LO4: Vocal Preparation

I’m adamant to use my own vocals within my work. I’m not a singer but with some preparation, I’m confident I can pull off a good performance (or one that’s at least worthy of being mixed). With all my song lyrics written, and a studio and Rode NT1-A condenser microphone at hand, I had to prepare myself for some singing.

I found one site that gave a few tips on how to prepare for singing (Music Creations, 2015). Although they were mainly for live auditions, there was still some useful information. For example, it’s important to know what you’re going to sing in order to get a good smooth performance. With this, I made sure to practice singing my music for a coupe days before the recording session. I also found that it was important to be in good health. Of course, it would be difficult to sing with the flu, however, even little things like body low temperature and dehydration can affect a vocalist’s performance. Warmth will allow your vocal muscles to stretch more freely

On the subjecting of stretching vocal muscles, I learned that vocal exercises should be carried out before singing, similar to how you’d stretch your arms and legs before a workout. And so, I searched online for some vocal exercises (WikiHow, 2017). Some exercises include deep breathing, to help utilise your diaphragm; singing solfège, to help keep in tune with scales; and performing trills, to release any tension within your lips and tongue

References

Music Creations (2015) 20 tips for singing auditions. Available from: https://www.musical-creations.com/tips/auditioning/20-tips-prepare-singing-audition/

WikiHow (2017) How to Warm up Your Voice. Available from: https://www.wikihow.com/Warm-up-Your-Voice