Performance Techniques

Sooner or later most singers want to come out of the lessons and practice sessions to try out their talents in front of an audience. The first performance may only be to family and friends, at a party, karaoke night or other low key event but for those who seek a professional or working career as a vocalist, the ability to capture and hold an audience should be part of the ever ongoing training process.

Many of the aspects of performance a singer requires are included in private lessons, workshops and classes provided by singing teachers, voice coaches, performance coaches and choreographers, some of which can be learnt by observing professional singers. How to pace a set, how to showcase all members of the group, how to develop a personal artistic identity, how to command attention and stand out from the crowd are just a few of the many performance techniques that a singer requires if they wish to make an impact.

Although these skills are difficult, if not impossible to cover here, there are some pointers that we can provide to help you to explore and improve your performance technique.

Set aside time for practice sessions that concentrate on integrating voice and movement.

Use a mirror to observe yourself when trying new movements or choreographing dance routines. If possible video record your sessions for later review to gain a better understanding of the audiences perception of your performance.

Leave a tape recorder running during a vocal and movement rehearsal for later review. This aids the singer in identifying potential problems that can occur with vocal control when using movement.

'Movement' covers a wide range of possibilities not just a full blown dance routine! A good performer appears to 'fill the stage', that doesn't mean they have to use complicated dance routines or have a powerful voice, many singers captivate their audience by using movements and facial expressions that are natural extensions of their personality and voice, these draw the audience in to focus on the performer. Some singers have stage personalities that are 'larger than life', many pop acts use dance routines whilst rockers convey energy through body movement and the occassional bounce around the stage.

Other performance techniques include the use of audience participation, which covers everything from working amongst the audience to encouraging the listener to sing along, dramatic acting, microphone techniques, building and arranging a set list of suitable material, improvisation and interpretation.

It is important to gain experience at performing in front of a real audience, no matter how much you practice in your bedroom or in a rehearsal studio, it will never reflect the reality of being on stage. This can cause a variety of reactions in the newcomer ranging from mild performance anxiety, forgetting the melody or lyrics, singing out of tune or time to overpowering stage fright, depending on the character of the individual.

Although an entertainer may practice many ways of presenting themselves in rehearsal, their true stage personality is rarely found until they relax and just do it live, which is where a friend with a camcorder is an asset!

When reviewing a recording of a live performance the main aims are to analyse what works, (and what doesn't!) then work on adjusting and honing your performance during lessons and practice sessions. Everyone has different abilities and may find some things easier to learn than others, the key to presenting a good performance is practice, experience, perserverance and a willingness to learn ;-)

Microphone Techniques

Few singers practice their microphone technique enough, which results in some fantastic voices being overlooked due to poor sound quality or bad technique when performing live.

How do you prevent this without the aid of a sound engineer or years of experience? Simple! - Practice makes perfect and if you have the facilities to set up a P.A. and tape recorder at home or use a rehearsal studio you have a distinct advantage!! Even if you don't have this equipment, you can still experiment with amplified sound by using your home stereo or karaoke machine and a microphone. The quality may be extremely poor and muffled (depending on how good the system), but you should still be able to get a basic idea of mic positioning and distance with a little practice.

Obvious points to remember when using amplification of any kind:

Pointing the microphone towards a speaker when you are too close causes a high pitched noise called FEEDBACK.

Having the volume too high will cause FEEDBACK and DISTORTION.

Incorrect wiring & connections can cause electric shocks, equipment breakdowns, horrible humming or even pick up the radio!

The most common mistake is holding the microphone too close or too far from your mouth. This results in your singing sounding muffled and distorted, too distant or no vocal sound at all. With a little practice this is easy to rectify and should become a part of your rehearsal routine.

Set your volume controls so that the backing track is lower than your singing.

To avoid distortion, ensure the mic is held no closer than 2 to 3 inches from your mouth during normal singing. You will have to experiment a little as the distance is dependant on the individuals natural power and ability to project.

Gradually move the microphone away as you continue to sing and listen to the effect - at what point does the vocal sound start to fade? - That is your furthest point to remember. The optimum distance for clarity is between the shortest and furthest points.

There are times when you will be using more volume, hitting higher or lower notes or almost whispering. Practice using different distances and positions to see how using the mic creates different effects.

Avoid moving the microphone closer to your mouth when aiming for high or more powerful notes and practise using the microphone to enhance or lessen certain effects until it becomes second nature.

Hiding Faults
Microphones can be used effectively to hide as well as enhance a singers faults. One of the most common techniques used to hide a lack of sustained breath control is to hold the microphone away from you when starting a sustained note and bringing it closer to the mouth as the note diminishes. To the audience the note appears to maintain it's volume, although it is important to keep on pitch and not attempt to hold the note for longer than is comfortable!

The distance and placement of the microphone also affects the sound and tone of the voice as heard by the listener. Some microphones are designed to pick up sound from any direction, (known as omni-directional) others are designed to pick up sound from a limited area. There are several different microphone types, referred to as dynamic, cardoid, supercardoid, condenser.... to learn about these in more depth read the DAT-Heads FAQ and articles listed further down the page.

Vocal Effects
Using a microphone allows the singer to employ various vocal effects to enhance a recording or performance including: Adjusting airflow through the nose, opening the throat to provide more resonance, glottal attack, soft-palate edge (with vibration of the uvula), good enunciation and diaphragmatic pulsation (like a pant).

Avoiding Pop's & Hisses
Certain consonants create sounds that when electrically amplified become abrasive or detract from the intended effect. B's & P's can sound over-exaggerated causing a 'pop', whilst the natural sibilance of C, S & Z can produce a hissing sound. These are problems that can be avoided by using a combination of correct diction and mic technique.

