Is your vocal performance suffering because you can'thold long notes? To impress your audience, you need to be
able to sustain long notes with quality and control.
Luckily, you can learn to hold those notes by changing
the way you breathe and the way you sing. Here are 5
helpful tips for turbocharging your singing stamina:
Tip 1: Identify Your Diaphragm
Your diaphragm offers singing support, helping you belt
out tunes with power and stamina. To identify it, think of
the muscle in your stomach that heaves when you enjoy a
good laugh.
Another way to identify your diaphragm is to exhale as
hard as you can, or shout, "HA!" The muscle that squeezes
hardest is your diaphragm. It is located just under your
ribcage.
On long notes, you should be expending enough breath to
engage your diaphragm. Practice engaging your diaphragm by
dinging shorter, lower notes. Once you feel comfortable
doing this, move on to longer, higher notes.
Tip 2: Control Your Breathing
Take a deep breath before long notes, but don't fill
your lungs completely. If you do, they might respond by
rushing to push out the air. This will interfere with the
quality of your singing.
Instead, breathe just deeply enough to expand your
stomach a bit. Release the air conservatively as you sing
the note. Let your vocal chords do the work, with some
support from your diaphragm.
You will learn that you don't have to use a lot of
breath to sustain a long note. Ration it out, and your
notes will last much longer.
Tip 3: Practice Good Posture
It's hard to hold a note when you're all hunched over.
When you sing a challenging note, be sure to stand up
straight and expand your chest. That will help you project
the note and keep your breathing under control.
Also, avoid locking your knees when you perform.
Keeping your knees locked can hamper blood flow and make
you feel light-headed. Instead, stand with your shoulders
and hips in line, with your knees very slightly bent.
Practice singing a favorite song with good posture and
without, and compare the quality of the sound and the ease
with which you can sing the notes. Chances are you'll hear
a big difference when you use good posture.
The ultimate goal is to stand up straight and tall
without tensing your shoulders. If your body is tense,
your vocal chords could follow suit, making it much harder
to hold a long note.
Tip 4: Use the Trill Technique
This one looks a little funny, so you might want to do
it privately. Basically, learn to trill your lips until
they vibrate like a tiny motor. This can take some
practice, but is a powerful breath control technique.
The amount of breath pressure it takes to gently trill
your lips is about the same amount of breath pressure you
will use to hold long notes when you sing. With some
practice, you can learn to use the minimum amount of
breath necessary.
Trilling itself is difficult for many people, but don't
give up! Go online to find tutorials on lip trilling and
voice development.
Tip 5: Start Soft
Long notes take work, so start slow by singing them
softly. Once you get the feel for it, try gradually
increasing your volume and breath pressure. You can also
try holding a note in your regular speaking tone.
Do this every day, getting a little longer and a little
louder each day. To measure your progress, time yourself
when you begin, and time yourself after one week of
practice. You will see and hear a difference!
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Voice Lessons & Tips on Singing : How to Sing with Your Diaphragm
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