How to Sing: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Vocal Mastery

Learning How To Sing can feel like unlocking a hidden part of yourself. Whether you dream of belting out ballads or simply want to carry a tune with confidence, singing is a skill accessible to everyone. This comprehensive guide breaks down the journey into manageable steps, offering practical advice to help you develop your voice, understand vocal techniques, and find the joy in singing.

1. Define Your Singing Goals

Setting clear, achievable goals is the bedrock of any successful learning journey, and singing is no exception. Goals provide direction and fuel your motivation as you navigate the nuances of vocal development.

When setting your singing goals, consider these key points:

Be Realistic About Your Starting Point: If you’re just beginning, aiming to instantly replicate the vocal acrobatics of seasoned professionals can be discouraging. Instead, choose songs that are slightly challenging yet within your current reach. Select pieces that push your boundaries gently, fostering progress without leading to frustration. Singers who set overly ambitious goals often lose momentum when faced with early hurdles.
Break Down Large Aspirations: Transform overwhelming long-term goals into smaller, actionable steps. For example, if your aim is to “perform confidently at open mic night,” break it down into stages: “research suitable songs for my vocal range,” “experiment with different song choices,” “select a song,” “master the melody and lyrics,” “rehearse with backing tracks,” “practice in front of a supportive friend or family member,” “choose an open mic event,” and finally, “perform at the open mic night.”
Document Your Goals: In the whirlwind of learning new techniques and information, it’s easy to lose sight of your initial aims. Regularly revisiting your written goals serves as a powerful reminder of your progress and reinforces your commitment to vocal improvement.

2. Prioritize Vocal Health for Sustainable Singing

Your voice is an intricate and precious instrument, intrinsically linked to your overall physical well-being. It’s vital to recognize its power yet also its vulnerability. Neglecting vocal health can lead to strain or damage, hindering your singing progress.

To cultivate excellent vocal health, integrate these practices into your routine:

Hydration is Key: Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Proper hydration keeps your vocal cords lubricated, facilitating smoother vocalization.
Avoid Smoke Exposure: Refrain from smoking and minimize exposure to secondhand smoke. Smoke irritates the vocal cords and negatively impacts vocal clarity and range.
Prioritize Restful Sleep: Adequate sleep is crucial for vocal recovery and overall bodily function. Aim for consistent, quality sleep to support vocal health.
Warm-Up Before Singing: Always engage in vocal warm-ups before any singing session. Warm-ups prepare your vocal muscles, enhancing flexibility and preventing strain. Cool-downs are equally important after singing, especially after extended practice. Resources for vocal warm-ups are readily available online.
Manage Allergies Effectively: If you experience allergies, manage them with appropriate medication or nasal irrigation. Allergies can cause congestion and irritation, affecting vocal performance.
Be Mindful of Dietary and Lifestyle Choices: Understand how certain foods, alcohol, and medications affect your voice. Dairy, for instance, can thicken throat mucus, impacting vocal clarity. Alcohol can lead to vocal cord swelling, particularly noticeable the next day.
Utilize Steam for Hydration: Inhale steam from a shower, humidifier, or steam inhaler. Steam provides soothing hydration to the vocal cords.
Avoid Vocal Strain: Steer clear of screaming, yelling, and prolonged loud talking, such as speaking over loud music. These activities can overwork and strain your vocal cords.
Rest Your Voice When Sore: If you have a sore throat due to illness or overuse, prioritize vocal rest. This means minimizing both singing and talking to allow your vocal cords to recover.
Listen to Your Body’s Signals: Pay attention to any pain or strain while singing. Pain is a warning sign that damage might be occurring. Stop immediately if you experience discomfort.
Consult a Professional: If you have any concerns about your vocal health, consult a doctor or a voice specialist. They can provide tailored advice and address any underlying issues.

Taking proactive steps to maintain your vocal health ensures longevity and enjoyment in your singing journey.

