How can I get my singing voice back

[Meganisgrowing]

I been in choir for almost a year with little improvement.Everything I try to sing its hard for me to expand my diaphragm/stomach my voice is breathy , my throat gets tight and I can't sing loud I use to sing really good in middle school but now I'm in highschool and I'm having some trouble getting my voice back.Is there a

 

[St_Worm2]

Hi Megan, my wife is an opera singer. I'll see if she has any ideas and get back to you.

I know she'll tell you that if your Mom/Dad can afford it, at least a few lessons with a vocal teacher who is great at teaching vocal technique would be your very best bet.

Yours and His,
David

 

[St_Worm2]

Hi again Megan, my wife says that you've probably developed a couple of bad habits that can be easily corrected with the help of a good vocal teacher, especially one who specializes in vocal "technique". She said that you may have tension in your tongue, or that you may be clenching your jaw (and she said your diaphragm should not go out/expand, it should go up and down like an elevator .. if that makes sense).

She said it is all but impossible to diagnose (much less correct) the problem(s) you're having w/o seeing and hearing you, so again, a vocal teacher is your best bet to fix the problems you're having and, no doubt, to begin to sing far better than you ever have before Maybe your choir director could help you find a teacher?

I hope that helps!

Yours and His,
David

 

[HouseCat71]

Your vocal chords are like muscles...you've got to condition them, as well as your diaphragm and your breathing so you're not out of breath. I sing a lot in church and the annual Christmas cantata. Before I do that, a few months before, I have to get my voice and lungs ready. You literally have to get your vocals chords and body/lungs in shape...just like you would your legs and lungs for a triathlon.

I practice singing scales at different ranges, lightly at first, working my vocal chords and practicing breathing. For me, it comes with practice, drinking lots of water, and knowing when to stop before my chords get sore. (Straining your vocal chords is not fun and usually takes a week to recover.) I take a break in between days...allowing my vchords to rest. The next practice, I sing a little louder, and slower; holding the notes longer...seeing how long I can hold it.

Also, find a piece of music that has a lot of infrequent rest commas. Areas in the piece where you can take a breath. Annotated by a comma, or where there is a rest. Training your body/lungs to take big, deep breaths during the rests/commas will help condition your lungs. If you can do a difficult song that's fast, with very little opportunities to rest, the others will be a piece of cake.

I wish there was a better way...but when it comes down to it: it's just practice, conditioning, breathing and hydration. Hope this helps! Good luck!

 

[faroukfarouk]

Your vocal chords are like muscles...you've got to condition them, as well as your diaphragm and your breathing so you're not out of breath. I sing a lot in church and the annual Christmas cantata. Before I do that, a few months before, I have to get my voice and lungs ready. You literally have to get your vocals chords and body/lungs in shape...just like you would your legs and lungs for a triathlon.

I practice singing scales at different ranges, lightly at first, working my vocal chords and practicing breathing. For me, it comes with practice, drinking lots of water, and knowing when to stop before my chords get sore. (Straining your vocal chords is not fun and usually takes a week to recover.) I take a break in between days...allowing my vchords to rest. The next practice, I sing a little louder, and slower; holding the notes longer...seeing how long I can hold it.

Also, find a piece of music that has a lot of infrequent rest commas. Areas in the piece where you can take a breath. Annotated by a comma, or where there is a rest. Training your body/lungs to take big, deep breaths during the rests/commas will help condition your lungs. If you can do a difficult song that's fast, with very little opportunities to rest, the others will be a piece of cake.

I wish there was a better way...but when it comes down to it: it's just practice, conditioning, breathing and hydration. Hope this helps! Good luck!

Scales are sometimes regarded as old fashioned but they are very useful!