by Aled Morgan

Created on: January 04, 2007   Last Updated: April 02, 2007

I've been having singing lessons since the age of nine. And if you are serious about singing as I am, I would definitely recommend attending a music college, because it is there you will begin to understand the demands of an opera singer.

The most important thing when you do go is to choose your teacher carefully. Your paying the college for a service so you want to get the best out of it. You want someone who you can trust, understand, and whose technique you believe is the best for you. Never miss a chance to sing in master classes. You must get second opinions on your technique. You might agree, you might disagree, but you'll have a better knowledge of why you think your way works best.

Don't stay with one teacher for too long though. In the 12 years I've been training, I've had 4 different teachers. Changing teacher means that you get a second opinion, this being made famous in the medical profession.

When you start having better knowledge of singing (this will come in time), listen to other singers. Think what they are physically doing to produce the sound. What resonators are they using? Was it a good or a bad sound? How would you do it differently? NEVER STOP LISTENING!

As singing is concerned, if you can't breathe properly, you won't sing your best. Concentrate your breathing as low as possible (just above your private area). The expansion should start here and continue up the stomach and around to your back. Your body should expand out, not up. Think of a tube expanding then contracting. That's what your stomach, back and lower ribcage should be doing. Try and keep your back and lower ribs expanded when you sing. This reduces pressure on the lungs and diaphragm.

You also need to think of how much breath you need. If you're only singing for 3 seconds, what's the point of taking one huge breath? It's just going to stay in your lungs, and get stale. Ideally, you need to blow out all the air out of your lungs before you take the first breath for a song. Keep the air in your lungs fresh at all times.

Think about words, the story, and the climax! Don't sing a song that you have no idea what it's about. You need to research it fully so as your not caught out by questions from your audience.

Keep your jaw as relaxed as possible. The more movement of the jaw, the more tension that is created. This can be fatal to the higher notes as in turn will cause tension through to the neck and shoulders. Your whole body should feel relaxed at all times.

When you practise scales, try starting the descending scales. Starting at the top makes you think of creating the space for the higher notes. When I say space, i mean you should keep your soft palate high and your throat open (look in the mirror when you yawn). You then need to concentrate hard to keep this space at all times; it will make long intervals much easier to sing.

Well I could write about this all day. Keep singing, don't strain, relax, and remember - you can always do better if you believe!

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