3. Develop Pitch Matching Skills

Pitch, in musical terms, refers to the highness or lowness of a musical note. Pitch matching is the ability to hear a pitch and accurately reproduce it vocally. This fundamental skill is essential for singing in tune and harmonizing.

Working with a qualified voice teacher is invaluable for developing pitch accuracy. A teacher can provide personalized guidance and ear training exercises. For self-guided learners, technology offers helpful tools.

Consider utilizing apps like SingTrue, designed to aid in pitch training. SingTrue offers interactive exercises that help you identify and match pitches. The app visually represents your pitch on a graph, providing real-time feedback on whether you are singing on, above, or below the intended pitch. This visual aid can be particularly helpful in understanding and correcting pitch inaccuracies.

4. Identify Your Comfortable Vocal Range

Your vocal range is the spectrum of notes your voice can comfortably and healthily produce. While vocal training can expand your range over time, understanding your current range is a crucial starting point.

Using a vocal range chart is a helpful method to determine your vocal range. These charts visually map out different vocal ranges (such as soprano, alto, tenor, bass) and their corresponding notes. Online resources and vocal training websites often provide vocal range charts and guides on how to use them.

Once you’ve identified your vocal range, you’ll have a clearer understanding of which songs and vocal exercises are best suited for you. For example, a singer with a lower range like bass or baritone might find it challenging to sing songs originally performed by higher tenor vocalists in their original key. Similarly, a soprano might strain attempting to sing songs written for lower alto voices.

Knowing your vocal range empowers you to select appropriate warm-ups and songs, preventing vocal strain and fostering successful practice sessions. When searching for vocal warm-up routines or songs to learn, specifying your vocal range in your search query will help you find materials that are tailored to your voice, maximizing your progress and minimizing frustration.

5. Establish and Maintain Proper Singing Posture

Correct posture is foundational to healthy and efficient singing technique. Good posture ensures your body works in harmony with your vocal mechanism, rather than against it. Proper alignment optimizes breath control, resonance, and overall vocal production.

Let’s break down the elements of good singing posture from the ground up:

Foot Placement: Stand with your feet hip-width apart. For right-handed individuals, slightly position your right foot forward; left-handed singers can lead with their left foot. This stance provides balance and stability.
Hip Alignment: Gently tuck your hips under, maintaining a neutral pelvic position. Ensure your knees are relaxed and not locked, allowing for flexibility and preventing tension.
Shoulder Position: Roll your shoulders down and back, allowing your arms to rest naturally at your sides. Avoid hunching or stiffness in the shoulder area.
Chest and Ribcage Elevation: Lift your chest and ribcage in a tall, proud posture. This opens up your breathing capacity and supports optimal airflow. Imagine a string gently pulling your sternum upwards.
Head and Neck Alignment: Imagine a string gently lifting your skull towards the ceiling, lengthening your spine. Your head should be balanced and poised atop your spine, feeling almost weightless. Experiment with gently tucking your chin in and releasing any forward jutting, finding a relaxed, centered position. Avoid tension in the neck muscles.

This posture should evoke a sense of being tall, open, supported, and energized throughout your body. While it might feel unnatural initially, consistent practice will make it more comfortable and automatic.

Two Common Posture Pitfalls to Avoid:

Collapsed Shoulders and Ribs: Be mindful of allowing your shoulders and ribcage to slump or cave inward and downward. Maintain that lifted, open chest.
Forward Chin or Jaw: Guard against jutting your chin or jaw forward. This creates unnecessary tension in the neck and jaw muscles. Keep the head balanced and the jaw relaxed.

Begin each singing practice session by consciously establishing and checking your posture. Consistent attention to posture will lay a solid foundation for healthy vocal technique.

6. Master the “Singer’s Breath” Technique

Breath is the lifeblood of singing. Effective breath control is paramount for vocal consistency, stamina, and overall vocal quality. Learning the “singer’s breath” is crucial for accessing your full vocal potential.

