“Am I doing it right?” This is a common problem for serious singers. They take lessons with an experienced teacher, who guides them into vocal balance – only to find themselves frustrated when they try to reproduce this in their home during practice time.
One of the key skills a voice teacher provides is the ability to be outside ears for the singer. The teacher can quickly analyze the problem and correct the singer’s imbalances. It is much harder to hear these imbalances on your own. There are however a few ways to get yourself closer to vocal balance and to make your practice sessions effective.
Ask And Ye Shall Receive
I believe it is important to know why you have been given a particular exercise. If you don’t understand the reasons behind an exercise it will be that much harder to practice it correctly.
Make sure to ask your voice teacher why they are choosing exercises and adjustments for your voice. They should be able to provide a clear and concise answer (if not, you might want to start searching out other teachers).
Take A Mental Picture (during your lesson!)
Your teacher has a very different experience of your voice. They must guide entirely by sound – you must guide by a strange combination of sound and physical sensation. The sound and sensations of a properly sung note are often counter-intuitive, especially in higher notes.
When your teacher has guided you into the proper spot, take a mental snapshot of the event. Be aware of how it feels and sounds and (most importantly) the adjustments you made to get there. The more you repeat this mental exercise the greater awareness you will build of your own voice. You will also be better able to recreate proper balance on your own.
Record Yourself
Record your practice session each day to monitor improvement. The first time you listen to a recording of yourself, you may not like it. That’s a perfectly normal reaction. Performing artists spend big bucks in the recording studio, but they may not sound so perfect at home. The third time you hear yourself on a recording, you’ll be used to the sound.
Listen for the details, such as the precision of the vowel. Does it sound like an ah or uh? The two vowels are similar, but you need to be able to distinguish them in the exercise and in the text of the song. Record yourself saying ah and uh so that you learn to feel and hear the difference. Then go back and listen to the recording.
You can also listen for silent inhalation (no gasping for air), smooth transitions between registers, varied sounds that you choose to create a vocal journey in your song, or dynamic variations.
If you have a video camera handy, videotape yourself regularly to check out your body language. Watch the video three times in a row, to get used to your sound on video. You can even watch the video without sound to really focus on your body movement. Video cameras usually have better recording quality than a cellphone, but a phone will work if that’s what you have available.
sources:
http://johnhenny.com/2013/01/14/3-tips-to-help-you-practice-correctly/
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/practicing-your-singing-correctly.html