BEGINNER SINGING LESSONS: THE BASICS 2023
Singing lessons for beginners are, above all, getting to know your musical instrument: the voice. If you are a beginner and want to learn to sing and even to sing well, you will need to become aware of your body because it is your whole being that sings… During beginner singing lessons, you will learn all the basics that will allow you to control your voice better.
But how are beginner singing lessons going? What are these basics that I will have to learn? And above all, how to choose the right teacher and method? In this article, I will give you all my advice for getting started in singing…
Contents:
- Why do you want to learn to sing?
- Beginner singing lessons: learn the basics
- Have the correct posture to sing
- Learn to breathe with my diaphragm
- Knowing how your singing machine works
- Make a habit of warming up your voice
- Discover your vocal range and find your voice
- Beginner singing lessons: Improve your technique to sing well
- Know how to place your vote on the tempo properly
- Work on your accuracy and your ear
- Free your voice and learn to project sounds
- Learn to use vocal techniques
- Put into practice everything you have learned
- Beginner singing lessons: finding the proper method
- Singing lessons for beginners in a music school
- Beginner singing lessons online
Why do you want to learn to sing?
Unfortunately, we can all sing, but not everyone can sing what they want. Each individual is different and does not have the same power of voice or the same range, which is why many choose to take beginner singing lessons over time.
Anyone can learn to sing, and even though some people have more ability to sing well, that doesn’t mean they won’t need singing lessons! Some apprentice singers learn and understand more quickly everything related to the use of the voice. They sometimes already know how to use their resonators and place their vote well… However, there are some things you can’t guess, and only a seasoned professional can pass them on to their students…
Of course, everything needs a start; beginner singing lessons will allow you to learn to master the basics essential to all good singers.
Beginner singing lessons: learn the basics
A first singing lesson happens differently depending on the student and the singing teacher or vocal coach. Generally, the first beginner singing lesson includes an assessment of your musical level and what I call a verbal assessment.
It is a question of identifying the qualities and the bad habits. This trial lesson is often expected and feared. The teacher will listen to you sing and be interested in your expectations. The goal is to design the right program to help you progress. If you are considering taking beginner singing lessons, here is an overview of what awaits you.
Have the correct posture to sing
During the first beginner singing lesson, the fundamental element to consider to sing correctly is the way you stand. Above all, to sing well, whether seated or standing, an individual must straighten up, stand up straight and puff out their chest while remaining relaxed.
Good posture allows you to balance the weight of your body and avoid muscle tension. Thanks to this posture, you will also be able to “anchor” yourself in the ground and thus make full use of your column of air. This position allows the singer to bring more perspective to the lungs and optimize good breathing to release beautiful notes.
Learn to breathe with my diaphragm
Breathing plays a vital role in singing. Therefore, learning how to breathe correctly to sing well and in tune is essential.
Breathing is THE BASIS of singing!
This is the first thing I teach my students during beginner singing lessons. When you inhale, your abdomen should inflate with air. Your chest should not rise. The goal is to lower your diaphragm to allow your lungs to fill. Then, when exhaling, controlling this muscle will allow you to control the flow of air sent to your vocal cords. Accompanying your voice with your diaphragm is one of the critical elements of singing.
To practice, place one hand on your stomach and inhale through your nose. Your abdomen should expand as you inhale. Your chest should not move. When you exhale, let your belly deflate and your rib cage rise…Repeat this until it becomes natural when you sing.
Knowing how your singing machine works
Learning the basics of singing will consist of awareness and physical feelings to understand the different mechanisms associated with singing. The vibration and other resonances of sounds can be explored through vocal exercises and voice placement that will be adapted to the needs and level of each student, whether beginner or advanced.
It is essential to understand how your musical instrument works to learn how to play it well… Thanks to beginner singing lessons, you will discover that this instrument, both string and wind, is a beautiful singing machine that you have to learn to use well to exploit it fully…
Getting into the habit of warming up your voice
The teacher will teach you how to prepare your voice to sing better during a beginner singing lesson. Vocal warm-ups, such as scales and “Pepapipopu,” and breathing exercises to prepare you for said work.
Let’s not forget that the vocal cords are muscles, so as an athlete practices a warm-up before attacking the 100 meters, the apprentice singer or singer must wake up and prepare the forces about to be solicited.
Discover your vocal range and find your voice
One of the first things you will discover in your beginner singing lessons is your vocal range. It is, in a way, the extent of your voice. Knowing your content and vocal register allows you to choose songs adapted to your abilities. Indeed, even if it is possible to modify the tone of a piece to bring it closer to yours, do you still have to be aware of it?!
Knowing your voice also means knowing your current abilities not to strain the vocal cords. Therefore, it is essential to know your range to choose the songs to work on intelligently and the vocal registers that highlight your voice and timbre.
Beginner singing lessons: Improve your technique to sing well
Know how to place your voice on the tempo properly
When learning a song, knowing how to sing in rhythm will quickly become essential so the singer can see symbiosis with the musicians and the singers.