The objective is to take relaxed, silent breaths, typically through the mouth (as your mouth needs to be open for singing), and to breathe in a way that engages your belly, ribs, and back in expansion. This is known as diaphragmatic breathing or belly breathing.

Avoid shallow, chest-dominated breathing, also known as clavicular breathing, where only the chest rises and falls. This type of breathing induces tension in the upper body, which is detrimental to singing.

Instead, consciously relax your abdominal muscles and allow your belly to expand outwards as you inhale and contract as you exhale. If you find this challenging, try these exercises:

Nasal Breathing: Breathe in and out solely through your nose. This can help you become more aware of your breath and encourage deeper inhalation.
Straw Breathing: Pretend you are gently sipping air through a straw. This can help regulate airflow and engage diaphragmatic breathing.
Supine Breathing: Lie on your back and fully relax your belly as you breathe. Gravity can assist in feeling the expansion of your abdomen.

Cultivate the habit of taking deep, relaxed belly breaths throughout your day, even outside of singing practice. This will help train your body for the “singer’s breath,” promoting calmness and efficient breathing patterns.

Important Note: Avoid over-breathing. While deep breathing is essential, taking in excessive air can also create tension. Over time, your body will naturally learn the optimal breath volume needed for different musical phrases. “Deep breathing” doesn’t equate to maximally filling your lungs. Inhaling more air than needed can lead to tension as your body works to restrain the excess air.

7. Engage Core Muscles for Breath Support

Breath support is often a more elusive concept for beginner singers, but understanding and engaging breath support muscles is key to vocal power and control.

Many voice teachers use phrases like “breathe from your diaphragm” or “sing from your diaphragm” when discussing support. The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle situated beneath the lungs, separating the chest cavity from the abdomen. These phrases aim to convey the idea of creating intra-abdominal pressure to manage airflow, so your breath and body support the sound, rather than relying on throat tension.

It’s important to clarify that the diaphragm is an involuntary muscle. During inhalation, the lungs expand, and the diaphragm contracts downward. During exhalation, the lungs contract, and the diaphragm relaxes upwards.

In singing, our goal is to consciously slow down the upward movement of the diaphragm during exhalation (while singing). We achieve this by engaging the muscles of the lower abdomen and pelvic floor. These muscles work antagonistically to the diaphragm, controlling the release of breath and providing support for vocalization.

Experience these support muscles in action with a simple hissing exercise:

Inhale: Take a deep “singer’s breath” through an open mouth, relaxing your belly to allow for full expansion.
Exhale on a Hiss: As you hiss, instead of squeezing your belly muscles inward, gently press them downward and outward. Imagine you’re resisting the inward movement of your abdomen.
Practice the “Down and Out” Engagement: Focus on this subtle downward and outward engagement of the lower belly muscles until it starts to feel more natural and coordinated.
Incorporate Engagement into Hiss Exercises: Combine this “down and out” engagement with structured hissing exercises to strengthen breath support.

Experiment with the “12 Count Hiss Exercise” to practice breath support. Further explore breath support techniques and the role of the pelvic floor with advanced tutorials.

8. Familiarize Yourself with Vocal Warm-up Patterns

Vocal warm-ups are systematic exercises designed to prepare your voice for singing. Many warm-ups are built around musical scales and arpeggios.

The major scale, a foundational musical scale, sounds like the familiar “do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do.” Listen to and practice the major scale exercise to familiarize yourself with its sound and pattern.

Many warm-ups utilize segments of the major scale, such as the “1-2-3-2-1 Exercise” and the “1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1 Exercise”. These exercises focus on stepwise melodic movement within the scale.

Arpeggios are another common warm-up pattern, involving notes from a scale played in leaps rather than steps. The “1-3-5-3-1 Exercise” and the “1-3-5-8-5-3-1 Exercise” are examples of arpeggio-based warm-ups.

