Most individuals most likely start off singing by imitating their favorite singers and are often afraid to find their own natural singing voice. Once they’re guided into finding their natural singing voice, most of them say that they don’t like how their voice sounds and would just resort back to mimicking their favorite artists. Though this is not entirely wrong, they might not be able to unlock their full potential in doing so.
Allowing yourself to embrace your own sound will help you explore and develop the capacity and limitations of your voice. Here are 5 easy steps to find your natural singing voice:
5 Easy Steps To Find Your Natural Singing Voice
Sing With Chest Voice
You need to learn to sing with your chest voice. The chest voice is the voice you use when speaking, which is considered your normal voice. When one sings with the chest voice, the vibration is felt around the lower neck and sternum, associated with deep, thick and rich tones. This can go from your low to middle range and would sound full and resonant as you develop it further.
Sing With Head Voice
You also need to learn to sing with the top part of your voice, which is called the head voice. This sound is usually higher and stronger than falsetto. When a person sings in his or her head voice, the vibration would be felt around the upper half of the face. The head voice is associated with light, bright tones.
Sing in Mixed Voice
Singing in mixed voice is simply singing with both your chest voice and head voice. Several vocal exercises can be done to control the use of these two voices and harmoniously combine them in your performance. A “mixed voice” will help you connect your lower chest voice and your upper head voice to achieve a broader vocal range and hit higher notes. The mixed voice involves producing a voice with elements of lower and higher voice registers.
According to research findings, the mixed voice can either be produced in the lower laryngeal mechanism or the higher laryngeal mechanism, depending on the singer’s gender. Men usually have a longer lower laryngeal mechanism, while women have a longer middle laryngeal mechanism. The mixed voice occurs where the laryngeal mechanism is longer in both cases. Singers need to learn how to transition between their chest voice and their head voice so as to be able to raise their pitch as high as they can. As you raise the pitch of the chest voice, you will start to feel a bit labored with each rise which means that you have to transition to the head voice to maintain this rise. The key is trying not to mimic any other singer but to focus more on what your voice really sounds like.
Find Your Genre
You also need to take into account your musical genre. A lot of singers tend to sing songs in genres that might not work for them. Though you might find a genre interesting, there is a possibility that your natural voice would not suit the musical genre you’re trying to perform. You have to make sure that you choose a genre that suits your voice.
Singers in different genres use different voice registers when singing. For instance, rock or pop singers use their chest voice while classical singers use their head voice. However, it is important to note that singers who use their chest voice can take their tone higher without changing from this voice. This mix enables them to seem like they are connecting and mixing the chest voice and head voice seamlessly without losing their tonal quality.
Choose Songs that Fit Your Voice
Once you are aware of the genre that suits your voice, it is also important to know songs that fit your voice. This will allow you to choose the right songs that match the actual range of your mixed singing voice. It will avoid you from sounding flat or pushing the boundaries of your voice too much, which could eventually damage your vocal cords.
Conclusion
Though these steps might sound theoretical, they will help you find your natural voice and allow you to develop your actual singing voice. You may have the ability to copy the sound of other artists, and that’s also quite a talent, but being able to find your natural singing voice allows you to know what key points in your voice you should be working on.
Studies show that most singers take time to accept or appreciate their natural voice, but once they learn how to use their actual singing voice, they can develop their talent more easily. If you’re having trouble finding or exploring the full potential of your voice on your own, there is always the option to seek help from professionals. You may find a music school, like LIVE Music Community, to get a vocal coach who could guide you through the process.