Some More Tips

I've met a flood of people recently who are keen in learning singing tips, tricks and techniques that will help improve their quality of singing. The truth is, most people don't want to 'learn' anything. They want a quick fix. They want instant gratification. Something that will instantaneously transform their vocal abilities into what they envision only in their dreams.

Now don't get me wrong ...dreams are a good thing. We all need something to strive for. After all, it's all about passion. But we have to start somewhere. We have to do a little bit of the 'right stuff' everyday to then eventually see our progress.

Singing is like a musical extension of your natural speaking voice. The only difference is, you gotta' learn some techniques which will allow you to a) not damage your vocal chords ...and b) to sing the best you possibly can.

This is regardless whether you're trying to be the next Whitney Houston ...or if you're simply tyring to get to the next level.

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*Breath Control*

You shouldn't be taking in gulps of air when you're singing. This is the wrong approach. Take 'sips' instead. Take what is required - a sufficient amount of air. There is nothing worse then feeling giddy because you're taking unnecessary deep breaths.

Also, don't hold your breath when singing.... EVER. This only wastes energy - which you could use on things like performance and tone control.

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Use Tone Control

Forcing out notes to make them sound louder is a common mistake amongst aspiring singers. What you should aim to do is use (what we call) 'vocal resonance'.

Stay with me here.

Don't get put off by the term 'resonance'. All this means is that we can use certain parts of our upper body to amplify (ie. make louder or richer) our singing tone.

So, for example we can use our chest to amplify a lower notes for a more robust sound. Or, we can use our head to reinforce the more higher or 'nasal' sound.

As you aim to sing higher, try to use your head to create a bigger sound. As you go for a more lower sound, try to use your chest to make that sound richer.

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Forget About Increasing Your Vocal Range Initially - Strengthen it!

Ah, I think the most common misconception is that you can improve your vocal range by another octave (ie. 8 notes). This is rarely the case. The truth is generally most people who take singing lessons will not drastically increase their vocal range. They may get an extra two or three notes, but usually this won't change much.

BUT, this should NOT be your focus.

Your focus should be to actually strengthen the voice across it's 'whole range' ...from the lowest notes to the highest notes.

Quite often people will use the 'middle' of their vocal range completely neglecting the lower or the higher parts. They're blissfully unaware that there is another world of 'notes' to be discovered! And it's these notes that we can work on... thus strengthening your entire vocal range. Not just the middle part.

Training the ear

Acquiring sensitivity to the subtleties of musical texture is essential to singing.

The transition from good singer to fantastic singer is often to do with learning to hear everything that is actually happening in the music and one's voice. Many good singers, riding on large amounts of natural ability, cannot offer their audience the something extra which comes with understanding. For that matter, not all audience members appreciate higher quality either. But studying music formally is expensive, and requires time and effort, so not everyone gets the opportunity. But for those who do, there are a wide range of aural exercises to do with clapping rhythms, identifying intervals, analysing melodies, hearing chord progressions, which will bring out more of their sensitivity and comprehension of music. This will lead to interesting phrasing, variety in colour, ability to harmonise and staying in tune, even when the performer is tired.

Singers Lets Prevent Vocal Problems

-- Dr. Barbara Mathis

Good vocal health, of general interest to everyone, is a vital concern to the professional voice user, singers in particular. The voice is a precious commodity which cannot be replaced when worn out or damaged; therefore prevention can be the most important aspect of vocal hygiene. Vocal experts offer detailed suggestions for maintaining good vocal health and preventing serious vocal problems. Stemple states that people who make professional use of their voice must take special care to avoid risks to general health of the entire body as well as to the laryngeal mechanism, for the well-being of the voice is dependent on the well-being of the whole body. Brodnitz believes that among professional voice users the singer, above all, must practice intelligent hygiene, for the singer's profession requires the highest degree of specialization in the use of the voice. Unfortunately, as Stemple states, "the lifestyles of many professional voice users are not compatible with the maintenance of a healthy larynx. Not only may these lifestyles create vocal abuse and emotional stress, but they may also lead to less than adequate physical health." Luchsinger and Arnold further advise the professional actor or singer that psychological and physical conditions which concern everyone affect them to an even greater extent; and that singers, whose occupation requires a major form of physical activity, should preserve their health through temperance in every respect. The reviewed sources agree that professional voice users must attend to physical fitness and nutrition, prevention and prompt care of illnesses and allergies, environmental conditions, and speaking and singing habits.

Physical exercise and proper nutrition help keep bodies and voices healthy. Brodnitz states that the mucous membranes prefer a diet with limited starches, thus discouraging the overproduction of phlegm which interferes with free nasal breathing and clarity of the voice. The tendency to overindulge in starches and the lack of enough physical exercise often cause a corresponding tendency toward obesity, a condition associated with high blood pressure, higher levels of cholesterol, sugar diabetes, heart disease, and respiratory problems. Unhealthy for anyone, obesity is certainly detrimental for the professional voice user who must have a healthy respiratory tract; and, as Sataloff points out, obesity has significant disadvantages for the professional singer:

Today, most people involved in voice education and singing recognize that singing is athletic. As such, it requires good abdominal and respiratory conditioning, physical strength, and endurance. All of these are undermined by significant obesity. . . Even a moderate degree of obesity may adversely affect the respiratory system, undermining support.
Bunch cautions against obesity but reminds singers that a good diet should include protein to combat wear and tear of tissues, and vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and fat to insure vitality and energy as well as good health. Bunch also recommends physical activity which involves free movement and increased depth of breathing such as dancing, jogging, walking, calisthenics, tennis, and swimming. She states, though, that singers should refrain from diving and underwater swimming to avoid possible risks of nasal congestion and ear trouble, and further advises against weightlifting which tends to overdevelop the muscles of the neck and the adductors of the vocal folds.

Prompt attention to and care for illnesses, especially those affecting the upper respiratory tract, is important in the prevention of more lasting vocal disorders. The common cold, which may begin with a tickle in the throat, congestion, and/or sneezing, can lead to more serious infections of the sinuses, bronchial tubes, or lungs. Unfortunately, as Lawrence points out, the cold, or the URI (upper respiratory infection), "is a fever producing, sudden onset illness that attacks the respiratory tract, and which lasts about a week with treatment and about a week without treatment." About all one can do when the cold strikes is to rest, increase fluid intake, and provide some relief for the affected tissues. Lawrence recommends steam inhalations, a decongestant, and antihistamine for the first few wet days; however, he cautions singers about the drying effects of antihistamine if used past the "pouring hot water" stages of the cold. Professional voice users should speak and/or sing as little as possible while under the effects of the cold and should avoid violent coughing or throat clearing, all of which may cause hoarseness long after other symptoms have abated. The best cold "medicine" is to avoid catching the virus in the first place, as some sources suggest. Lawrence believes that the best way to avoid a URI during the cold season is to wash hands often and to avoid touching objects which have been in contact with someone infected with a cold. Many sources recommend keeping the mucous membranes hydrated and keeping the atmosphere in homes and buildings at a high relative humidity level to help deter the spread of viruses.