Vocal exercises employ a variety of melodic patterns, but many will resemble the examples above, often based on scales and arpeggios.

A typical vocal exercise involves a set pattern (like a scale or arpeggio) that is gradually transposed higher or lower in pitch. The melodic pattern and syllable remain consistent, while you systematically explore your vocal range.

This structured approach is deliberate: vocal exercises train your voice in ways that simply singing songs might not. By traversing every pitch within a pattern, exercises can expose weaker areas in your voice. These weaknesses are often due to underuse (e.g., a weak head voice if you rarely use it) or register transitions (e.g., the “break” between chest and head voice).

Consistent practice with vocal warm-ups will strengthen these weaker areas over time, leading to a more balanced and resilient voice. Consider incorporating online singing lessons for structured guidance and personalized feedback.

9. Engage Your Body and Balance Resonance with Lip Trills

The lip trill, also known as a “bubble lip” or “motorboat,” is a highly effective vocal exercise that offers multiple benefits.

To perform a lip trill, gently bring your lips together and exhale air, causing your lips to vibrate rapidly.

To maximize the benefits of lip trills, ensure you are actively engaging your breath support muscles (lower abdomen) with the “down and out” engagement as you initiate the trill.

Key Advantages of Lip Trills:

Engages Support Muscles: Lip trills effectively engage and train your abdominal support muscles, promoting breath control and stability.
Relaxes Face and Lips: The act of trilling naturally relaxes tension in your face and lips, which can often tighten up during singing.
Provides Vocal Fold Back Pressure: Lip trills create beneficial back pressure on the vocal folds, making it easier for them to adduct (come together) and stretch efficiently.
Facilitates Range and Coordination: Lip trills help establish a relaxed and coordinated vocal production, particularly in challenging areas of your vocal range. If you encounter difficulty with a specific passage in a song or warm-up, try replacing the lyrics or syllable with a lip trill. Practice it on a lip trill until it feels comfortable and relaxed, then reintroduce the original lyrics or syllable.

Explore the “Lip Trill Exercise” to incorporate this valuable technique into your practice. For more in-depth information on lip trills and troubleshooting tips, consult specialized articles on vocal exercises.

10. Create Resonant Space and Neutralize the Larynx with “Dopey Mum”

The “Dopey Mum” exercise is another valuable vocal technique that focuses on resonance and laryngeal relaxation.

This exercise is beneficial for several reasons:

Opens Resonant Space: It encourages the opening of space in the throat and mouth, allowing sound to vibrate and resonate more freely.
Neutralizes Larynx: It helps to keep the larynx (voice box) in a neutral, relaxed position. A tense or elevated larynx can hinder vocal production and range.
Facilitates Higher Pitches and Mixed Voice: By promoting resonance and laryngeal neutrality, this exercise can aid singers in accessing higher pitches and developing their mixed voice coordination (a balanced blend of chest and head voice).

The aim of the “Dopey Mum” exercise is not to produce a beautiful tone initially, but rather to prioritize relaxation and maximize resonant space. Instead of striving for a polished sound, aim for a big, “dopey,” almost yawn-like sound.

Practice the “Dopey MUM Exercise” to experience its benefits. Focus on the sensations of openness and relaxation in your throat and mouth as you perform the exercise.

11. Establish a Consistent Daily Practice Routine

Consistency is paramount in vocal development. Short, frequent practice sessions are generally more effective than infrequent, lengthy “marathon” sessions.

Aim for 10-20 minutes of focused vocal practice daily. If you feel energized and motivated, you can extend your practice time.

Ideally, your daily practice should incorporate these elements:

Choose Optimal Practice Time: Select a time of day when your voice feels and sounds its best. Vocal fatigue can vary throughout the day.
Find a Private Practice Space: Practice in a space where you feel comfortable and have some privacy to experiment and explore your voice without self-consciousness.
Ensure You Can Hear Yourself: Practice in a space where you can clearly hear your voice. This is essential for self-monitoring and making adjustments to your technique.
Always Practice Standing: Practice standing up to maintain proper posture and optimize breath support.

