
Singing is one of the most basic and essential skills in any live band. If you play an instrument, having the ability to sing will give you the multiple skills to make you a more valuable member of the band. It’s really in your own best interest to develop your singing skills as much as possible
As you know, singing is controlled by the muscles in your throat and the muscles that control your breathing. Any athlete knows that training the correct muscles will give you stamina and greater power. This is also true with your voice. As you train these muscles you’ll be able to sing better, longer and with more vocal range.
Another truth that any athlete knows is that cross-training muscles is an excellent way to increase those muscles abilities. The same is true with singing. If you are a lead singer and all you ever do is sing in the upper ranges of your voice you’ve probably noticed that you struggle singing parts that are in the lower ranges of your voice. The same is true if you only sing in the low range of your voice. You’ll struggle when you go to hit those high notes. That’s where the concept of cross-training your voice comes in.
One of the easiest ways I’ve found to cross-train my voice is to donate 1 hour a week to my local choir. I sing in my church choir and by doing so I’m able to sing music and styles that I would never have a chance to sing in my live band. I have a high tenor voice and I sing extremely high lead vocals in my band. My highest ranges are very powerful and I can really belt it out.
Choir music on the other hand is more difficult for me because even the tenor parts are written lower than where I usually sing in the band. This gives me a chance to stretch out and use the lower ranges of my voice. I also sing melody lines that are unusual and that you just don’t find in modern rock-n-roll music. This challenges my voice to sing in ranges that I don’t normally sing in with the band. It’s really great practice for my voice!
I’ve noticed that I am able to sing better when I sing in the band because I donate a little time to my local choir. The choir is happy because they are always looking for people to sing and it’s paying off for my voice when I sing with my band. It’s a win-win situation for me and the choit. Singing with the choir is an easy way to cross-train your voice and it’s also a great way to meet other singers and musicians.
There are all kinds of choirs out there that are looking for singers. You have opportunities in church choirs, community choirs, neighborhood choirs and school choirs. I highly recommend singing in one of these groups as it will increase your skills as a musician. -Matt-
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