Vocal Practice - Weekly Accountability Thread

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maxmax77

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Hey everyone,

I took a few voice lessons last year, and my main takeaway was this: you get out what you put in. Consistent practice is key to improving.

So, just as going to the gym is easier with a gym buddy, I'm starting this thread to keep myself publicly accountable to my own vocal practice routine. If anyone else wants to join me, I'd love company.

Here's my personal plan:
  • I will practice at least 3 times a week for 5-10 minutes, in the mornings before I start my day.
  • Using a keyboard with speakers, I will play and sing along to 1) basic arpeggios up and down my range, and 2) basic interval jumps (fifths, fourths, maj/min thirds, and sevenths to start)
  • I will focus on keeping my neck and jaw relaxed, stopping as often as needed to ensure I am practicing good technique
  • I will focus on finding my natural resonance on each note
  • I will post once a week to track my progress

Keeping it as simple as possible to start. Cheers
 
Good for you maxmax77! Committing to practice is way more then half the battle.

EL
 
Imagine being in a theatre - where people do this daily together, on stage with the MD - always variations of a theme, with each MD doing it differently - and always with a tongue twister included - I would add that to your routine, to exercise your tongue, lips and cheeks. People often do these on their own too, running up and down stairs, in the lifts, and even in the loos!

Have a look at this one - some good tips in it from the Les Mis MD

 
maxmax77 said:
Hey everyone,

I took a few voice lessons last year, and my main takeaway was this: you get out what you put in. Consistent practice is key to improving.

So, just as going to the gym is easier with a gym buddy, I'm starting this thread to keep myself publicly accountable to my own vocal practice routine. If anyone else wants to join me, I'd love company.

Here's my personal plan:
  • I will practice at least 3 times a week for 5-10 minutes, in the mornings before I start my day.
  • Using a keyboard with speakers, I will play and sing along to 1) basic arpeggios up and down my range, and 2) basic interval jumps (fifths, fourths, maj/min thirds, and sevenths to start)
  • I will focus on keeping my neck and jaw relaxed, stopping as often as needed to ensure I am practicing good technique
  • I will focus on finding my natural resonance on each note
  • I will post once a week to track my progress

Keeping it as simple as possible to start. Cheers
Click to expand...
Excellent. Thanks for posting. A constructive regimen is not only useful for singing - but for all sorts of pursuits. :thumbs up:
 
I'm trying to improve my singing.
Acoustic guitar, and singing into a mic, while listening to my actual voice on headphones. So I hear what anyone else would.
I have sussed that 'singing up' helps. i.e. head raised so the throat is more open.
Just a bunch of T.Rex songs is a good start.
 
Cheers, everyone! Appreciate the encouragement and support. Rob, really appreciate that link, I'm gonna watch it ahead of my next practice.
 
maxmax77 said:
Cheers, everyone! Appreciate the encouragement and support. Rob, really appreciate that link, I'm gonna watch it ahead of my next practice.
Click to expand...
Our theatre MDs always do something like this, before the first show of the day. A few cast members don’t go, and they just annoy by doing their own, in the dressing room next door. Usually with their warm up music on their phone. Aaaaaaagh. Once ok, but after say, 70 odd shows it gets warning.
 
I practice singing everyday. If I'm in my car, I sing along with the radio or acapella. I try to sing songs that aren't really in my vocal range. Four or five years ago when I started vocal practice, I couldn't sing a lot of those songs, now my range has expanded and I can sing most of them. I also practice daily playing acoustic guitar while I sing.

I think the key, is the better you get at do something, the more you enjoy doing it, and you get more out of your practice sessions.
 
rob aylestone said:
Our theatre MDs always do something like this, before the first show of the day. A few cast members don’t go, and they just annoy by doing their own, in the dressing room next door. Usually with their warm up music on their phone. Aaaaaaagh. Once ok, but after say, 70 odd shows it gets warning.
Click to expand...
Watched the video you recommended before practicing today, it is a fantastic resource. So densely packed with great warm-ups, I'll revisit frequently.

R D, that's inspiring re your range expanding over time with practice, thanks for sharing. You said you sing with acoustic, I've been having fun singing while playing bass. Gets interesting when the bassline and melody rhythms are wildly different from one another, similar to coordinating the left and right hand on piano. Great practice.
 
I know what you mean Max. There are some songs I have recorded and I'm very happy with, that I cannot perform live, because the guitar part and vocal together are too demanding for my skill level. But, maybe with time, and they say, practice makes perfect...
 
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Three times a week sounds right.
Cheers
 
Week 1 Accountability Update: I've practiced more than 3 times in the last 7 days, despite being sick for a day or two.

Week 1 Reflection: In general, something I've been focusing on in developing positive life habits is improving my ability to return to the routine after it is disrupted. For example, if you miss a week at the gym, it's easy for that week off to turn into a month, then a year. Same with healthy eating, morning routines, whatever. I'm trying to improve my ability to recognize when I've "fallen off the rails", as it were, and then return to the habit.
 
Rob, I went through that video on the drive to work today. Holy cow, clear diction is so difficult! I sounded like a blabbering mess on half of those exercises lol. What a great way to practice and improve.
 
Week 2: practiced exactly 3 times this week - 4 if you count in the car. So far, so good! I'm starting to feel my pitch accuracy getting better on lower notes. Working hard to find that resonant space in my mouth/head on every note, particularly in the transition range between my chest voice and my head voice, and am noticing some subtle improvements there.

I also hit a new high note this week! Bad technique, though. I'm curious, can anyone explain how to not strain when you're at the tippy top of your range?

Cheers,
Max
 
Thanks, great tip. Finding that this helps me expand the range of my chest voice, too.
 
Week 3: caught a cold, only practiced once this week. I'm planning to get back on schedule this coming week, before taking a few weeks off for a work trip.
 
Week 4: practiced twice, so almost hit
My goal. Tough with a cold. Now on a work trip, so no practice til the last week of April.
 
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