SUMMARY

VOICE CARE:

Being a singer is a very important service especially when you are singing in a congregation, and you have a responsibility to take care of your voice.

Avoid smoke and alcohol, very cold, hot, spicy or acidic foods. In fact extremes of any kind are not good for the voice.

Get plenty of sleep and rest. "Hydrate" your throat, drink plenty of fluids, especially plain water at room temperature in order to reduce irritating phlegm. Especially avoid cold drinks in hot weather. Gargle morning and night with hot salty water to keep sore throats away! When you do have a bad cold or flu, it is better to rest your voice as you may cause unnecessary strain to your throat.

Also do not sing out of your range i.e., at very high or very low scales without proper voice training. Yelling or screaming may also cause serious damage to the vocal cords!

FINDING YOUR VOICE!

The first step is to start using the voice correctly. Hum for a moment, and then try to speak in the same register as your hum. That's your true voice. The voice must come from the lower diaphragm, or the stomach, and NOT from the chest or the throat or the nose. The correct practice of placing of the voice will help you to sing the high and the low notes smoothly, without undue effort or straining of the vocal cords. Remember that incorrect practice can lead to vocal fatigue because more energy and muscle effort will be required, causing the voice to break or crack when singing.

THINK POSTURE

A "collapsed" posture limits breathing capacity and puts stress on laryngeal muscles. "Sitting up" may seem to require effort, but in fact, an erect, well-balanced sitting posture is less tiring in the long run.

BREATH CONTROL

This may seem obvious, but many singers simply do not allow themselves an adequate breath and instead, "gasp" for air in order to stay with the Taal, or they end up taking a breath in the middle of a word. Incorrect use of breath can also lead to straining of the vocal cords by stretching them unnecessarily to finish a line. By learning and using the correct techniques, we can improve our breath control enormously. The following exercises will help.

A.                Take a deep breath.

B.                Say “ Aaaaa”  or  “Saaa” and hold your breath for as long as you can, without breaking. Initially it may be difficult to hold your breath for more than a few seconds; but gradually with regular practice you will be able to control your breath for much longer. This will not only increase the lung capacity, but will help you to control your voice from weakening or breaking while singing.

This can also be done with the Harmonium or Keyboard; which will also help with holding your notes or “Sur “(see also below).

C.     Start with 5 minutes of this every day, gradually increasing to 10 minutes.

PITCH / “ SUR “ CONTROL

A.                Press the note “SA” on your Harmonium or Keyboard or Piano.

B.                Say the note that accompanies the key, that means say “ SA” when you play the note “SA”

C.                Match your voice to the note & hold it for as long as you can.

D.               Practice all the notes SA, RE, GA, MA, PA, DHA, NI, SA.  Up and down the scale

E.                When you get competent with these, play and sing any note at random, stop the instrument for a few seconds, then replay and see if your voice still matches the note. 

These exercises must be practiced every day for at least 15 minutes to start with, and ideally at least six days a week. Remember that practice makes perfect; you need discipline, or you're wasting your time! It is not the exercises themselves that are important, but what you gain out of doing them.

Basic vocal exercises are attached herewith but do NOT attempt them until you are comfortable with all of the above basic exercises.

SONG  PREPARATION

Remember the Bhajan you sing should suit your style and personality. Always highlight your strengths and play down your weaknesses.

Some tips:

A.    Find a Bhajan that you like. Try to pick a short simple Bhajan i.e. within 1 octave and ideally no more than 4-5 lines.

B.    Think about the meaning of the words. What is the spirit, the predominant emotion? Make sure that you understand and can pronounce all the words correctly. Mark the SHs's and BHs's.

C.    Where is the climax of the song? Where are the rests? Where will you breathe?

D.   Find the key that you are comfortable in and the tempo.

E.    Practice the melody first ensuring that you are able to sing the high & low notes comfortably. You may wish to practise singing the melody without the lyrics (on a "la" or "ooh"), or even just hum it first.

F.      Learn the lyrics by heart, with clarity and precision. Do not mumble.

G.   Now try the song. Feel yourself working with love and energy. Try now to sing every line as though it is for the first time. Each line must be fresh and must shine with the promise of offering something wonderful to our Lord.