A well-rounded daily vocal practice routine might include:

Deep Breathing Exercises: Begin with diaphragmatic breathing exercises to establish breath control and relaxation.
Stretching: Incorporate gentle stretches for your neck, shoulders, and jaw to release tension and improve flexibility.
Breathing Exercise (Hiss): Include a breath support exercise like the hissing exercise to engage core muscles.
Gentle Vocal Warm-up: Start with gentle warm-ups like lip trills or humming to ease into vocalization.
Easy Vocal Exercises: Progress to easier vocal exercises focusing on vowel sounds, resonance, and pitch accuracy.
More Challenging Exercises: Gradually introduce more challenging exercises that target belting, dynamics, agility, and range extension.
Ear Training and/or Song Work: Dedicate time to ear training exercises to improve pitch recognition and musicality. Work on songs to apply your vocal technique in a musical context.
Cool-down: Finish with a vocal cool-down, such as a siren or lip trill descending in pitch. Conclude with gentle stretches and massage to relax vocal muscles.

12. Practice an Open Mouth Position for Breathing and Singing

Many beginner singers tend to sing with a relatively closed mouth position, which can be restrictive and lead to jaw tension. Opening your mouth wider is crucial for achieving optimal tone and volume without straining.

Since your mouth needs to be open for singing, it’s logical to also breathe through an open mouth. While nasal breathing is more hydrating, mouth breathing is practical for singers. Stay hydrated by drinking water frequently. During instrumental breaks in songs, you can breathe through your nose to rehydrate.

To find your optimal open mouth position for singing:

Relax Your Jaw: Consciously relax your jaw muscles, allowing your mouth to drop open naturally.
Engage Your Facial Muscles: Gently lift your cheeks and eyebrows, as if you’re about to smile or express surprise. This engages facial muscles and contributes to resonance.

That’s it! While conceptually simple, maintaining this open mouth position while singing can be challenging. The natural tendency is for the jaw to tighten and close. To check for adequate space, try placing a finger between your upper and lower teeth. Unless you are closing your mouth for a consonant sound, you should generally maintain at least this much space. For higher pitches, louder dynamics, and open vowels (like “AH,” “UH,” and “OH”), you’ll often need even more space, perhaps two fingers’ width. However, ensure this openness is relaxed and not forced to the point of jaw strain or locking.

Continuously remind yourself to relax your jaw and allow it to move freely as you sing.

13. Utilize a Mirror for Self-Monitoring

Singing in front of a mirror is a valuable practice tool, especially for singers who are learning independently without a private teacher. A mirror allows you to visually monitor your posture, tension levels, and mouth position.

Specifically, observe yourself for these common issues:

Jaw or Chin Protrusion: Check if your jaw or chin is jutting forward, indicating tension.
Rounded Shoulders: Be aware of your shoulders rolling forward, which can restrict breathing.
Collapsed Ribcage: Monitor for a collapsing ribcage, hindering breath support.
Jaw Stiffness or Clenching: Observe for any visible tension or clenching in your jaw muscles.
Neck Muscle Strain: Look for straining or bulging neck muscles, indicating excessive tension.

Remember, good posture is the foundation for efficient breathing and singing, and unnecessary tension is detrimental to vocal freedom and quality. Regular mirror practice helps you develop self-awareness and correct these habits.

14. Understand Your Vocal Registers

Vocal registers are distinct areas within your vocal range characterized by different vocal qualities and physiological production mechanisms. The two primary registers you’ll use for singing are chest voice and head voice.

To experience chest voice, place your hand on your chest and speak a phrase in your normal speaking voice, such as “hello, my name is [your name].” You should feel vibrations in your chest. This sensation is due to sympathetic resonance, though the chest itself doesn’t directly produce the sound. Chest voice is typically associated with the lower part of your vocal range and is often described as having a richer, fuller quality.