They know how to sing in rhythm is also learning how to place their voice on the music. For this, several elements will be essential such as tempo and phrasing. These elements allow you to identify the cadence and speed you will have to adopt on each song to be in tune with the other instruments that compose it. The principles of rhythm and voice placement are often covered in the early years of beginner singing lessons.
Work on your accuracy and your ear
Accuracy is not something innate but something that needs to be worked on. Singing out of tune is not inevitable, but I grant you that it is not easy to work on it if you don’t know how to do it. During beginner singing lessons, the teacher will make you work on your ear before your voice. And yes, it is first what you hear that is important. This is why you have to accustom your ear to listening with meticulousness and detail.
For this, the teacher can use the piano notes or sing the letters, which he will have to imitate. The exercises on the scales and intervals are essential, but it is also necessary to leave room for singing during the lesson so that the student takes more pleasure.
Free your voice and learn to project sounds
It is expected that during the first beginner singing lessons, the student tends to retain the sounds and even tense his voice… This is often due to the fear of “hurting,” that is to say, a lack of self-confidence.
All this often has the effect of contracting the laryngeal area and sometimes even the whole body… From the trapezius to the abdominal strap, passing through the jaws, the cervical, and the diaphragm… The fear of being wrong can be paralyzing for a student !!
Beginner singing lessons should allow you to learn how to de-stress and dare to be heard. Thanks to letting go and bodily openness, you will free your voice.
Learn to use vocal techniques
The technique is worked, and the exercises are numerous. You expand your vocal range by training to nuance your voice in a crescendo and then decrescendo way. We optimize the flexibility of our voice by doing vocal agility exercises. That is to say, vocalizations.
For example, singing from C to C, then backtracking and starting again. Similarly, it is essential to work on your scales to strengthen the vocal cords, especially if you are a beginner, depending on your register (tenor, baritone, alto, soprano).
Of course, other more complex vocal techniques will follow in your learning to sing… But you mustn’t want to go too fast and skip critical stages. Learning to master basic verbal methods is essential. The most important thing for a singer to build is solid foundations…!
Put into practice what you have learned
Then comes the time to apply all this to a concrete case: a song. The practice can be done in a cappella, accompanied by piano or guitar for an acoustic version, or even on an instrumental soundtrack, i.e., an audio karaoke, also called orchestra playback. After each practice, the vocal coach can take stock with the student to take stock of what needs to be adjusted and reworked.
It is essential not to be satisfied with theory… so we practice! Singing is like any sport; singing daily is the only way to progress. There are many opportunities alone, in class, or in a choir.
Conversely, the lack of rigor automatically limits the development of skills. There is no need to spend 3 hours a day there; it is also not recommended if you want to spare your voice. Regular short 1-hour sessions are just as practical. And don’t forget to warm up your voice before starting to practice, as you will have learned during the first beginner singing lessons 😉
Beginner singing lessons: finding the proper method
Nowadays, singing lessons are aimed at the most significant number. It is practiced as much as a cultural and leisure activity as for a search for well-being and self-expression. Beginner singing lessons allow you to learn to sing well and to master vocal techniques, of course, but not only… Singing is also a way to have fun, to express your emotions; hence art therapy or music therapy through singing.
Singing lessons also offer the possibility of learning to discover yourself and get to know your body better. Singing is a complete activity that combines the physical and the emotional; it is a world of sensations…
The most important thing is to find the teacher and the beginner singing lessons whose learning methodology and pedagogy suit you. There are as many methods and ways of teaching as there are singing teachers.
Singing lessons for beginners in a music school
You can register near you at a music school or with a private singing teacher. Many professionals offer singing lessons for beginners. You can choose between private or group lessons and sometimes, even as a duo.
Progress is often judged to be faster in private lessons. And if you are naturally shy, the individual beginner singing lesson will be more suitable. Nevertheless, collective singing lessons will allow you, in a second step, to promote exchanges and meetings with other enthusiasts. This can help you to dare with others… Practicing in a choir is also an excellent way to share with others without feeling over listened to or observed… except perhaps by the choirmaster who, through smiles and advice, will be able to he will also help you get started in singing… 😉
Be aware that suitable singing lessons welcome beginners, amateurs, and professionals, without restricting level or musical styles.
Singing lessons for beginners online
Beginner singing lessons on the internet can be an alternative to face-to-face singing lessons. But how do you navigate through all these available offers? So I’m going to try to shed some light on you…
Indeed, online beginner singing lessons can be just as well designed, relevant and effective as a physical, “real” singing lesson. It all depends on the method used by the vocal coach…
Never forget that good teaching must bring you mastery of the basics and the vocal and respiratory techniques, whether it is online or face-to-face lessons.
Beginner singing lessons on the internet can allow you, at a lower cost, to train from home and at your own pace. Some online singing training also offers you the possibility of exchanging with the teacher through comments or email. I don’t hide from you that it’s a plus, especially when you’re a beginner…!
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BEGINNER SINGING LESSONS: THE BASICS 2023