Confidence is really crucial in effective vocals performance. When we are under confident we tend not to breathe as well as we should and also not to really nail the notes that strongly, so it all comes out a bit mushy. Now at Musicademy we’ve taken a fairly in-depth approach to helping worship vocalists through our vocals DVDs, so of course we would recommend going through them or alternatively getting some private lessons to help you on your specific issues, but here are some brief tips:
1. Learn to breathe properly so that your breath is constantly and consistently supporting your singing voice. Take some time to do breathing exercises before you perform – this will not only improve your breath support but aid in relaxing you also.
2. Get your posture right so that your legs, hips, back and abs are supporting you.
3. Open your mouth wider, particularly on the high notes, and project your voice as much as possible. Use diaphragm pushes for more support.
4. Warm up properly so your voice is in top form. Do stretches as well to relieve any tension your body may be carrying.
5. Practise using vocal warm up exercises. If you want to be good at a sport you need to practice it and your voice will significantly improve if you’ve put it through its paces regularly in terms of vocalisation exercises. Regular use of these exercises will also help you improve your tone, range and power and prevent long term damage.
6. Keep hydrated – drink plenty of water before and during singing. Avoid milk and dairy foods which will clog up your throat, and try to avoid caffeine and alcohol as well which tend to dry up the vocal chords.
7. Practice singing in front of other people – in our live courses we get people to take it in turns to sing a verse of a song. Its terrifying to begin with but you gradually learn to control your nerves, remember to breathe properly again and try differently the next time. Get some honest feedback on what others think you can do to improve as well. It’s also worth “practising confidence” when you are alone – try to break through the fear barrier by singing louder and being more daring and creative with vocal inflections without the added pressure of an audience. Test yourself in the privacy of your own home and believe in yourself! This will eventually follow you on stage…
8. If you are the worship leader but don’t feel too confident vocally (and so many guitarists or keyboard players find themselves in this position regularly) then ask a good confident singer to back you up holding the melody line rather than doing a lot of harmonies.
9. Again if you are leading worship and struggle to communicate where you are going next with those lovely ad libs that great singers seem to pull off with ease, then just speak the first few words of the next line before its sung – like that we all know that we’re repeating the chorus or going back to the first verse and you’re not left singing it by yourself while the congregation catch up.
Its also worth considering the ‘fight or flight’ mentality. Rather than fleeing from the challenge of singing, face it with positive thinking, risk taking and jumping at every opportunity to grow and develop gifting. People are mostly singing because they choose to – not because they are forced to!! You need to remind yourself to enjoy sharing your voice with people, rather than let nerves rob you of an enjoyable experience.
8 Comments
What you said about the ‘fight or flight’ mentality made me realise that I am doing the right thing. There have been times in the past when I have considered giving up singing on the worship team because I feel I’m not good enough. But then I stop and think that I have had vocal training, do vocal exercises and practice the songs so I must be an ok singer. I know half the battle is confidence and I struggled with that for years. I am a lot more confident now and my voice has improved but there are always times when I doubt myself, especially if not encouraged.
I’m glad that this has helped you. You are doing all the right things. Make sure your breathing doesn’t desert you when you are worried and really go for it. See also my post on the conscious competence model – I would always rather be working with someone as self aware as you. Its a great place to grow from
Marie
I have been singing for 19 years and now i am 26 years old and I have a big phobia of walking in front of people. It effects my singing and I also find my self not confident enough even though I have several people rooting for me. I think that it is all mind over matter and that if I tell my self that I am great than my confidence will show through. But its listening to my self that I have trouble with. Im still tring.
It’s such a shame that nerves and confidence stand in the way of so many people! And it’s very often the people who have lovely voices who have the worst nerves! I think that you are absolutely right. What you tell yourself is really important! We believe all the negatives we hear and tell ourselves, so much more than the positives we hear! Replacing those nasty thoughts with good ones is really helpful and eventually it does start to work! It just takes consistency.
Sometimes I ask myself ‘what’s the worst that can happen?’ and I truly imagine it! Then I usually realise that even if I fell on the floor and shook like a leaf….I’d get over it! There is possibly no easy journey where confidence is concerned but I do know that when you overcome one obstacle you usually feel like you can take on the next challenge!
It’s a great idea to sing in front of the one or two people you feel confident with and then build up to slightly more challenging performances!
As far as listening to yourself goes, I don’t know one singer who enjoys it! You often hear people who sing and act saying that they just can’t watch and hear themselves! However, personally I think that it’s really really important to get used to it! Because it’s more painful when you first hear yourself, you’ll find that it actually gets easier! Record yourself, then decide one small thing that you could work on and then spend time listening out for how you’ve improved!
Truth is, you are unique, and no one else is going to have the voice that you have! It’s important that you don’t hide it from people, because you never know what it could mean to someone! Little by little! Don’t frighten yourself! You can do it!
thank u for the advice andmim gunna give it all i got and i am gunna go on x factor when ma voice is a bit better :) thanks really helped me alot
I loved reading through peoples thoughts and experiences,
We often share common fears and phobias but feel it’s just us.
What helped me a couple of years ago when I was leading worship in a scary situation was to acknowledge my feelings of fear and then agree that my feelings weren’t going to get the better of me. The truth is it’s often not as awful as you think it’ll be.
JUST HAPPY I FOUND THE SITE
Any suggestions on singing and walking at the same time? I feel like I can walk a little during the instrumental parts, but feel like I’m not supporting enough if I walk as I sing. How do I get the proper breath support? Is there a trick to this?