Singing in a choir requires lots of warm-ups.
Choir singers must perform warm-up exercises so they can prepare for their rehearsals and keep their voices in the best possible condition. When you sing, you need to be able to breathe correctly and utilize proper vocal techniques so you are loud enough and do not run out of air, and therefore, voice! This is especially true when you sing with a choir. Exercises involve everything from posture to breathing to tone.
Relax and Watch Your Posture
Do not take posture for granted. When you sing, whether solo or with a group, much of your success comes from proper breathing techniques. You must avoid taking gasping breaths in between pauses when you are singing; therefore, you need to make use of your abdominal muscles. Abdominal breathing requires excellent posture. Relax and take a deep breath. Stand up straight. Point your chin forward and keep your head level. Point your toes forward and distribute your weight evenly on your heels and soles. Confirm that your posture is correct by placing your hand on your stomach while you sing. You should feel your stomach expanding as it fills with your deep breath.
Breathing Exercises
Learn to breathe. Cradle your belly by placing your palms at the bottom of your rib cage so your fingers splay across your abdomen and touch each other. Take a deep breath and note how your fingertips separate. Now hiss, sustaining it for a full minute while keeping your rib cage and sternum elevated. Inhale and then hiss five times in a staccato. Inhale again and this time hiss twice staccato and once sustained. Inhale and sing a syllable such as "saaah" in a midrange voice. Proper breathing will help you eventually hold notes longer without running out of air or voice.
Nasal Exercises
A good singer will not produce a nasal voice, but a balanced voice will include some nasality in the sound. To see whether you are striking the proper balance, sing something while pinching your nostrils. If the sound of your singing does not change as a result of you pinching your nostrils, then your singing is not nasal. If it changes very slightly, then it has just the right amount of nasality. If the sound does change, then your singing is much too nasal. Place the tip of your tongue behind your upper teeth and hum, staying midrange, while you press your nostrils and release them. Do this until you reach the proper balance of nasality in your voice.
Vocal Exercises
Practice the scales often. Doing so not only helps you work on diction and articulation, but also on voice extension. Sing the arpeggio "do-mi-sol-do-ti-sol-fa-re-so" and "do re me fa so la te do." Start doing it on different keys to test how low and high you can get your pitch to go.
Tags: deep breath, your nostrils, your singing, does change, nasality sound, pinching your