Practice! Practice! Practice! How to practice singing

When I get asked “How do I practice singing?”, I am tempted to say “Just as you would any other instrument”. But then, not all singers play another instrument. So, here we are.

Firstly, it helps to reframe the concept of practicing. If you are a procrastinator or avoider, don’t call it practice. Secretly disguise it as ‘singing more’ and remain aware and mindful whenever you sing. Sneak in as much warming-up and singing into your day as opportunity allows (for example, while doing housework, during lunch-breaks, instead of watching television, while in transit – especially while walking).

Try not to scare yourself with the assumption that you have to practice for hours a day and then beat yourself up when you don’t. It is far better to do a little rather than none, so make it achievable and do-able, rather than an impossible dream that never gets realized (like a really strict diet that lasts only a couple days). Take ten to twenty minutes when the moment allows. Enjoy the process.

If you are not scared by structure, then ‘ring-fence’ your practice time and make it just as, if not MORE important, than your day job. Why shouldn’t it be? For many of us, it IS our day job! Paul McLaney told me he practices two hours a day then writes two hours a day. Songwriters like Nick Cave operate to this kind of disciplined schedule also. Try it.

Many people feel self-conscious and inhibited practicing in ear-shot of other people. This is the reason I go for walks to practice and warm-up. However, you’d be amazed at how little sound actually seeps through a closed door. Singing practice won’t normally be heard over a TV, and, it will train you to sing without pushing (not making volume your primary goal).

Use a list of ‘preferred vocal qualities’ as your guide and focus on one of these goals at a time. For example, if you had ‘smooth-ness’ as a desired goal, systematically work through the tools that will achieve this. You might have a tendency towards hard/glottal onsets. In which case, practice solely ‘good onsets’ using ‘Ng’ and then, perhaps ‘gentleness’, to assess which tool achieves the desired result. If you’re always practicing randomly, you’ll be less able to account for what is working (and what is not).

Know thyself. Use practice as a way of experimenting fearlessly with your voice. Find out which tools you need to work on and really apply these registering your effort level so that you can find out how much is too much and how much is too little. Keep a practice log in your journal so that any moments of epiphany or breakthroughs are documented. Practice should build on each session (rather than having a concept under your belt one day, then not finding it the next).

“Honesty is such a lonely word”. Troubleshoot your songs. Once you have memorized the lyrics and melody, check that any bad habits aren’t coming through. For example, if you are known to sing flat: – energize the sound, use your whole body to sing, open up for your top register, look down on the notes to land gently on top of them, facially anchor, eradicate the breath and engage emotionally with the song. If you are prone to singing sharp: – stop pushing! Listen for the beauty, sing with your ears, hear the note in your head before you sing it, sing through a hum in the forehead and ‘try a little tenderness’. If you are trying to think of more than one thing at a time – your brain might explode! Remember that singing is a ‘doing’ not a thinking activity.

If you are not sure what you are doing right or wrong – record yourself and listen openheartedly to the play back with the list of desired qualities you used to guide your practice, in mind.

Never underestimate the power of repetition. The more experienced you are, the more humble you become about the time it takes to really get a song nailed. There is no shame in going over and over and over a problem phrase (‘looping it’ like a broken record).

Meditate on the rudiments and how the instrument works. Think of a formula 1 driver. She knows her car so well that she is sensitive to the feel of the engine and the way it handles to such an extent that she can adjust her driving accordingly (and according to the conditions of the track). She doesn’t stand at the pit stop, scratching her head asking “I just don’t know what’s wrong with it”. We have to know our instruments and when we practice, it’s a great way to find out about them.

Try to practice in ‘test match conditions’. If you sing hard out in a rock band, then get a recording of the band without vocals so that you can crank it up and practice along (as well as full band rehearsing). If you play and sing, then practice standing up with amplification so that you can better understand and work with projection and posture. The vocal cords don’t know if it’s a practice in your bedroom or a stadium gig at Wembley Arena. So, perform songs from start to finish with a full dynamic map of where you want to go and go there. Don’t hold back! If you’re always waiting till the gig for the magic to happen, you’re training your muscles into remembering half-hearted performances. You’re also leaving way too much to chance which is very dangerous for a professional vocalist.