We’ve collected a few useful tips to help you perform like a star.
01. Drink more.
No, not alcohol. Quite the opposite – try not to abuse booze. Two or three shots will make you braver, but they can also seriously affect your mucous membrane and lead to irreversible mistakes, like trying to sing something from a, to put it mildly, controversial repertoire.
Forget about alcohol if you don’t want to wake up in the morning at a table in one of the small bars on the outskirts of the city, surrounded by strangers of dubious appearance, hugging and singing children’s songs. And definitely do not take your new acquaintances home in the morning to introduce them to your family. Seriously, don’t do it.
Stick to plain water. About 7-8 glasses a day is quite enough to keep your mucous membrane moisturized and prevent it from drying out. Don’t play with fate by consuming excessively hot or ice-cold drinks. Liquids should be at about room temperature – 16-20 degrees Celsius.
02. Breathe.
Not just breathe in general, but breathe correctly! Correctly means using your diaphragm. What is the diaphragm? It is the muscle that separates the chest from the abdominal cavity. Finding it is quite simple: feel with your finger on your chest where your ribs end and the cakes, cupcakes, and mom’s pies begin. Right where your finger rests, that is what you should tense when you breathe.
Have you noticed the voluminous figures opera singers have? It’s not because they love to snack on fatty foods before bed. It’s because of well-trained abdominal muscles and a developed diaphragm. In principle, you can say that too.
And one more thing – try to sing standing up, straightening your shoulders and throwing them slightly back. Sitting tends to restrict the airways, which directly affects how you sing. Besides, the feeling of performing while sitting is completely different. For instance, you’ll have to give up on dance moves.
03. Open your mouth.
You didn’t think that squeezing words through your teeth counts as singing, did you? Don’t be shy to open your mouth wider. The voice immediately sounds powerful, resonant, and the audience clearly understands individual words and entire phrases, knowing what the song is about.
You’ll be surprised at how the singing process changes when you move your lips in tandem with lung power. You can hit different notes, change your timbre, sing in falsetto, bass, use vibrato, and even, God forgive you, yodel.
For a greater effect while singing, don’t forget to dramatically throw your head back and move rhythmically to the music. The stage in a karaoke club was set up so you could express yourself – don’t forget that.
04. Sing quieter.
Believe me, karaoke clubs usually have a very good, balanced audio system installed. The owners care about making sure the guest is happy with the performance. They try to regularly update song catalogs, hire backing vocalists, and carefully monitor the sound equipment’s condition. Otherwise, the customer will just go elsewhere. Some venues have professional concert acoustics with microphones that cost as much as a car.
So you don’t have to shout loudly. You can be perfectly heard in the furthest corners of the club. By shouting over the music, the only thing you will achieve is damaging your vocal cords and going down in history as the loudest visitor to the establishment.
An excessively loud voice is a common phenomenon among beginners, behind which they try to hide their nervousness and missing the notes. If that really worked, vocal studios would just ask you to scream instead of teaching you. But no. Try to sing quietly until you learn to control your voice. Take care of your throat and the nerves of the karaoke club guests.
05. Stay positive
The secret to good singing largely depends on your mood. If people are rapidly leaving the room as soon as you pick up the microphone, maybe you should take a break and get your thoughts in order? Depression is not the best factor for the voice.
Although we know that karaoke is a great stress reliever, a Saturday night party shouldn’t resemble a psychotherapy session. Especially for such purposes, the Japanese invented solo booths where anyone can sing their favorite song and relax.
Summary
Everything you eat and drink, your breathing, your emotional state, sleep, and body posture directly affect your vocals. The most insignificant factor at first glance can radically change your voice beyond recognition. After a glass of cold water, you can get hoarse, and a depressed state will turn your performance into torture. Keep this in mind and stay positive.
