Basic Singing Technique

I picked these tips up from my girlfriend and my father who have had singing lessons, as well as my mother who has taught singing to her students.

In vocal technique there are certain basic principles that, more or less, apply to all singers regardless of singing style or genre. Two core principles are this: the force of the voice must be supported from the diaphragm muscle, and that the sound should resonate upwards and outwards through the mouth and nasal cavity. The first principle can be accomplished by using the push of the belly muscles, rather than the direct contraction of the rib cage, to push air through the throat. The second principle is harder to explain, but it involves learning vocal control which allows one to shape the mouth and throat so that sound from the vocal cords resonates well in the front of the head.

This is hard to do without feedback, though. One way to get feedback is by getting voice lessons. You can also listen to yourself carefully, but this is sometimes misleading because when your sound is actually resonating correctly, sometimes it will actually sound quieter to your own ears. You can record yourself to hear what your voice sounds like to others: your voice will sound brighter and clearer when it is being projected upwards and outwards correctly. Another test is to touch the bridge of your nose to feel whether the vibrations from your singing are resonating through your nasal passage. If you are correctly using the head itself as a resonating box for your own voice, you will feel some vibration on the ridge of your nose.

A final tip I have been given is that in increasing the volume of your voice, do not try to force the sound through your upper register. This is not as effective and may damage your voice and over time cause nodes. Instead, make yourself support your sound using your diaphragm, and over time that muscle will get stronger which will increase your volume.