Suggestions for adequate environmental and body hydration appear often as a preventive vocal health measure. Lawrence explains that water is extremely important in the normal functioning of the respiratory tract and of the vocal tract in particular. He advises the professional voice user to carefully monitor body water levels by noting the condition of one's urine: when well hydrated, urine is very dilute, nonodorous and almost invariably the color of tap water. Loeding advises vocal performers to avoid habits which dry out mucous membrane linings of the nose and throat, such as smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages, to drink eight to nine glasses of water a day, and to keep the air moist by using a vaporizer or turning on the hot shower. When outside temperature and humidity levels are uncomfortable, efforts to provide a healthy environment which contains a minimum humidity level of forty percent should often include running a vaporizer, humidifier, steamer, or hot shower, especially in homes or buildings which are centrally heated or air conditioned the year around. When outside humidity levels are too high, Stemple contends that the mucus of the respiratory tract may thin out, causing excessive drainage leading to throat clearing and coughing. He further states, though, that the presence of mucous drainage, or "postnasal drip," is a normal and natural function which should not be changed with over-the-counter "sinus" medicines which dehydrate the mucosal lining. Lawrence explains that normal mucus, which is watery, thin, and liquid, is rarely, if ever, perceived as being present. If overly aware of drainage, one is usually suffering from dehydration, although the thicker secretion can be the accompaniment of a problem such as sinusitis, upper respiratory infection, or a nasal allergy.

Nasal allergies or sinus problems can make life miserable for the professional voice user, for these conditions can cause swelling of the tissues in the throat and larynx eventually leading to hoarseness. Severe or chronic allergies need specialized medical attention; however, if attacks are infrequent and mild and if problems are minimal, Sataloff advises the use of a mild antihistamine and/or decongestant. The drying effects of the antihistamine may be counteracted by mucolytic medications such as Entex, Organidin, Robitussin, or Humibid, which increase or thin upper respiratory secretions. These medications also help dryness caused by atmospheric conditions and overuse of the voice.

Closely related to allergic reactions and general health of the laryngeal tissues is the unhealthy reaction of the voice to irritants such as tobacco, alcohol, and other recreational drugs. Almost without exception, voice experts advise against the habitual use of tobacco, marijuana, alcoholic beverages, cocaine, and other mood and mind altering drugs. Symptoms from habitual use are twofold: direct physical changes in the larynx and respiratory tract, and results brought about by changes in the sensory mechanisms. Sataloff warns that smoking not only may have eventual health consequences such as cancer, emphysema, and heart disease, but that the heat and consequent irritation of smoking also have an immediate effect on the larynx and the linings of the respiratory tract, producing inflammation that alters the vocal folds. Lawrence describes the effects of tobacco and marijuana ("weed" or "pot") smoking:
The hard palate is reddened. The soft palate and the uvula have that whitened surface look you see when you drop egg white into hot water and the protein first begins to coagulate. The edges of the vocal folds are reddened, and there is a slightly dry, nonproductive cough. . . .Pack-a-day smokers of tobacco will sometimes show those findings after a few months, but those on weed will be unmistakably there after a very short time. And the voice loses its brilliance and its cutting edge.

Sataloff explains that marijuana smoke is particularly harsh, hot, and unfiltered and may alter sensorium thus interfering with intellectual awareness and fine motor control. In a later article Lawrence offers further concerns about marijuana usage and resultant attitudes and disregard for ethics. He states that excellent singing requires physical and mental discipline and daily practice and exercise, but that the "lovely, eased-out languid feeling of a marihuana high makes this so much less urgent, so much less agreeable to do. . . .I find pot eroding the work ethic, at least among several of my university voice majors."

The professional voice user should carefully consider the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Wilson warns of these possible effects: excessive vascularization, a drop in fundamental frequency, and hoarseness. Sataloff reminds singers that alcohol opens up blood vessels and alters mucosal secretions while also altering awareness and fine motor control. He states that while very small amounts do not pose a major problem for people who are accustomed to drinking, singers who are not routine drinkers should be careful to avoid alcohol on the day of a performance. Bunch explains, though, that the habitual use of alcohol can affect the voice in several ways. As a depressant and muscle relaxant, alcohol may impair the control of the vocal folds and sensitivity of the throat, and the drying effect of alcohol can cause irritation in the tissues of the vocal tract eventually causing a raspy or hoarse voice.

Like alcohol, other recreational drugs change the sensory mechanisms of the body, a pertinent fact for the serious voice professional who wishes to maintain good vocal technique at all times. Sataloff explains to singers the decreased awareness and impairment of accurate analytic abilities caused by "street" drugs:
They not only prevent a singer from making the instantaneous modifications that are intrinsic to good singing, but some street drugs also interfere with reaction time and motor control directly. In some cases, they may also decrease feeling (particularly narcotics) and allow a singer to injure himself without feeling pain. This can result in serious or permanent vocal fold damage as the singer continues to use his voice, perhaps remaining oblivious to the problem until the next day. Certain street drugs, particularly "uppers," may also cause a tremor that can be heard in the singing voice.
Lawrence offers additional concerns about a particular recreational drug, cocaine, and its effects on singers:
As a laryngologist I see the residuals of the chemical and thermal burns of the vocal tract surfaces, and I'll hear the air escape during phonation, the harshness and breathiness, the loss of clarity of voice, the loss of high range voice.
Lawrence also attests to the personality changes which may come about as a result of cocaine. The user most often experiences mood swings, from a sense of euphoria accompanied by a speeding up of thought processes and a tongue that cannot keep pace with mental activity, to the down phases, which can include attitudes of dejection, despair, and depression. Eventually true paranoia may result. The professional voice user may conclude from the opinions stated here that avoidance of smoking, alcohol, and recreational drugs will increase the chances for maintaining good vocal health and technique.

Another important factor in preventing serious vocal problems is sensible use of the voice in regard to time and demand. Unfortunately, many people who use their voices professionally are in job situations which require exhausting schedules of preparation, performance, promotion, and travel. These kinds of demands create tired bodies and tired voices. Lawrence feels that total voice use time should be a major consideration in vocal health and that vocal abuse may be a matter of "too much, too loud, and too hard." He further states:

I would say to any singer, to any voice user, that no larynx is infinite. None of us is made of cast iron or stainless steel. Each of us has a definite, a finite amount of vocal coin to spend. We should consider our priorities and then literally put our money where our mouths are.