Now, experiment to experience head voice. Try these actions and notice how the chest vibrations diminish or disappear:

Hoot like an owl: Imitate the sound of an owl.
Do a Mickey Mouse impression: Attempt a Mickey Mouse voice.
Make a siren noise: Sing a smooth, gliding siren sound upwards.

These sounds are produced primarily in your head voice or falsetto register, which is associated with the upper part of your vocal range. Head voice often has a lighter, brighter, and sometimes airier quality compared to chest voice.

While there are other vocal registers (like vocal fry below chest voice and whistle register above head voice), chest voice and head voice are the most frequently used in singing. Eventually, you’ll learn to blend these registers to create a mixed voice or middle voice.

For song work and most exercises, sing in the register that feels most comfortable for the given pitch range. Exercises spanning a wide range will naturally involve register shifts. Some exercises are specifically designed to strengthen either chest voice or head voice. If an exercise becomes too high or low for your current register comfort, it’s okay to stop rather than strain.

Practice exercises specifically designed for head voice and chest voice to develop control and strength in each register.

15. Develop Control Over Your Soft Palate

The soft palate is the soft tissue located at the back of the roof of your mouth, behind the hard palate. Its position significantly impacts the resonance of your voice.

Lifting the soft palate creates more space in your mouth and throat, resulting in a rounder, more resonant, and “ringy” tone. Soft palate lift also improves intonation (pitch accuracy, especially preventing flatness), aids in accessing higher head voice range, and reduces nasality by closing off the nasal passage.

The easiest way to experience soft palate lift is to initiate a yawn—feel that expansion in the back of your mouth? Try to maintain that lifted soft palate position as you sing. This takes practice and conscious effort.

Additional Tips to Encourage Soft Palate Lift:

Raise Your Eyebrows: Lifting your eyebrows can reflexively encourage soft palate lift.
Raise Your Cheeks (Smile): Smiling, even subtly, can help lift the soft palate.
Flare Your Nostrils: While it might seem unusual, gently flaring your nostrils can also contribute to soft palate elevation for some singers.

Experiment with these techniques and practice exercises designed to encourage soft palate lift.

16. Strive for a Balanced Vocal Onset

Vocal onset refers to how you initiate a note. The quality of your onset significantly impacts the note’s clarity, strength, and overall tone. Professional singers aim for a balanced onset, where breath airflow and phonation (vibration of the vocal folds) begin simultaneously.

Less desirable onsets include breathy and glottal onsets. A breathy onset occurs when airflow precedes phonation, resulting in a weak, airy, and breathy sound. A glottal onset happens when the vocal folds close too tightly before airflow begins, often producing a hard, percussive attack. Say the phrase “uh-oh” – the initial “uh” demonstrates a glottal onset.

For singers who tend towards a breathy onset, practice firmer vocal fold closure by initiating notes with a gentle “G” or “B” consonant sound before the vowel.

For singers with a glottal onset, soften the onset by beginning notes with a voiced consonant like “L,” “M,” or “Y” before the vowel. These consonants encourage a smoother, more gentle vocal fold approximation.

Practice onset exercises to develop a balanced and healthy vocal onset technique.

17. Shape Vowels for Optimal Tone

Vowel articulation in singing differs slightly from conversational speech. In general, opening your vowels slightly more than you would in speech often produces a richer, more resonant tone. For example, the “EE” vowel sound can often sound better in singing when modified closer to an “IH” (as in “sit”) sound, especially in higher registers, while keeping the jaw relaxed and slightly dropped.

When practicing vowel shaping, listen carefully to the vowel sounds in vocal exercises. Practice maintaining a relatively stable and relaxed jaw position as you transition through different vowel shapes.

Keep stylistic considerations in mind. Classical singing often employs very pure, open vowels. Pop music tends towards more neutral, conversational vowel pronunciation. Country music may use wider, flatter vowel sounds. Use your ear as your guide to determine the vowel shapes that sound best and are stylistically appropriate for the genre you’re singing.

