Being a singer in a rock band, I'm sometimes asked about my approach to vocals. Recently that question came from our bass player, Ken. When I asked the guys about any topics they thought I could blog about, as I was struggling to come up with an idea, this was his response.
Well, I suppose that was a "duh" moment.
So, I am taking the challenge and going to share my approach and thoughts on vocals. With any luck, something I share here will be of help and interest to anyone looking into the role of vocalist in their band or just wanting to sing.
So let me start by saying that the journey is never perfect. There are plenty of down days, I've had many, but the up days are well worth it. If you want to do it, and you keep working at it, you can continue to improve and, well... sing to your heart's content.
So, enough of that... what exactly is my approach?
Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate
If you have been studying vocals at all, you probably have heard this before. And it is important. However, you can over-hydrate as much as you can under-hydrate.
What you want to be mindful of is that you do not feel chronically thirsty. If you show up to sing and you are already thirsty, you are not hydrated enough. And you cannot guzzle a gallon of water in five minutes and hope that will re-hydrate you. The human body does not work like that.
Hydration is in your body because you maintain it, not because you chug it down your throat. Doing the latter only weighs down your stomach with all that sloshing fluid and prevents you from the proper use of the diaphragm. You need to hydrate throughout your normal day as needed. If you are running to the bathroom every hour or so, you are over-hydrating. That is not helpful, either, especially right before a show.
If you are normally hydrated during the day before singing, you will likely sweat during that time. That's why you need water during those moments, to maintain your hydration while singing. Taking good sips or swallows between songs, or as needed, is all you will likely need, no guzzling required. Of course, the more you sweat can increase how much you need to maintain your hydration. But, no matter what, refrain from guzzling large amounts of water when performing. Larger gulps, a couple of extra swallows between songs, sure, but don't chug a bottle of water and expect to relieve low hydration. It's already too late for that by then.
Just to be clear, the best hydrating solution is H2O; water, plain and simple. Having lemon slices in it can help clear a phlegmy throat, but don't overdo that, either. I've tried many different products or concoctions over the years, but the best is just water. And be sure it is ambient temperature water. No ice water! Ice water will un-warm your vocal cords instantly, causing singing issues while performing. Stop doing that.
Warm drinks, like coffee and tea (with lemon and/or honey), can help, especially when your throat feels raw. Tea is the better of those choices. But mostly... water.
Warm-Up for a Good Practice or Gig
First thing, drinking a hot beverage is not warming up. It will soothe your throat and might make your vocal cords warm, but it is not warming up. Drinking a hot beverage is no more a warmup than putting on your running shoes before running a marathon. They will make your feet warm, but that is it.
To be honest, though, the warmup is the boring part. It's not the emotional high point of singing, but it is harder to get there if you don't warm up. And you can harm your vocals if you do not at least do a minimal warmup. Having said that, it does not have to be a long-drawn-out chore either. Finding what works best for you is my best advice.
I'm sure that each person who values the warmup has come to their form of ritual to get warm, and that is what one should strive for. The goal is the warmup, the ritual is what works for you. What you are trying to do, is loosen up and warm all the muscles and physical techniques you have learned so that you can reach the inflections, emotions, and notes you may be striving for.
I have a simple, shorter warmup for my general rehearsals, and will add more if I am preparing for a performance. A short warmup should be somewhere between ten and fifteen minutes if possible. A longer warm-up, twenty to twenty-five, or so, which generally starts with my short warmup. Everyone's different, but I think these are reasonable guidelines.
What I like to start with is what I call stretching my face. It's a way to start loosening up the jaw and the throat. Also, stick out your tongue like your trying to lick your chin, adding in some lip rolls. If you don't like those descriptions, the guy in this video has a more mellow way of waking up the muscles you need to be singing with. He's a pro, so check him out.
