Why I cannot sing always well?

Question

I'm an adult male that has a not so good or bad singing skill. Nothing to be ashamed of. I have noticed that I can sing a lot better after 2 or 3 songs that I know well. After that, it is like I can reach any note with clear, with good strength and without much effort. This leads me to think in something obvious: I must warm up before singing. One problem is that I don't know how to warm up.

Normally my voice sounds muffled, like some filter is covering my throat. But as I said, after some comfortable notes, it unleashes a lot. I have also noticed that generally I cannot sing well if I feel unfamiliar with the people around.

But there are times that I sing good since the start. One day I can perform great at the karaoke, other day I just barely emit voice. So, I would like to know the mechanics that makes me sing good or bad.

On the other side, I know people that sings always good, and they have not received any training and also don't need to warm up. Could I someday sing well without warming up, or it is something reserved only for a few talented people? I would like how to progress to get at least my "best" voice more consistently

Answer 1

Even the best singers will sound better, reach higher/lower notes after two or three songs, singing cold.. It's just that they already sound good! But to sound best at the start, they do warm-ups too. Before singing a note.

You say that often you sing better after singing a couple of songs you know well. And are looking for some warm-ups. Why not simply use those songs as your warm ups? There are plenty of exercises to do instead : stretching of facial muscles, including those used in singing, are the most used, and that's before any sound gets emitted. Don't forget also that your lungs and the muscles operating them need warming up too. Deep breaths, slow inhalation/exhalation, nose and mouth breathing.

The not-so-well singing when around strangers is to be expected. Nerves are the cause - partially as you want to sound good, but may not. Just do a lot more of it, and keep thinking that while they may judge you, you're the one singing. I doubt many of them would be brave enough to swap places!

It's like most things in life - the more of it you do, the better at it you become, and the more relaxed you are about it.

Answer 2

1. Practice daily, probably start with about 30mins in the morning and 30mins in the evening.
2. Practice humming, hissing, slow exhale, lip trills, straw breathe, breath low below chest.
3. Practice good posture (keep spine straight, lifted chest, lowered shoulders, lifted back neck and soft pallet)
4. Keep yourself active and energetic before singing (indirect warm ups).
5. Be Relaxed and be confident and assume all around your are just people like you.
6. Sing from your heart, and do not fear.

Answer 3

It is (unfortunately) not granted to sing great consistently, and that is only natural and logical.

When you sing, the instrument is your body, which depends on your physiology, and as you know the body becomes more fragile when you grow older. You need more warm ups for sports and singing, you need to train your muscles in the gym to stay fit, you need to take care of what you are eating. One famous opera singer has said that he has to "find his voice again" every morning, even though he is a very good singer with a healthy technique.

You could also compare your internal instrument (=your body) to an external instrument like a guitar, violin, trumpet or piano. To answer your question: your body changes daily and is vulnerable to diseases (like a flu), affected by your mental situation (how much you have slept, or if you have e.g. a mental condition as a result of a tragic event or stress at work or being nervous about singing and performing etc.) and some people have better immunity to stress and diseases than the others. They could also have a different physiology that favours their singing technique and as a result, they don't need as much warm ups or are more consistent in their singing. Your instrument is just (a lot) more susceptible to these kind of vulnerabilities than those external instruments like a piano or guitar, which sound almost the same every day, at least they are not vulnerable to diseases or they don't have to think about how they sleep and eat.