Practice vowel exercises to refine your vowel articulation for singing.

18. Extend Your Range with SOVTs and Narrow Vowels

Semi-occluded vocal tract exercises (SOVTs) can be highly effective for extending your vocal range, both higher and lower.

SOVTs involve partially obstructing the vocal tract (primarily your throat and mouth). The lip trill is a prime example of an SOVT. Other SOVT exercises include:

Singing through a straw
“BB” sound (vibrating lips together)
“VV” or “ZZ” sounds
“NG,” “NN,” or “MM” (humming)

SOVT exercises work by reducing the air pressure needed for phonation and creating beneficial back pressure on the vocal folds. This configuration makes it easier for the vocal folds to stretch and vibrate efficiently, facilitating range extension.

While the underlying physiological mechanisms are complex, the practical benefit is that SOVT exercises, along with narrow vowels like “OO” and “EE,” can make it easier to sing notes at the edges of your range.

When a vocal exercise becomes challenging to sing on an open vowel or syllable, experiment with using an SOVT or a narrow vowel to facilitate smoother production and range extension.

19. Enhance Agility with Fast-Paced Exercises

Vocal agility is the ability to sing rapid melodic passages with precision and ease. If you aspire to sing pop and R&B runs, classical melismas, or uptempo jazz, agility training is essential.

Developing agility, like any vocal skill, involves strengthening and coordinating small vocal muscles. You shouldn’t experience muscle soreness, but you might initially feel a sense of clumsiness as you attempt to sing faster than your voice is accustomed to.

When working on agility exercises:

Use Narrower Vowels: Narrow vowels like “OO” or “EE” can facilitate faster vocal movement.
Practice at Softer Dynamics: Start practicing agility exercises at a softer volume (less intensity).
Increase Speed Gradually: Focus on accuracy first, then gradually increase speed. Singing fast with poor intonation is counterproductive. Prioritize precise pitch and rhythm over speed initially, and increase tempo as your accuracy improves.

Practice agility exercises to enhance your vocal dexterity and speed.

20. Advance Your Ear Training Skills

Beyond basic pitch matching, developing advanced ear training skills is crucial for musicality and vocal versatility. Ear training involves learning to identify and sing musical intervals, chords, and melodies by ear.

Improved ear training will enhance your ability to harmonize, sing in ensembles, and even compose your own songs.

Working with a voice teacher who incorporates ear training is highly beneficial. For self-directed learning, consider utilizing ear training courses specifically designed for singers.

Similar to pitch matching, you’ll need a method to verify your accuracy in ear training. This could be a trained ear (a teacher) or ear training software or apps that provide feedback on your pitch and interval recognition.

If you’re also interested in learning to read sheet music, sight-reading resources are available to help you develop this skill.

21. Infuse Your Singing with Style

While solid vocal technique is foundational, stylistic elements are what bring personality and artistry to your singing. Once you have established good technique, layering in stylistic choices will elevate your performances.

Stylistic elements should be added as the “cherry on top” after building a strong technical base. This approach creates a more versatile and expressive singer overall.

Explore these stylistic elements and experiment with incorporating them into your song performances:

Vibrato (or Straight Tone): Control over vibrato (a subtle, pulsating variation in pitch) and straight tone (singing without vibrato) is a key stylistic element.
Vocal Fry: Vocal fry (a creaky, low-register vocal effect) can add texture and expressiveness.
Runs and Melismas: Practice vocal runs (rapid scales) and melismas (singing multiple notes on one syllable) for stylistic flair.
Improvisation: Develop improvisational skills to add spontaneous variations to melodies.
Intentional Breathiness/Whisper-Singing: Use breathiness or whisper-singing for intimate or emotional effect.
Slides/Scoops/Falls: Incorporate slides (gliding up to a note), scoops (gliding up from below), and falls (gliding down from a note) for stylistic expression.
Back Phrasing: Experiment with back phrasing, intentionally singing slightly behind or ahead of the beat for rhythmic nuance.
Dynamics (Volume): Master dynamic control, varying volume for expressive purposes.
Articulation: Explore legato (smooth, connected notes) and staccato (short, detached notes) articulation.
Pronunciation: Pay attention to pronunciation, including vowel sounds and consonant modifications. Different genres and styles often have characteristic pronunciation patterns.