The guy in the video suggests yawning, which is effectively what I mean by stretching my face. You need to loosen up the muscles you will be using so they can be relaxed enough to take on the task you will be asking them to do. You shouldn't run without stretching, so don't sing without stretching.
My shortest warmup, for me, is doing two scale type singing exercises to loosen up the singing engine; diaphragm, vocal cords, jaw. What I do is sing the alphabet song for four to five minutes, then sing the Do Re Mi song for four to five minutes. I work both of those songs from lower ranges, to higher ranges as I start to warm up. For a longer warmup, I have some blues backing tracks that I will use to do more vocalizing, working my way up to higher notes, working in some lip rolls from lower to higher, and back down again. This gives me anywhere between ten to twenty minutes of warmup. It has taken a while for me to find this simple way to warm up and it has been working well for me in recent years.
Find a warmup routine that works for you and try to be consistent and disciplined. Starting cold is a great way to stop you from singing for several days. Also, starting with your most challenging song is not a good idea unless you have warmed up and are ready, otherwise pace yourself through your set.
And what about the diaphragm? That's the abdominal muscle that helps you control your air; the amount and the use. Too much air can be as bad a thing as too little air, so learning to control this part of your body is important as well. I have found that getting bursts of air between notes is more effective than taking giant breaths between lines. It's a timing thing and each song can be a little different. I still have days when I'm not quite doing it right, but they are farther and fewer between. I won't pretend to be an expert on diaphragms as it did not click for me until I started to feel it, so I'm going to drop some info on that in the links below as well. But I will say that, if you feel your throat rawer at the end of singing rather than tightness where your diaphragm is, you are not doing it right.
There are a lot of great articles and videos out there, so don't hold back on the googling, either. Here are a few I quickly grabbed for you to check out.
Respect Your Body
As I mentioned briefly above, if you feel your throat rawer at the end of singing rather than tightness where your diaphragm is, you are not doing it right. And by tightness, I mean that you feel you have worked the muscle similar to how your muscles feel after running or working out with weights.
Even if you start right, but then start to feel rawness in your throat, that is an indication that your diaphragm is getting tired and you are compensating for the lack of help you are getting from it. Respect your body. It is telling you it is time to rest.
The last thing you want to do is risk not being able to sing again for several days. If you harm your vocal cords or your throat, it can take several days of rest to recover in my experience. Trust me, it is better to stop when you can and save your voice. If you are in a gig situation, it would be good to look up articles or videos to help you get through those types of situations, as the show must go on... but not necessarily rehearsal if you are not in good voice and can't work through it.
Final Thoughts
So, I've said a lot more than I thought I would before I sat down to write this blog. I didn't touch on advanced singing techniques so much, as I think that is up to each of us to find the style we are seeking that is "you", where "you" want to be as a singer. Lookup people who sing in that style and see what you can find on their technique that could apply to your direction. There is a ton of information out there. I don't need to rewrite it.
I will say this. Singing is about vowels and the occasional humming consonant like "m" and "n", but mostly about vowels. How you get from a consonant, especially the hard ones like "p", "t", "f", and especially "s", to a vowel is often the challenge. That's why I like the alphabet song and the Do Re Mi song. There are a lot of opportunities to get from some tough consonants to just about all iterations of the vowel sounds. Focusing on tougher spots as needed is a good idea as well. Find videos or articles that help you make the decisions for you that get you to polish these parts of vocalizing. And remember, control your air, control your sound.
And I will also say this, getting even some basic lessons to help you get a grip on fundamental techniques is always a good idea. A good instructor will help you understand the difference between a chest register and a head register, and so much more. Some people have natural talent, are in touch with those fundamentals at a natural level, and can hit a note almost anytime. But can they do a forty-five to ninety-minute set and maintain that natural ability? That's where the work is. That's what pushes one above someone who can sing, and someone who can perform. I strive for the latter, to the best that I can offer. Hope you enjoy it.
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Heed the Syne! Propagate the Wave!
Peace to you and yours,
Darren
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