Sundberg advises singers and other people who rely heavily on their voices to note an important fact: the endurance of the vocal mechanism varies considerably among individuals. Even when using the voice economically and well, some people cannot perform as long as others. Endurance is affected by factors other than individuality, such as a cold, alcohol consumption, or dry air. What is harmless under normal conditions may be twice too much under unusual circumstances. Sundberg concludes this idea by stating that the more the voice is used, the more wisely and economically it must be used, and, that the risk of developing a voice disorder using one's normal vocal technique increases during adverse conditions such as a cold. Thus, if it is up to the individual to discover his own vocal limits in regard to time and demand without experiencing health problems, then the professional or future professional voice user should know recommendations from experts along these lines. In 1894 Manuel Garcia advised his students that the "practice of singing three or four hours a day will ruin the most robust organ;" and he recommended three half hours a day at long intervals as the maximum of study. Coffin also tells us that the master teachers of singing recommended four practice sessions of thirty minutes a day for "the most robust vocal organs." Coffin also cautions singers about the demands from opera and chorus conductors, and places the responsibility for limiting rehearsal and performance hours on the singer, who must "protect himself by any guise."

Luchsinger and Arnold advise the professional singer to rest the voice at regular periods and, as a general rule, to limit major performances to three per week. Sataloff reminds singers that just as the eyes burn and get "bloodshot" after staying up too late, similar changes in mucosal lubrication and irritability occur throughout the vocal tract: "When we wear ourselves out, we interfere with the body's ability to repair, replenish and balance the components of our vocal mechanisms." Sataloff and Roberts further advise singers, who must deal with both the physical and psychological stress of performance, that rest periods are essential for muscle recovery, and that it is essential to condition and build up strength and endurance before rehearsing long hours prior to a performance. Tucker supports this advice, and he lists singing for excessively lengthy time periods as one factor sometimes associated with vocal dysfunction. He also states that even the well trained singer may experience alteration of the voice during peak points of a career due to behavioral factors such as stress, extensive rehearsal, and the need for precise control and exquisite conditioning.

This need for precise control, exquisite conditioning, and athletic endurance is another aspect in prevention of vocal disorders, as the professional voice user must certainly attend to speaking and singing habits and techniques to avoid vocal health problems. Speaking techniques have been discussed earlier in the chapter, but sources do offer hints for prevention. In his vocal hygiene program for professional voice users, Boone lists twelve "commonsense application" steps, among which are the following speaking habits or techniques: identify and reduce or eliminate vocal abuse and misuse; develop an easy glottal attack; use an appropriate speaking level; keep the speaking voice at the lower end of the loudness range; take an easy, relaxed breath; reduce vocal demand as much as possible; avoid talking in loud settings; and avoid making odd sounds with the voice. Cooper agrees that one should talk with moderate volume, even in noisy situations. He also warns against habitual cheering and yelling. In her ten commandments for vocal health, however, Loeding says one should never scream, not at a basketball or football game, not even for joy. She also warns against overuse of the voice, speaking too rapidly, and speaking or singing in the wrong tessitura or pitch range.

Most sources agree that vocal efficiency and excellence are related to fine control in certain vocal areas as listed by Reich, who offers ways to prevent dysphonia in vocal artists involved in performance speech and concert singing. He believes that vocal efficiency relates to control in the areas of intensity (regulation of pulmonary flow and glottal resistance), fundamental frequency (isometric "tension" tuning of vocal folds), vibrato (frequency modulation accompanied by some amplitude modulation), tone quality (noise-free phonation with lots of energy in the higher harmonic frequencies), respiration (maximum utilization of lung capacity and precise control of expiratory muscles), and resonance (low laryngeal position, pharyngeal dilation, lots of energy in the 2800_3200 Hz range, some nasal resonance, and lots of jaw opening at high frequencies). Further, George Antolik III feels that hyperfunction of the singing voice may be prevented by using correct techniques of posture, breathing, vocal attack, registration, and resonance. However, he does not seem to agree with other sources reviewed earlier in the chapter, such as Boone and McClosky, that once hyperfunction occurs it can be removed with the same techniques, as demonstrated by the following statement:

Since few laryngologists, singing teachers, or speech therapists are qualified to formulate techniques successful in removing vocal hyperfunction, it seems that its prevention offers a more logical approach to both singer and teacher. It should also be noted that once the laryngeal muscles are damaged, the prognosis for a complete recovery of the singing voice is extremely guarded."

Evidently some sources agree that, although cures for vocal faults are possible, they are never absolutely certain, and prevention through proper training is infinitely more vital. In 1894, Garcia, for example, offered corrections for vocal faults such as guttural or nasal sounds, tremolo, and slurring the attack of a sound; however, he stated that some of the faults are distressing and extremely difficult to correct. Today, according to Bunch, the prognosis is still not good for "restoring battered vocal folds to normal function." If a singer suffers severe muscular fatigue, a condition she thinks is the most difficult to detect or remedy, or hoarseness after every practice or performance, it is a clear sign that the voice is improperly used or that something else is seriously wrong. Bunch believes that hoarseness caused by misuse is usually one of two things: putting excessive air pressure on the vocal folds or using too much muscular effort in the larynx to produce sound. When this type of misuse continues until muscles have had more strain than they can take, sometimes the voice stops working "overnight" and thus surprises the singer who has probably abused the voice for months or even years.

All people in the voice professions would agree that prevention of vocal disorders through proper training and techniques is desirable, and many would agree that therapy is the most important treatment for vocal problems. Unfortunately, as Sundberg states, "The dispute among singing teachers and other voice experts as to what is the best method or therapy and what is the best vocal technique has gone on over the centuries, and probably there is little hope that the issue will be resolved in the near future. . ." He goes on to say that although it is difficult to judge what is a good method or technique, objective measurements on voice characteristics should help; and even though one method probably could not suit all voice types or musical styles, he prefers a method which is in close agreement with physiology. Sundberg believes that it is easier for the majority of students to understand instructions that reflect what is actually happening within their bodies. Perhaps Luchsinger and Arnold best summarize good vocal hygiene and preventive measures by stating that good vocal hygiene is based upon knowledge of the physiology and pathology of voice production; and two types of measures may be taken to avoid vocal disease: promotion of physical health and prevention of vocal misuse or overexertion.