Explore vocal style tutorials to learn more about these elements and how to apply them.

22. Learn from Diverse Musical Genres

Even if you have a preferred genre, listening to and singing in different genres can significantly broaden your vocal horizons and help you discover your unique style. Regardless of your primary genre preference (rock, jazz, country, etc.), you can gain valuable insights into vocal technique and stylization from other genres.

As you listen to various genres, actively try to identify and emulate the distinct vocal effects you hear.

Here are some genre-specific vocal characteristics to explore:

Country: “Twang” resonance, Southern accent (flattened vowels), slides and scoops, brassy chest voice belt, yodeling.
Pop: Vocal fry, runs, clear distinction between chest voice and light falsetto, whisper-singing, high belty mix.
Rock: Gritty chest voice, slides, vowel modification, strong high mix, distortion, prominent vibrato (used as an effect).
Jazz: Minimal vibrato (except as an effect), scatting (instrumental vocal solos using syllables), back phrasing.
R&B: Smooth and rich chest voice, intricate runs, improvisation, growls, slightly wider/slower vibrato.
Classical: Pure and open vowels, consistent vibrato, wide dynamic range, vowel modification, “covered” tone.
Musical Theater: Liberal vibrato, clear enunciation, emotional delivery, wide dynamic range, supported belt sound (chest and mix).

23. Start Singing Harmonies

A great way to begin singing harmony is to learn harmony parts from songs you enjoy. Instead of always singing the lead melody, actively listen for background vocal harmonies and try to sing along with one of the harmony parts.

Focus on the chorus of songs, where harmonies are often more prominent. Try to identify and sing along with a backing vocalist’s harmony line.

Beginner tip: it’s often easier to distinguish harmony parts when the voices are distinct in timbre. Choose songs with contrasting lead and harmony voices (e.g., female lead, male harmony, or vice versa) to help you isolate the harmony part you want to learn.

Explore resources and tutorials specifically designed for learning how to sing harmony for more guidance and tips.

24. Connect with Fellow Musicians

Singing is often enriched by sharing it with others. Connecting with other singers and instrumentalists can be incredibly rewarding and motivating.

Here are ideas for connecting with the music community:

Join Choirs: Participate in community, church, or school choirs.
Collaborate with Instrumentalists: Team up with instrumentalist friends to play and sing together.
Online Music Communities: Explore online music communities to connect with fellow singers locally or globally.
Open Mic Nights: Attend open mic nights to support other performers and potentially perform yourself.
Local Music Stores: Check if local music stores host jam sessions or open mic events.
Music Classes: Research singing lessons (private or group), community college music courses, instrumental lessons, and summer music programs offered by libraries, community centers, or local organizations.

25. Celebrate Milestones and Set New Goals

Acknowledge and celebrate your progress and dedication! Treat yourself to something you enjoy or share your accomplishments with friends or family.

Take time to reflect on your singing journey. Revisit the goals you initially set and ask yourself these questions:

Did you meet your initial expectations for your goals?
Did your goals or the steps to achieve them evolve over time?
How will you approach your next singing goals based on your experiences?

Looking ahead, identify new areas you want to explore in your singing. Perhaps you’ve encountered a vocal technique you want to master, or discovered a new genre that intrigues you.

Whatever your next steps, write them down. Make your new goals specific and realistic, break them into smaller tasks, and continue your vocal journey with renewed purpose and enthusiasm!