How to improve vocal control for singers and actors
Voice training includes posture, relaxation, muscular support, breath, tone, articulation, vibration, resonance, tune, rhythm, storytelling and movement of the body.
It’s an actor’s job to bring emotion and purpose to his acting. The pitch and variation of the actor’s voice play an important role in making the performance look as realistic as possible.
Following are the tips for singers, actors, screen performers and other individuals who have a demanding routine regarding their voice.
- Always warm-up
You must warm up before every rehearsal, every performance, and every audition. Try to incorporate some peaceful voice warm-up exercise in your work routine as even 5 minutes dedicated to this will make a huge difference.
2. Practice sight reading
You often have to read scripts or books, Out loud! It is an integral constituent of every audition and you get better at it the more you do it. You must look up at the end as this will make you look more convincing.
3. Breathe at punctuation
Punctuation serves to divide the text into process-able thoughts and therefore it helps you in making a sense of what you are reading. For understanding the character’s thoughts in a better way it is crucial that you breathe at the punctuation. However, you need to be careful with this because if you did it wrong then the speech might be transformed into a list.
4. Relax the jaw
This is very important because it makes space in the mouth allowing the tongue to freely move. As this is the section of mouth which allows us to articulate sounds by actually making shapes. Hence it helps a lot with oral resonance. You can feel the difference by saying “ahhhhh’ with a tense jaw and then with an eased jaw.
5. Strengthen your tongue
You should try exercises like easing up your jaw as it opens and then pointing out your tongue. Then touch it to the bottom lip, bottom teeth, top lip, top teeth, the floor of the mouth and the hard palate. Then repeat this cycle 4-6 times and keeping breathing while you do this.
6. Shape the words
Every word has an entirely different combination of consonants and vowels which give it an individual sound when spoken. You should try to be more aware of the physical sensation when you speak these, especially when you practice sight reading.
7. Practice good alignment
Your voice is carried by your body. When your posture is aligned perfectly then your voice produces a great effect. Assume your pelvis as the founding stone for your spine and then try to stand tall via your back such that your neck takes a straight position rather than being curved.
8. Yawn
This exercise is the easiest one and all of us can do it quite easily. When you yawn then it is one of the best voice exercises that you are unknowingly doing. It is a great voice exercise because it reduces the constriction in your throat. You should do this as an exercise whenever you can and you should also make it a part of your warm-up routine.
9. Breathe consciously
Breathing is the powerhouse which backs your voice. But you can mistakenly restrict it once in a while if you forget inhaling, mostly it happens when you are shocked or stressed. It can result in shallow and rough vocal performance. So, you should tend to allow a deeper breath in and take a note of your stomach muscle contraction for helping the diaphragm in pushing the air out of your body.
10. Drink water
Staying well hydrated is one of the most important things for maintaining your vocal health. You should drink at least a few liters of water every day. And if possible carry a water bottle so that you can easily take it when doing intensive vocals.
Improving your vocal endurance by using Expand-A-Lung
Using a breathing resistance exerciser like Expand-A-Lung is a great idea if you are hoping to increase your vocal endurance and increase your vocal control.
Here is how you can do it effectively,
- First, stand straight and make sure that you are comfortable.
- Then gently place the Expand-A-Lung breathing resistance in your mouth.
- You should start at the mildest breathing resistance for setting this up turn the knob to the extreme left.
- Then start inhaling and exhaling while gradually increasing the breathing resistance as you turn the knob to the right.
- Keep turning the knob to the right until you find a resistance which challenges you but at the same time make sure that it’s comfortable.
- Keep inhaling until your lungs are completely filled then start exhaling after a moment until your lungs are completely empty.
- Repeat this sequence 10 times and then gently remove the Expand-A-Lung.
- You should then take your time for catching your breath.
- You should start by incorporating 3-4 sets of Expand-A-Lung in your daily routine.
- As your vocal muscles and the respiratory system becomes stronger you can increase the number of sets. Then you should play with the resistance settings as well and start doing your sets at an increased breathing resistance.
The Expand-A-Lung method strengthens your respiratory system, it focuses on the diaphragm and connected muscles. Your breathing capacity will improve as these muscles become strong and it will become easy for you to perform any kind of vocals without running out of breath. This is very useful for performers of all kinds especially actors and sin