For singers, this means careful attention to the following recommendations for good laryngeal
health and the prevention of serious vocal problems:

• General rules of good health for the entire body
• Voice training and exercise
• Proper speaking techniques
• Good vocal habits (avoidance of yelling, throat clearing, etc.)
• Attention to allergies and hormone balance
• Prompt and professional care for respiratory infection and laryngitis

Source : Singers's, Lets Prevent Vocal Problems

Singing Tips - A 2 Z

A = Airflow. Never hold your breath while singing. The airflow carries your vocal tone, so keep it flowing. Learn the proper way to breathe for singing, called diaphragmatic breathing. Direct some of the air out through your nose. Singing Tips A

B = Breathing properly for singing requires the shoulders to stay relaxed, not rise with the breath intake. A singer will gain power to their voice by strengthening the muscles in the rib cage, back and diaphragm. Singing Tips B

C = Communicate the music's message. During performance you should communicate the message of the song. If you make a mistake don't "admit" it to your audience. They probably did not even notice. Singing Tips C

D = Diaphragmatic Support. Develop the strength and coordination of the diaphragm and control the speed, the quantity and the consistency of the airflow. Singing Tips D

E = Elasticity of the Vocal Folds. The vocal tone is created as airflow bursts through the cleft of the vocal cords causing them to vibrate/oscillate. The vocal folds can lose elasticity due to misuse, lack of use and/or increase of age. Be sure to train your voice with vocal exercises on a regular basis to keep your voice in shape. Singing Tips E

F = Free your natural voice. Don't be a slave to any music style -- even your favourite one. Learn to sing with your full and natural voice by developing your vocal strength and coordination. Then add stylistic nuances to achieve any singing style you desire. Singing Tips F

G = Guessing Games. Never guess the pitch you are about to sing. Hear the note in your head before you open your mouth. Singing Tips G

H = Higher notes require an increase in airflow. Singing Tip H

I = Increase your breathing capacity and control by doing breathing exercises daily. Singers must negotiate phrase lengths of all different sizes, so it is important to be versatile. Singing Tips I

J = Jumping Jacks. If you are having trouble getting your body completely involved with singing, try doing some cardiovascular activities, like jumping jacks, for a few minutes before getting started again. Sometimes your instrument simply needs an airflow wake-up call. Singing Tips J

K = Know your limits. Don't sing too high or too low. Don't sing to the point of vocal fatigue. Never strain or push your voice. Doing so will not result in a higher or lower singing range, or a stronger voice, only a voice that has suffered undue stress. Singing Tips K

L = Lower notes require a decrease in airflow. Singing Tip L

M = Mirror. Training in front of a mirror can help a singer discover many things about their instrument, as well as confirm that other actions are being done correctly. Be sure to rely on a mirror during vocal training, but be able to leave the mirror to face an audience. Singing Tips M

N = Never sing if it hurts to swallow. Singing Tip N

O = Open your mouth wider. Nine times out of ten this will help you achieve a stronger, more defined vocal tone. Singing Tips O

P = Prepare your instrument before singing. Singers are very much like athletes. Take care of your body/instrument by stretching out the vocal muscles and relieving the body of unnecessary tension before singing. Singing Tips P

Q = Quit smoking. As a bonus, you will probably live longer :-) Singing Tips Q

R = Raise the Soft Palate. Creating a larger space inside your mouth by raising the soft palate, or fleshy part of the back of our throat, helps achieve a deeper more well rounded singing tone. Singing Tips R

S = Sing through the vocal breaks. If you do not teach the muscles the necessary actions to sing through the trouble spots, success will never be achieved. Sing through it, sing through it again, and again.... Singing Tips S

T = Tone Placement. Learning the facts about tone placement and resonance make a huge difference in the abilities of a singer. In simple terms, a singer has numerous body cavities (nasal cavity, chest cavity, etc.) and amplifiers (bones, ligaments, etc.) that act as resonators. Focusing the vocal tone through the proper resonating chamber with the proper support is important with regard to controlling and developing your personal sound. Singing Tips T

U = Unique Voice Under Construction. Remember that your voice has its own unique fingerprint and is constantly changing with our actions, environment, health habits, etc. With this in mind, listen to your own voice often and use vocal training tools to keep your voice on the right track. Singing Tips U

V = Vibrato. Vibrato is a natural or forced fluctuation of a pitch. Do not concentrate on learning how to sing with vibrato. Instead, concentrate on the basic foundations of singing, breathing and support. When the proper coordination is achieved, vibrato will occur naturally. Singing Tips V

W = Water. Water. Water. Drink room temperature water as often as you can to keep your voice organ hydrated. If you only have cold or hot water available, swish it around in your mouth for a moment. This action will keep your voice organ from being startled or stressed by different temperatures. Singing Tips W

Y = You Can Sing with Impact! Exercise your voice daily with contemporary voice lesson products. Don't Just Sing when You Can Sing with Impact! Singing Tip Y

Z = Zzzzzzzz. Be sure to get plenty of rest. If you are tired, your voice will show it. A tired body/instrument will not allow you to produce your best possible sound. Singing Tip Z

Source : http://affordablesingingvoicelessons.com.

Vocal Exercises

All of us have to sing at some point, even if it's just a simple 'Happy Birthday'. use these simple tips and techniques to improve your voice and your confidence.

1. Keep your arms slightly away from your body. Clasp your hands out in front of you or bring your arms to your sides and a bit forward, raising them about 6 inches in a flexible, relaxed fashion. This will allow your ribcage to fully expand and your lungs to fill to capacity. More air allows you to project your voice more strongly and clearly.
   
2. Keep your feet about shoulders' width apart. If you like, one foot can be further forward than the other. Make sure you're solidly balanced, but still flexible. Slightly bend your knees. If you must sing while sitting, make sure both feet are flat on the floor and that you're sitting up straight, but not stiffly.
   
3. Relax! Tension destroys vocal tone. Try not to let your shoulders hunch up and keep your neck from tensing. Don't force your chest out and up when you breath in. This will actually constrict your air flow. Stay in motion, however slightly. This will relax your body and your tone will sound more natural. Try gently swaying from side to side with the rhythm. You'll look better, too!
   
4. When you inhale, push your stomach out. This will allow you to more completely fill your lungs. As you exhale, bring your stomach slowly in, using the muscles of your diaphram (which is just under your ribcage) to control your notes.
   
5. If you have to hit a high note or you hear yourself singing flat (that is, your notes are a tiny bit too low), raise your arms a little higher and smile slightly. For very high notes, try closing your eyes and turning your face up slightly.
   
6. Conversely, if you start to sing sharp (a tiny bit too high), bring your arms down a little lower and open your mouth slightly wider by dropping your lower jaw. Don't dip your chin towards your neck, however, as this will cause your air flow to become constricted, which will show up in your voice.
   
7. Enjoy yourself! If you take all these tips to heart, singing could become a habit.

Vocal Exercises

Vocal exercises are a must if one wants to improve him vocal chords or wants to improve his range. Also if one wants to maintain his/her range vocal exercises are a must.

Warm ups are also a part of vocal exercises and care must to taken to ensure no harm is done while engaging in such exercises.

But beware as wrong exercises can actually damage your vocal chords.

So always start in the middle range (ie the most comfortable note for you) and then try to hit the higher and the lower notes, take a break for 2-3 after sometime drink water if you feel that your throat hurts, then start again..

There are a number of ways For warm up one of them is

Exercise 1

Start By first opening the mouth wide open and then take a deep breath from your mouth. Then let out a siren type of sound ("wooo" or "weee") and feel it go up into the head cavities. Now let out a "wooo". Pay attention to the feeling of resonance in your head(head voice).