When using a microphone for the first time, the natural instinct is to place it in right in front of your mouth, but with todays technology, most microphones are extremely sensitive and capable of picking up sound from any direction, moving the microphone further from your mouth, angling it to one side or lowering the mic and angling it more towards the ceiling will lessen the sensitivity by just enough to prevent the pops and hisses, the adjustment can be quite fine depending on the EQ & gain settings plus equipment type and quality.

Common Problems with Microphones
Despite improvements in technology, Radio microphones can be the cause of many a singers nightmares with mini cab or police transmissions blasting out over the speakers, cut outs and dodgy batteries causing distortion. Small microphones attached to clothing can easily work loose causing loss of sound and even hand held radio mic's left on while backstage can pick up discussions or noises that you would rather remain private! Even the humble lead mic if left on in a stand will pick up footsteps or other loud vibrations from the stage and floor. If using a radio mic, always use check the batteries before use, keep a couple of spare batteries handy, make sure arials or leads are not twisted or bunched up and have a lead mic available in your kit bag for emergancies. Switch off all microphones during breaks or when not in use.

Which Mic?
Everyone has their own personal preferance, but omni-directional microphones are pretty common for live work and although they lack the sensitivity of some other microphones, they have the advantage of being robust and capable of picking up sound from any direction. There are lead and wireless versions, both of which can be hand-held or placed in a stand. Head-set mic's are useful for dancers or singers who want to have complete freedom of movement but are 'fixed' in front of or to one side of the mouth, this means that the singer is unable to manipulate the microphone.

Before purchasing a microphone it is worth trying out several types. A mic that makes one singer sound great can make another sound bassy or tinny and although this may be due in part to the EQ settings or effects used, it can also be due to the microphone response. Most recording studios carry several microphones to cater to all types of vocalist and singer/songwriters may find that purchasing a microphone for 'live' performance and one for 'recording' solves a few clarity problems.

Breathing Exercise

The following exercise may make you feel tired at first, do keep at it as you will begin to notice that it takes less effort to breath, less energy is used when breathing plus it helps you learn to co-ordinate the diaphragm and abdominal muscles when breathing.

To find out if you are breathing correctly, place a hand on your belly button. This area should expand first when you breathe in and then spread upwards until your chest is expanded (don't lift the shoulders or push the stomach out). If you feel you are not breathing properly, practice the following exercise.

Lay flat on your back.

Place your hands on your waist, fingers pointing towards your belly button.

Focus on filling up your stomach from the bottom to the top taking a slow deep breath. (The aim is not to fill yourself to bursting but to inhale enough air so that you can feel the difference between a shallow breath taken when breathing from the chest).

You should feel your stomach rise and your hands being raised gently up and outward until you feel your chest expanding. The expansion is not only at the front of the body but also to the sides and back as well.

Breath out slowly to a count of 5

Repeat the exercise 10 times

Practice daily before you rise in the morning and prior to sleeping at night for 5 - 10 minutes gradually increasing this to 3 or 4 times a day.

Once you get it right, practice as often as possible, sitting, standing and whilst at work until you are breathing naturally from your abdomen.

Try the following exercise to help increase breath control - Count on one breath singing each number out loud. using one breath at any comfortable pitch. Start with a small number like 5 or 10 and increase this gradually until you can manage 25 or more without straining, tensing or running out of breath.

Singing with diaphragm breath

One of the cornerstones of learning to sing is knowing how to breathe correctly and learn to control your breathing so that it is used to optimum effect when you sing.

When we are born our breathing is naturally correct, babies can breathe, yell and scream with optimum effect because they use their lungs without conscious thought. As we grow older, some people become lazy in their habits only using the upper part of the lungs, taking a shallow breath instead of a normal one.

To understand how correct breathing and breath control works, first you need to understand the process that it uses to operate.

Surrounding your lungs is a muscle system called the diaphragm which is attached to the lower ribs on the sides, bottom and to the back acting as an inhalation device. When you breathe in the muscle lowers displacing the stomach and intestines. When you breathe out the diaphragm helps to manage the muscles around the lungs (abdominal muscles) control how quickly the breath is exhaled.

If you breathe out quickly, the diaphram does nothing but when you breathe out very slowly the diaphragm resists the action of the abdominal muscles. A singer learns to use this muscle system to control the breath as it is being exhaled.

Hold a finger close to your lips and breathe out slowly, the breath should be warm and moist and you should notice the action of the diaphram as you exhale. This is the correct amount of breath used when singing normally. A singer does not need to 'force' or 'push' air through the vocal chords to produce a good strong sound, doing so creates too much pressure against the chords, preventing them from operating correctly which can cause damage to the voice.

The stomach area should move naturally inward toward the end of the breath, the stomach should not be 'sucked in' as it prevents the diaphram from working effectively. Instead the abdominal area should remain expanded to the level it was when you inhaled and allowed to gradually decrease naturally at the end of the breath.

This is where the 'control' comes into play - the singer expands the lungs by inhaling and 'controls' the amount of air expelled when singing a note by allowing the muscle support system to remain expanded - this doesn't mean the stomach is pushed out, rather that it is blown up like a balloon when the air goes in and the singer slows down the natural rate at which it goes down. In most people the breathing is shallow and only the top half of the lungs are used - breathing correctly uses the whole of the lungs so that more air is available, the singer then uses the natural action of the muscles (diaphragm and abdominals) surrounding the lungs to control the amount of air that is exhaled when singing a note.

Good breath support during singing and speech requires, good posture, abdominal breathing and breathing during natural pauses. Breathing and correct support does not require great physical strength - although having toned abdominal muscles helps, even a child can learn how to breath and support their voice correctly. Remember....the diaphragm doesn't exhale for you - just helps to control the amount of air exhaled.