Speak as you would sing, sing as you would speak

Speak as you would sing, sing as you would speak

Truly the best things you can do for your singing voice are to balance healthy vocal hygiene (water, rest, good diet and exercise, and good technique) AND healthy vocal speaking.  Speak as you would sing.  Support your sound and think of projecting your speaking voice in everyday life.  Your voice is one instrument whether you are speaking or singing.

5 Tips for a Healthy Speaking Voice (and Better Singing Voice)

1.       Support your speech as you would your singing.  Use abdominal support and make sure you breathe.

2.      Take breaths often and as relaxed and deep as you can.  Avoid catch breaths.  They stress your voice.

3.      Find your resonant space and use it to project your speech (think raised soft palate or the feeling of a yawn). 

4.      Raise your speaking pitch slightly.  Find it by saying ‘hmm-hmm’ in answer to questions.  Where does your voice settle?  Try to speak starting around that pitch. Use that 'hmm' to draw your voice forward.

5.      Inflect up at the ends of sentences as if it is a question.  This will start your next sentence higher. 

Go to my newsletter, “Speak as you Sing”  or contact me for more information.

Also focus on some simple vocal hygiene steps.  We get so caught up in our everyday stresses that we forget to take care of ourselves.  Go to bed early if you can, drink as much water as you can, get moderate exercise, support your speaking voice as you would your singing voice and go visit a vocal professional to ensure you have good vocal technique.  

When performing, try to keep your emotions in the black zone, steady yet energized. Use them to enhance your performance but out of the red which forces you above and beyond what is comfortable.  Don’t let anxiety to cause you to push the envelope.  Allow yourself one more level to go with emotion and exertion.   Enjoy the music and express yourself but stay in tune with what your body is saying.