Exercise 2

Say the word "dumb", And continue to have the feeling of yawning. Sing a scale (dumb..dumb..dumb..dumb..etc.). As you ascend, let your voice cross over into the same resonance area you felt in the previous exercise. You should begin to feel the shift from chest voice into head, and back again. Don't worry if your voice breaks or cracks at first. With practice, this will smooth out and disappear. You will always feel the shift in resonance, but ultimately the listener will never hear it.

Exercise 3
Now say the word "mum" in your normal speaking voice. As you sing a scale on this word, don't let it get louder or strained as you go higher. Keep it very light if you must. Once again, allow it to cross over into your head resonance area. It will feel weak at first, especially if you are used to pulling your chest voice too high into your range.
Never go higher than is comfortable and always stop at the first sign of strain.

Here is a site that contains a range of warm ups the will be useful for warm ups. Listen to the midid file and then sing along with it :

http://www.cyberbass.com/Content/vocal_warmups.htm

Tips for the amateur singer

1. How To Sing: Posture and Breathing
2. Advanced Breathing
3. How To Sing: Tone Production
4. Extending the Range - Higher
5. Extending the Range - Lower
6. How to have a productive rehearsal
7. Blending the Choir - part 1
8. Blending the Choir - part 2
9. Make it Mean Something - singing the text
10. Surviving the LONG Concert
11. Keeping the Voice Healthy
12. Glossary of Vocal Physiology

1. Posture
There is a good reason to start with posture. It is the foundation on which all other techniques stand.

You have heard of "good" posture, but what does that mean to a singer? Certainly it is not the ram-rod straight posture one associates with a military inspection. Nor is it any stiff and formal pose. Good posture for a singer is instead:
Spine straight and centered for balance but not stiff.
Ribs raised as if at the peak of a normal breath.
Shoulders squared but relaxed (not rounded).
Head up as though looking in the distance. Note: the chin should be at a normal angle to the neck, neither stretched up nor tucked down, to allow the vocal chords maximum flexibility.
Feet slightly apart.
Knees slightly bent.

2. Breathing
Once your posture is correct you can learn to breathe properly. "What," I can hear some of you say, "is he talking about? Breathing is a natural thing.I know how to breathe."
Let me explain: if you have ever observed a baby asleep, you may have noticed that the stomach goes in and out while the infant is breathing. Think about this for a moment. Take a deep breath. Did your shoulders rise? Your chest expand? If they did then you have a lot to un-learn in order to give your voice a properly supporting air column.
Go back to the baby again. Now, assume good posture as discussed above - spine straight,ribs slightly lifted, shoulders squared but relaxed - and then expand only your stomach. Did that feel a bit awkward? Try to do it without moving your shoulders or ribs. You'll find a natural limit to the expansion you can get before things start to move. That is all the breath you need to sing.

Now the next part is easy -maybe. Breathe out. Keep your ribs and shoulders in position (but not tight) and push in until there is no air left. Again moving only your abdomen breathe in. Push it all out again. If you can learn to do this repeatedly with little or no movement in the shoulders you are well begun. All good choral singing begins with these two steps.

Next we will begin to discuss tone production. What makes a good singing tone? will discuss this issue, as well as taking a look at some techniques for reducing the risk of injury.

2.More on breathing
Today we will investigate a few of the things we can do to enhance the breathing techniques we need to practice as singers. We all understand the concept of breathing from the diaphragm to draw the breath into the lower part of the lungs, but there is more to good breathing technique than just getting the air.

One of the more useful analogies I have heard is to consider breath support like inflating a tire (some of us who carry a 'spare tire' know where we'll be inflating it). Before the onset of sound the tire should be inflated to a comfortable pressure. Be sure not to over-inflate; your abdominal muscles don't have as much control if they are over extended.
Once the tire is inflated, you should always try to keep it between 80 and 95 percent full. This allows you to catch quick breaths as you sing without the need to 'suck wind' after a long passage. Collapsing the lungs too far also creates a poorly supported tone, something to be avoided at all costs.
Now that we understand how much air to put in the lungs, let's look at how we use that air.
It doesn't take that much more air to sing loud than it does to sing soft. Singing very softly actually requires more control over the air, as the support for a good tone must be balanced with the reduced volume. For that reason, singers should have strong abdominal muscles. However, they should not work the abs to the point where they are no longer flexible enough to accomodate proper breathing.

The dynamic range of the sustained tone will vary from singer to singer, but there should be a noticeable difference in the volume. If you are singing solos in a piece accompanied by a large orchestra you will need to learn how to project your sound, but not necessarily to sing louder - but I'll save that discussion for another time. The important thing is to use that top 10-15 percent of your lung capacity to support the tone at whatever volume you are singing, and to breathe when you need to in order to keep the tire inflated. Timing your breathing with the phrasing of the music is, of course, ideal, but in long passages you may need to take a breath somewhere in the middle. Plan where you're going to breathe in those instances, and avoid breathing at the same time as your neighbor (also known as staggered breathing).
Sustaining the tone is important, but how do you start and stop it? The answer, of course, is by breathing.

Many choir directors who have an instrumental background use terms like attack and cut off to indicate the onset and release of sound. Unfortunately those terms also carry mental pictures of violence to the voice. When you begin singing it should be with the breath. I don't mean put a 'H' before each entrance, but rather make sure your vocal cords are not clenched. In the same way, you should never 'cut off' the vocal sound by slamming shut the vocal cords. Instead, you should end each passage by inhaling. This not only helps preserve the vocal cords, but it prepares you for your next entrance that much more quickly.
I realize these concepts are difficult to convey without a demonstration, so I will once again recommend that you work with a vocal teacher or coach to master the techniques. No matter what your age or experience level, there is always something new to learn, and working with a good teacher can help us catch and correct any bad habits we may develop.

3.What makes a good tone?
Generally, in Western culture a good vocal tone is considered to be one which is full, clear, and audible.

A good vocal tone should not be stident, shrill, scratchy, or breathy. It should also not sound "forced" or "strained," but instead should sound as if it flows effortlessly from the singer.
Within that definition is still a great deal of room for individual vocal timbre (pronounced TAM-bur), or characteristic sound, and for stylistic interpretation as called for by the music being performed. A singer trained to the Opera would use a different quality of voice than a member of a vocal Jazz group, yet both must produce a "good" tone or face the unemployment line. What is considered appropriate for early music in the style of Palestrina would be entirely inappropriate for a major work with a symphony orchestra, such as Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
How, then, is a singer to produce a good tone appropriate to the variety of musical styles typically encountered in a community choir? It all begins with the basics.

3. Producing the Tone: Placement
Beginning with good posture and breadth support, the singer must also relax the jaw, so the air passage is not restricted in any way. The tongue should be relaxed and behind the lower teeth, and the throat slightly open - as though on the verge of a yawn. Be careful not to force the tongue down or exaggerate the yawning sensation, as these produce tension on the larynx and can make the voice sound "swallowed" and artificial.

