a great way to get started.

Posture

When you sing, are you slouched over on the sofa? Lying down whilst listening to your favourite song? Are you scared someone might hear and try to make yourself as small as possible?

Bad posture will contribute to, or more accurately, have an adverse effect on your voice.

How we hold ourselves is crucial during voice work and by crunching down, we are shaping our breathing apparatus in a way that makes singing that much harder. Our voice needs air, and we need to make sure we are managing breath as efficiently as possible.

Singing Exercise: Sit down and breathe. Easy, I know, but try it whilst curled up, making the torso as small as possible. Now put one hand on your belly and one hand on your lower back and try breathing in deeply to see how it feels. You can even try singing a line from any song.

Now try that exercise again sitting in a tall, but comfortable ready position. See the difference?

The second stance gives your ribcage and supporting muscles a lot more leeway for breathing and reduces tension. The first stance, on the other hand, is compromising your posture, your breath, and your voice.

It’s very common and often overlooked but it can make the world of difference.

Change Up Your Mouth Shape

The way you shape your mouth will affect how you sound.

It might feel easier to sing the same note on one line than another line, or maybe one word just brings a whole world of strain for some reason. Why? The shape of our mouth filters and modifies the sound, impacting vocal resonance and voice quality. 

If you sing with a closed mouth shape, it will reflect in the sound; you won’t have volume, you won’t make the most of your lovely full tone, and you won’t be able to articulate properly.

And, if you sing with tension in your lips or tongue, trust me, you will hear it (and potentially feel it too); not free and easy. 

If you open your mouth to it’s widest, chances are you may catch some flies (Cheesy joke #1) and really hurt your jaw in the process.

Changing up the mouth shape will create different voice tone qualities. 

Singing Exercise: Sing an ‘Ooo’ on a comfortable note, as though you are shaping your mouth to suck up a small Malteser (because, yes, I am a complete child at heart). Now try the same note on a ‘Woah’.

Hear the difference? The ‘Ooo’ and the ‘Woah’ will create different vocal qualities to your tone and notes will feel easier with different mouth shapes or vowel sounds depending on the song you’re singing. You will also feel it differently because the resonance is being affected in different ways.

Sing in the mirror and have a play around. Personally, I love an ‘Ugh’ sound when I need to play with a mouth shape, but it’s by no means be all, end all. Everyone’s different!

Managing Those Nerves

Have you ever been asked to give a presentation and thought, “This is my worst nightmare” or, “What if I mess up?” You’re not alone. Trust me.

Sometimes we worry so much, it almost seems that ‘failing’ is inevitable.

Nerves can play havoc on us; whether it is fogging up your mind, messing with your breath, or creating tension that affects your posture. Worrying you will clam up can become a self-fulfilling prophecy that becomes a vicious cycle.

Practise and Preparation

My personal nightmare is forgetting lyrics.  I like to manage my nerves by practising the songs right before a performance. This is how I prefer to do my practice and prep.  

Feeling prepared can do wonders on ‘Thought distortions’ –

‘What if I forget the lyrics?’ – Tad hard if you know them like the back of your hand. ‘What if I can’t reach that note?’ – No problem, you’ve warmed up, rehearsed and you’ve got this. ‘What if I trip up those stairs?’ – Well, prep can only get you so far, but you get the gist. 

Another good way of preparing is making sure you nail any notes you previously found tricky…

Singing Exercise: If there is a particular line that is harder for you, or not feeling quite as it should, try singing it again and slowing it down. Do not repeat it at normal speed until you think it feels right. If you try it faster and it still doesn’t feel right, try repeating the process.

This will promote learning subconscious muscle functions and give your voice the chance to work out the right placement so it is always worth a go!

Try A Calming Routine

If practise and preparation aren’t quite keeping those nagging thoughts at bay, try a calming routine. Take a moment for deep breathing, find a fixed point, listen to a podcast; whatever works for you. I always joked that people would know I was nervous when I’m clutching onto the mic stand for dear life, but finding a calm sequence that works for you was a complete turning point for me. 

It’s easy to imagine everything will go wrong and everyone will judge you, but generally the audience is on your side. They’re there to support you and to have a good time; they probably wouldn’t notice a small or even a massive hiccup if any did come sneaking up. At the end of the day, any wrong notes are a dot on a page and if you steam ahead with confidence, everyone will be none the wiser.

Connecting Emotionally With The Song

 Listening to the words you’re singing (obviously this can be adapted for speeches but this is a singing blog); might feel weird but is an absolute gamechanger. 

What is the song about? Getting lost in the meaning of the song can bring out subtle nuances that you might not have discovered before and bonus, acts as a great distraction for when the nerves are coming.

Don’t Hide Your Voice

Hiding your voice plays into nerves and opening your mouth more, but I think it deserves its own segment. 

It is so easy to listen to a song and either keep your voice quiet, or hide your actual voice by attempting to mimic a banshee (no shade, I’ve been known to vocally embrace my inner wailing ghost). Sing badly on purpose and no one will hear what you really sound like, right? 

It’s also easy to try and get your mouth nice and small so none of that lovely sound comes out. 

But wouldn’t it be great to try ignoring all that?

‘Surprise’! Distorting your voice to imitate a mythical creature will not create the best sound, trying to be so quiet that no one hears is not the best way to go and singing with barely a distinction between your voice and your speaking voice will also have an underwhelming effect. 

Intentionally changing your voice to hide your singing tone can become habitual. If this is you, it’s best to identify how you try to hide your voice to stop those faked vocal qualities coming into your singing.

Singing Exercise: This is a bit of a silly one and will sound counterintuitive but give it a go. I like to call this ‘Ugly Singing’. Think of this as a happy medium between normal singing and full banshee. If there is a song you are having some difficulties with, try grabbing a make-shift mic (think hair brush, remote control etc) and singing it like you are a pop diva on stage – and DON’T HOLD BACK. This shouldn’t be painful, it also shouldn’t sound good and you should be having fun with it.

Check in with how that felt and sing the song again, as you normally would. Did it feel different?

Singing is a wonderful thing and trying to hide your voice isn’t going to make it sound better, but it could be hurting your voice (as well as your confidence).

At The End Of The Day

There are no quick fixes and no one is going to go from feeling singing shy to Beyoncé or Pavarotti in a day, but these tips can make a massive difference and put you on the right track. You might even surprise yourself. Simple things like knowing when and how to warm up, adjusting your posture, changing up your mouth shape, tackling pesky nerves and letting yourself sing in your natural voice are great ways to get started.

Now it’s time to go and give them a try! Happy Singing 🙂