What makes the lyrics of a song so memorable? The voice of the singer and their vocal tone. Vocal tone is what makes every singer’s voice unique and memorable. That is how emotions are conveyed which allows the listeners to truly get a feel of the song. Whether it’s bright, fast, edgy, slow, romantic or melancholic, having the tone right can ensure that the song remains close to the listeners.
However, improving your vocal tone isn’t just about singing better. Through online vocal lessons and different vocal exercises, you can make a singing style that is unique to you, one that reflects your feelings and emotions. Developing your style through vocal music classes will make it feel more authentic and that in turn will make it more engaging.
But before that…
If you’re really excited to start your journey in music and improve your vocals, start with a free trial lesson today!
So, how do you do this? How do you improve your vocal tone? Well, Artium Academy is right here to help you with this guide below.
Breathing Techniques That Help
While taking vocal music classes, breathing is a major aspect you will touch upon. Ensuring that your breathing technique is proper will allow you to perform much better. Proper breathing can achieve a strong and clear vocal tone and improve your control throughout a performance. Having this under your control will help you connect with your audience more efficiently.
Diaphragmatic breathing is the way to go. By engaging their diaphragm to take full, deep breaths, singers can sustain their notes and produce a richer and more resonant song. This type of breathing supports your vocal cords and helps you produce power and be flexible.
To practise deep breathing, place one hand on your abdomen and the other on your chest. Inhale deeply through your nose and aim to expand your abdomen as you fill your lungs. Your chest should remain still as your stomach rises and falls. This engages the diaphragm, providing the foundation for steady, controlled airflow. Keep working on this till you feel comfortable. After that, you can move on to sing a phrase within a single breath. Your best step is to focus on when you exhale so that you have enough breath to support the singing. Being able to perform this without any strain may take time but it will help control your tone, sustain notes for longer and bring depth to your singing. Performing this just before your vocal music classes can help you advance your technique more smoothly.
Maintaining Your Posture and Alignment
Having a proper posture is good for your physical health, as it also supports you while singing. While sitting or standing upright in a relaxed state, you will be able to create space for your breath to flow more smoothly and easily. That will reduce the strain on your vocal cords and help you produce a richer, fuller sound. To make this practice consistent, consider keeping your posture in mind while taking online vocal lessons.
To practise having a good posture, stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Relax your shoulders and have them fall naturally instead of keeping them tight and tense. Have your neck aligned with your spine and face forward. Having such an alignment will help you breathe more deeply and make your voice clearer. With good posture, you’ll find it easier to control your tone, hit higher notes, and sing longer phrases without straining your voice.
Performing Vocal Warm-ups and Understanding Resonance
While taking online vocal classes, it is essential to perform a kind of vocal warmup. Warming up can help you perform at your best and also help in protecting your vocal cords. It can also make it easier for you to perform certain complex techniques easily. Here are a few warm-ups that you can perform for your vocals:
- Scales: Sing through a simple scale. Ensure that you go up and down in pitch, as it will help your cords to stretch gradually.
- Lip Trills: Make a ‘brrr’ sound with your mouth by gently blowing air through your closed lips. This will help encourage control and relaxation.
- Hums: Humming can help wake your vocal cords gently and help in enhancing resonance.
Practising these voice warm-ups takes only a few minutes but the effects that they have on your voice can make a big difference in how you sound to your audience.
Another major aspect of singing is resonance. Through your vocal classes online, you will come to learn that it is the natural amplification of your voice that is created by vibrations from different parts of your body, such as your head, mouth and chest. This resonance gives depth, richness, and fullness to your vocal tone. Singers can achieve a balanced and resonant sound that is powerful and controlled by directing vibrations to different areas in your body.
When you sing, the vibration in specific parts of your body will allow you to produce different notes and pitches. For example: lower notes resonate from the chest, creating a warm, deep sound and higher notes tend to resonate in the head, which creates a sound that is light and bright.
If you wish to understand resonance, try humming and focus on where the vibrations are coming from. Start low and then slowly build it up.
Word Articulation and Vocal Muscles
As a performer, it is important that what you’re conveying to the audience is understood by them. In the case of singers, your diction and clarity are essential for a polished vocal tone. When you pronounce your words clearly, it not only improves the quality of your delivery but also adds crispness and precision to your voice. This helps in ensuring that your audience understands the lyrics and makes your singing sound professional and engaging.
To practise your diction, try some simple exercises that you will use during vocal classes online that focus on enunciating the syllable without straining your mouth or jaw.
Here are a few:
- Tongue Twisters: Try to say or sing certain phrases such as “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.” Start slowly and pick up pace as you aim to reach a higher level.
- Vowel and Consonant Drills: You can practise singing the vowels (a,e,i,o,u). Aim to sing it clearly and precisely. You can then bring in the consonants and work on articulation.
- Lip and Tongue Trills: Gently trill your lips or tongue to relax your mouth muscles and reduce tension.
While taking vocal classes online like at Artium Academy, you will eventually come across vocal muscle exercises. These are essential to developing tone stability and control and help singers produce a consistent and well-supported sound. By strengthening the muscles involved in singing, singers can hold both higher and lower notes for longer.
Here are a few exercises that you can do during online vocal lessons, to help you get going:
- Slides: Sliding is a vocal exercise where you smoothly glide or ‘slide’ from one pitch to another without any breaks in your voice. Sing a note, then slide up or down a few steps, focusing on keeping your tone even as you transition between pitches. Slides will help you smooth out shifts between notes and build strength.
- Sustained Notes: Hold a single note for as long as possible, focusing on keeping the tone steady. This will help in improving your breath control and in maintaining your tone for extended periods.
Discover Your Unique Tone
The last step is for you to find a tone that you resonate with. One way for you to discover your tone is through listening exercises. While taking online vocal lessons, you will learn how to identify different tone qualities and explore what elements resonate with you.
Why not try out these vocal exercises to help you discover your tone?
- Tone Characteristics: Take a few singers whose voices you admire, especially ones with different tones. While listening to them, try to understand specific aspects of their singing – whether it’s bright, airy, warm or powerful. Try to understand how they shift emotions and their tone throughout a song.
- Mimic and Experiment: Take a short phrase from a song that you love. Listen to it and try to understand the tone, pitch and style the singer has gone for. Try to mimic the singer, adjusting when needed. This can help you learn how different adjustments create different tones.
- Explore Your Preferences: After experiencing other singers and their styles, try to make your own. Take different aspects for singers and combine qualities that you enjoy and are comfortable to sing with. Record yourself and use it as a foundation to build your style.
Conclusion
Developing a vocal tone that is unique to you will take time. It will take learning and practice over a while but that will be worth it. Having your tone will allow you to have a more richer and powerful take on music. This will be enhanced with the help of vocal classes online. Your voice will continue to grow and evolve, and the process of exploring and improving is rewarding in itself. Being patient and being self-aware is essential. Listen closely to your voice and notice how each change, even a slight one, can shape your tone.
With the help of online vocal lessons by us at Artium Academy, you can build your tone and style with the help of teachers who have established themselves in the musical world. With the help of their expert advice, your voice will reach new dimensions and your path will be easier.
If you truly wish to make and improve your vocal tone, we at Artium Academy are here to help you.