Take a comfortable breath - not too large, but sufficient to support a sustained pitch. With the jaw relaxed and the throat open begin to sing with an "ahh" sound. Experiment with this sound, opening the throat more, then less, while singing at a comfortable volume. Notice the difference in your sound when you force the throat to open too far. Also hear how pinched it becomes if you don't open it far enough. Find the range of positions that are most comfortable for your throat. That is what you want to feel when you are singing.

4. Putting It All Together:
Now you can put all these elements together: posture, breathing, and placement. You are ready to begin singing. You now have the foundation of good tone, so it is time to practice what you have learned. Try putting these elements together with some simple songs, ones which are familiar to you so you don't have to concentrate on the words or notes, but can instead think about maintaining this comfortable feeling as you sing. Try singing them first in the middle of your vocal range. Then move up a few keys into a higher part of the voice. If it is too high, don't push. Instead, concentrate on your breath support, and you will find yourself able to sing higher with less strain.
One word of caution here: Learn to recognize when your voice is becoming fatigued. Much damage is done to the vocal chords of amateur singers when they are tired, as they often try to compensate for the fatigue by resorting to poor vocal technique. Always go back to the basics of posture, breathing, and placement. This will do much to reduce the risk of vocal injury, allowing for years of singing enjoyment.

5. Odds and Ends
Some miscellaneous tips for the amateur singer:
Listen carefully at all times.
Learn to hear the other parts as you sing, and work on tuning with them.
Listen to the vowel sounds. Try to match the vowel sounds of the rest of the choir. When everyone is singing exactly the same vowel the perceived volume of the choir will be amplified, as the sound will be in better focus.

Take a foreign language. Concentrate on the sounds of the language. Your singing will be improved by your broader knowledge.
Listen to other choirs. If you are fortunate enough to live in an area with several choirs, be sure to attend some concerts. Listen for what works and what doesn't. If you don't have access to other local choirs, look for a variety of choral music recordings at your local record store. If they don't have a good selection of classical music then join one of the record clubs and build your library.

Try something new. Even if you don't like it, you will have learned something.
Enjoy yourself. Relax and have fun. Remember, you sing because you like to sing. Sometimes the stress of rehearsing and performing can tend to make you forget that. Get back the enjoyment.

4.Extending the range - higher

One of the biggest challenges facing most singers is the high end of the voice: those notes which are at or slightly above the range where singing is confortable. OFten that part of the voice sounds strained, or if abused too often becomes permanently strident.
This is not good.

As a young bass, my voice coaches often despaired of my ever being able to sing above the staff - anything above a B-flat for me was a real struggle. Looking back on it now, I can see what I was doing wrong (and where they missed some chances to help).
I'll stick with my side of things. For too long I tried to muscle my voice up to the high notes. What I really needed to do was back off the pressure and tension I was putting on my throat and free up the vocal mechanism. More importantly, I had to learn to place the voice up into the big resonating chamber of the head. (Note: placing the voice in the head is a conceptual process, not a physical one. More on the mechanics shortly.)

If you are having trouble with the top of your range, try using a more gentle approach to singing. Relax the neck and shoulders. Lift the ribs and take a comfortable breath. Open your mouth tall, not wide, and imagine your voice floating above your head. Then gently sing a note that you know is higher than you are normally comfortable with. Don't worry about the exact pitch, the idea here is to see how effortless it can be, and notes can get in the way at this point.
If you can grasp this idea, listen to the quality of the note you just sang. It may sound nothing like your regular singing voice at this point. That's OK. There will be time to develop that sound later. It is important not to rush this process, as you can hurt yourself trying to do too much too soon.

When you achieve this free-floating high, light sound (not falsetto) you should feel a "buzz" up in your nose, behind the eyes, and along the brow ridge. That is because your sinuses carry most of the resonance in that range. With the relaxed neck and open mouth you are actually lifting the soft palate and giving your voice more room.
Once you have discovered the buzz you should work on bringing it down into the middle part of your voice as well.A real benefit of discovering and exercising this part of your voice range is the fact that it adds depth to the rest of your voice by opening up the overtones of your voice and giving it a vibrant resonance. With consistent practice you should find yourself singing notes you had previously given up on with relative ease.

5.Extending the Range - lower

I am often asked how I sing so low. (I am a bass.) The short answer is that I just open my mouth and sing the notes.
Of course, there is a bit more to it than that. A naturally low voice helps, but my normal range is not that much lower than most good basses. I sing a comfortable D below the bass cleff most days, but there are a few choral pieces which demand lower notes. Rachmaninoff's All Night Vigil (Vespers) has B-flats and Cs in most of the movements, for example, and a handful of the basses in our choir were able to work down to that range for performances a couple of years ago.
So, how did we do it?

The first thing we had to do was get over the idea that those notes are going to sound pretty. Much of the "pretty" sound of a sung note is its resonance, and unless you have an unusually shaped head (and a large one) the chances are you won't have the resonance needed to make those notes sound as nice as something in the middle of your range.
With that in mind, we can approach the extremely low notes with a new freedom. Now, just because they aren't pretty doesn't mean you don't have to sing the notes in tune, but we'll see how that's done, too.

A common term for the very low notes in the male voice is fry-tones. That's because they sound like bacon frying on a hot skillet - a controlled series of pops from the vocal cords. To achieve that sound you need to place the voice very far forward - go for a bright AH sound - and completely relax the jaw, tongue, and throat.
A good exercise for placing the voice is to do some downward glissandos. Start on a comfortable note, say a D in the middle of the cleff, and slide down a fifth to the G on the bottom line. You want to start the top note on a brite EEE sound and end it on the AH sound, still bright and forward. Then go back and do it again, this time starting on the C-sharp and ending on F-sharp. Repeat this pattern until you can't go any lower, then do one more.
The more you practice this exercise, the stronger your lower notes will become. And, as you practice this, listen carefully to the sound you are making. Work on tuning it with the piano so you learn to hear the intonation in that range. One word of caution, though. Don't push it. Don't expect your range to increase dramatically in just one or two sessions. This takes some time, usually a period of several weeks to achieve noticeable changes in your range.
Now here's one of the great things about this. If you can sing the note in tune with the rest of the choir they will supply the resonance and make it sound like a beautiful low pipe on an organ.

This technique can be applied to all the voices, though the effectiveness is not as great with the other voice parts as it is for the low basses. Still, next time your choir director asks you to sing something really low you can just open your mouth and sing it.

6.How to have a productive rehearsal
If you have been singing very long at all you have experienced at least one rehearsal which frustrated you because of its lack of accomplishment. Today we're going to take a look at what it takes to have a productive rehearsal - a necessity for producing an excellent concert.
Be on time. One of the things that will cut into the productivity of a scheduled rehearsal is late arrivals. If your rehearsal starts at 7:00, be in your seat at 7, not out parking the car, or talking to your friends. Arrive early enough to handle all the socializing before the rehearsal.
Warm up ahead of time. You can start your warm-ups early by humming or singing gently in the car on the way to rehearsal. If everyone in the choir arrived with warm voices the group warm-ups can focus more on the ensemble sound and intonation drills rather than shaking the road dust out of eveyone's throats.

Respect the other sections. If the director has to take a few minutes to work with one of the sections, it is not an excuse for you to start talking to your neighbor. That disrupts the rehearsal and makes it hard for the section that's getting the extra work to accomplish what needs to be done. Even more important: don't hum your part while another section is being rehearsed. If the other section wasn't having trouble with the part your director wouldn't be wasting rehearsal time on it. Don't make it even harder.

Be prepared. No, I'm not talking Boy Scouts here. I'm talking about practicing between rehearsals. The night you get your music it's OK to struggle a bit with notes and text, especially if you've never seen the piece before, but the next rehearsal you have the work should be learned, at least as far as the notes and words. Let the director concentrate on musical interpretation as early in the rehearsal schedule as possible. Your concert will sound better for it. Invest the time outside rehearsal and reap the dividends in performance.
Be clean. OK, can we get personal here for a minute? If you work a physical job that leaves you sweaty at the end of the day, go home and take a shower before you go to choir. And leave off the perfume, after-shave, cologne, or other scents. There are people with allergies to such things, and chemical allergies are one thing you can't really get good treatment for. If you smoke, your clothes stink. You can't smell it because your nose is half dead, but the people around you certainly can. Shower before rehearsal, put on clean clothes, and don't light up again until after you are headed home. Better still, quit.

Keep these tips in mind, and you'll be amazed at how much more productove your choral experience becomes. Who knows? You may even find yourself starting to do more challenging music as a result.

7.Blending the choir - part 1
Many people who listen to our choir comment on how each section sounds like one voice. This is not by accident, or good luck, but is a tribute to the work our director puts in on fine-tuning the choir.

It takes a well-trained ear to match voices so they reinforce the sound he is after, and it is not something I could possibly hope to teach in a text article online. I can, however, offer some tips that will make your director's job easier.
First and foremost is intonation. If you can't sing in tune you will never achieve the blend that's necessary for a top-notch choral sound. There are some excellent ear-training resources available. Check out your local college bookstore for the kinds of material being used by the school to train music students. But the most important part of intonation is active listening.
Active listening involves learning to hear your own voice when you sing, and recognizing the difference between what you hear in your head and what others hear. A tape-recorder is an excellent tool for discovering what your voice sounds like to others.
Once you can pick your own voice out, listen to the sound of your section. Are you producing notes that match exactly the pitch of your section? You should not hear any 'beats' or waves of sound. Those indicate a difference in the pitch.

Another, often neglected, component of singing in tune and blending the sound is vowel alignment. By that I mean singing exactly the same vowel sound that everyone else in the choir is singing when you sing the same text. It is easy to hear the effect of different vowel sounds if you sing vastly different vowels, for example some people singing an EEEE sound while others sing an OOOO on the same pitch. That's because the shape of the vowel alters the overtones of the pitch, and affect the intonation. What is not so obvious is that the SAME problem with intonation exists when you have two different versions of AH going on at the same time.
This is just the beginning of the problems a choir faces with blending. Next article I'll discuss some of the common solutions, and which ones are better than others

8.Blending the choir - part 2

Achieving a good choral sound can be a challenge, particularly in an amateur choir. Many of the voices are underdeveloped, or the singers have had little formal training since leaving school, and it can be somewhat like herding cats to get the choir to sound like an ensemble.
Many choir directors try to accomplish this by asking the singers to use a more breathy tone. This foggy sound seems like it would blend more easily, partly because nobody can actually hear what the sound is. Of course, that approach is wrong for a number of reasons, including pssible damage to the voices of the singers.

A better approach, though perhaps more difficult, is to concentrate on producing a mature vocal sound. A sound that is focussed and and full of resonance. This requires more effort on the part of the singers, but the rewards are well worth it.
Once the singers start using their whole voices you begin to hear the rich overtones that comprise a good choral sound. When you combine the mature sound with the proper vowel alignment as discussed in the previous article you can accomplish wonderful things with a choir, and the sound will cut through even a large orchestra such as you would find with a work like Carmina Burana or Verdi's Requiem.

The remarkable thing to many people is that the mature choral sound can be quite successful doing contemplative a capella works like those of Palestrina, too. Of course, some works call for a less turbulant sound (less vibrato), but that does not mean less intensity. A choir should sound the same at pianissimo as it does at fortissimo, only softer. Think of it like this: when you hear a work coming from the next room, then walk into the room and realize it is much louder than you thought. Same group, same music, different volume level.
This is important. It is more difficult to sing quietly because you have to work harder to maintain the support, yet without the support the pitch will not hold.

Here is another idea. Some voices should not be placed together. Either because they reinforce each other too much, or because they cancel each other out. A good choir director can hear this, and will often take steps to separate such voices. By the same token there are some voices that should be placed together. These voices compliment each other and form a more complete sound together than separately. Remember, if your choir director moves you around and pairs you up with someone else this is usually the reason (unless of course you are a talker and disrupt the rehearsals - but a good director would just encourage you to drop out in that case...).

9.Make it Mean Something
Have you ever gone to a choir concert that seemed uninspired and lifeless? Chances are you have, even if the sound was well blended and perfectly on pitch. Today we're going to take a look at another part of the whole puzzle - the text.
As a singer the music you perform is more than just notes, tempos and dynamics. You have the added dimension of text to deal with. This adds a whole new set of concerns for phrasing the music, because you have to deal with more than just the melodic line. Text has meaning, and unless that meaning comes through you might as well sing the whole thing on LA.
Putting the meaning in the music is naturally easier if the music is in your language. For most of us reading this article that language is English. We are able to give the words their proper emphasis, and shape the phrases, because we understand what we are singing. If you sing in a small church choir that may be all you need to remember from week to week. You sing mostly hymn arrangements or other songs that speak to the text of the sermon, and you usually sing it with an understanding of what is being said. But what about foreign languages?

If you sing in a symphonic choir, or a non-church community chorus, you have probably sung songs in Latin and German. Possibly French or Spanish, and if you have an adventurous director, maybe even Russian. Carmina Burana is a very popular piece which uses Latin and an obscure language known as Frankish in some of its movements. So how do you convey the same level of meaning to your listeners that you do when you're singing in your native tongue?
It would be great if we could all learn to speak five or six languages. That isn't likely to happen, though, so we have to look for some clues in the music itself.

Much of the music you will do in other languages was written to be sung in those languages, and the composers did a lot of the work for you. The pulse of the music is a good clue about where most of the syllabic stress belongs (though not always). You should also look for hints in the way the text is broken up in your music. Most music publishers put dashes between the syllables of a word that is broken up by several notes, and they leave space between words. The punctuation can give you a sense of the phrasing - periods at the end of sentences, etc.
Some publishers now even help by marking the stressed syllables in the text, either by underlining the stressed syllables, by MAKing the stressed SYLLable all caps, or by other obvious markings.

Careful attention to such details can make a huge difference in the music. Choirs who successfully master this aspect of choral singing tend to stand out from the crowd, and their audiences will keep coming back for more.

10.Surviving the Long Concert
Most choir directors know better, but every once in a while they go a little crazy and put together a program that has the choir members singing at the extremes of their vocal capacity, both in terms of range and dynamics.
As a singer, how do you cope with the fatigue? What can you do to have enough voice to finish the concert? Today I hope to answer these questions, at least enough so you stand a fighting chance.

First things first: You know how long this concert is going to be because you have been rehearsing the music for several weeks. Sometime early in the process you found yourself going home with a tired voice, and you realized this was going to be one of those concerts. Time to start getting in shape to handle the load.
The sooner you start preparing, the more likely it is you'll survive the experience, so once you've had that revelation don't wait to start gearing up to handle it. Begin by spending more time practicing the music on your own, paying attention to dynamics and phrasing. Remeber, dynamics are relative, so if you can sing the soft passages very softly you won't have to sing the loud ones quite as loudly to compensate. Of course, if the performance involves something like Verdi's Requiem or Orff's Carmina Burana you have a rather large orchestra to contend with, but the principal still applies.

Proper support for your tone is vital in this situation, so whatever you need to do to get those neglected abdominal muscles in to better shape is strongly advised. If the abs are soft you'll use your neck and throat muscles to compensate, and you'll run out of juice around intermission.
Pay attention to posture, too. If your back gets tired from holding your rib cage high you need to work on it. Build up the stamina so you can make it to the end. If you use music on stage and hold it in a folder, then start practicing with the music in the folders at least four weeks before the performance. You'll want your shoulder muscles to get used to the weight.
Beyond the physical conditioning you need, don't forget to exercise your voice so it's in the best shape possible. Practice the music using the dynamic markings as soon as possible, so the whole package is in your muscle memory, not just the notes. Practice the passages with sudden or frequent dynamic changes on your own so they don't come as a surprize at show time. Few things are more embarrassing than being the only one still singing fortissimo when everyone else has observerd a subito piano.

Make sure you start getting plenty of water at least two weeks before performance time. The vocal mechanism needs to stay moist, and if you're underhydrated you'll end up fighting a dry, scratchy throat. Proper rest is important, too. We all have a life to live, but the social part of it won't suffer too badly if you spend a couple of weeks going to bed early.

Finally, on the day of the performance pace yourself. Don't let the excitement of the moment steal away your preparation and cause you to over sing. Save some of it for the end of the concert. You want the finale to be grand, don't you?

11.Keep your voice healthy
All too often singers develop problems with their voices which could have been prevented by a little knowledge applied at the right time.
Today I'm going to try to provide a few simple guidelines that I hope will help spare some of you the frustration of having your voice go out on you at a bad time.
One of the most important things you can do for your voice is to stay healthy. I know, not all illnesses can be avoided, but if you are serious about keeping your voice in shape you should make an extra effort to stay healthy. Ear muffs in colder climates can help prevent numerous ear and throat infections by keeping the inner ear passages warm. Washing your hands before touching your face or after contact with people who have the sniffles can help you avoid many forms of the common cold. Getting plenty of rest can help your body's immune system resist the 'bug' that's going around. A healthy diet will also help.
Beyond such obvious steps to maintaining your health, there are a few things you can do specifically to keep your voice at its best.

Drink plenty of water. It not only is good for you, it helps keep the vocal mechanism lubricated.
Moderate your alcohol intake, especially for a few days prior to any planned performances. Alcohol dries out your throat and can cause unnecessary strain on the vocal cords.
If you smoke, quit. The husky lounge singer sound belongs in a smoke-filled bar, not in the choir. You know all the health reasons to stop, so I'll just add that it's possibly the worst thing you can do to your voice.

Reduce your use of dairy products. They increase mucous production and aare generally not good for your voice. If you don't believe they affect your voice, take this challenge: cut out ALL dairy products for a month, preferably the month before a scheduled performance. After the performance, resume your normal dairy intake and see what it does to your voice (and the rest of you).

Get plenty of exercise, too. However, avoid doing much exercise that involves heavy lifting. Many voice coaches teach that this type of activity can put excessive strain on the neck and throat, affecting the vocal mechanism.
Another thing: be aware of how tired your voice is. If you are tired, your voice is probably tired, and you shouldn't strain it by trying to sing too loud. Once you have had a chance to rest, and to rest your voice, then you can use it with strength.
Here's to healthy singing!

11.Glossary of vocal physiology

The following is a brief glossary of the parts of the body involved in vocal production. It is not a comprehensive list, but does explain somewhat how the parts fit together to produce a good vocal sound.
Abdomen
area below the ribs containing the digestive organs.
Cartilages
The framework of the layrnx. The largest cartilage is the Thyroid Cartilage, whose bulge creates the Adam's Apple. The Circoid Cartilage is a structural part of the larynx, and is attached to the trachea. The Arytenoid Cartilages are responsible for adjusting tension and the amount of separation of the vocal cords. The vocal cords are attached to the Arytenoid Cartilages at the back and to the Thyroid Cartilage at the front.
Clavicle
collarbone.
Clavicular Breathing
breathing from the top of the chest.
Costal
pertaining to the ribs.
Costal Breathing
breathing with the ribs, above the diaphragm.
Diaphragm
flexible partition of miscles and tendons separating the chest and abdominal cavities.
Diaphragmatic Breathing
breathing by relaxing the abdomen, forcing the diaphragm to drop and the lungs to expand.
Epiglottis
cartilage at the root of the tongue which covers the vocal cords during swallowing, protecting them.
Glottis
space between the vocal cords.
Hyoid Bone
the bone at the base of the tongue. Both the tongue and the larynx are attached to the Hyoid Bone.
Larynx
voice box. The cavity holding the vocal cords.
Palate
roof of the mouth. The front is called the hard palate. The back is called the soft palate.
Pharynx
throat. The cavity connecting the nose, mouth, and larynx.
Sinuses
small cavities in the skull behind the eyes and nose. this is where most vocal resonance occurs.
Sternum
breastbone. The front of the upper ribs are attached to the sternum.
Thorax
upper part of the body between the neck and the abdomen. Separated from the abdomen by the diaphragm.
Trachea
windpipe. The air passage leading into the larynx from below.
Uvula
fleshy hanging projection at the back of the soft palate.


source : http://choirsinger.com/