How to Sing Better Karaoke
Many students seek out voice lessons to improve their karaoke performance.
Some students love it so much that they attend weekly karaoke sessions and events with their friends. They’ll often say that, even though they love singing, they feel shy and unsure of their voice, and that they believe they can sing better but aren’t sure how to accomplish this.
What’s the key ingredient their singing needs?
Confidence
Lack of confidence holds back more singers than anything else, often stopping them from taking the stage in the first place. It can affect everything from the types of songs you choose to sing to the way you perform them.
Here's the thing about karaoke: it's not really about your singing ability. Karaoke singing is mostly about fun - singing fun songs, letting loose, and having a great time. Becoming a more confident singer allows you to shake off your self-consciousness and shyness to perform like a superstar.
The first step is gaining the confidence to get up and sing. So many people are held back right from the start because their lack of confidence stops them from participating in the first place. So what’s the best way to get over that? One word: practice.
“Becoming a more confident singer allows you to shake off your self-consciousness and shyness to perform like a superstar.”
You may ask, “How can I practice if I'm too self-conscious to perform?” The key is finding a way to practice singing publicly that is less scary to you.
The first and best option is to get some singing lessons. During your lessons, you’ll gain confidence as you learn good vocal technique. It’s also an opportunity to sing in front of someone you trust in a comfortable environment. As a vocal coach, I am often the first person a lot of shy singers have ever sung in front of. It's not long before these timid performers are comfortable singing in front of others.
Another great way to practice is with online karaoke. Online karaoke allows you to practice in the privacy of your own home on your computer. There are a range of sites, but my personal favorite is Sing Snap; I even use it during my lessons. It has a massive selection of karaoke tracks, allows you the change the key of a song to better suit your voice, and includes a recording feature. Students can record and review their performance, and they can keep making new recordings to track their improvement. It's an awesome way to practice and hear what you actually sound like. Sing Snap even offers an online community of karaoke singers to share recordings and sing duets with if you feel comfortable sharing your talent.
Once you’re confident enough to sing in front of others, it’s time to become more confident in your performance abilities and song choices. This requires you to know yourself as a singer, especially your vocal range, tone, and style.
Vocal Range
Your vocal range is the full spectrum of notes you’re able to sing from highest to lowest, and where your various vocal registers (chest, head, falsetto) begin within that spectrum. If you have a wide range, you can sing songs with wider ranges (think the big, diva ballads you hear on the radio). If your range is not very wide, you'll be more confident picking a song where the range is not as challenging. A great singing teacher can help you measure your exact vocal range; your coach can confirm your highest and lowest notes and where your voice “breaks” into head voice and other registers.
Tone
Tone describes the color or quality of your voice. It might be soft and sweet and warm, or clear and pristine and light. You may have lots of “character tones” such as husky, raspy, gritty, gravelly, airy, etc. A great singing teacher will be able to help you identify your vocal characteristics and find songs that are best suited to your voice.
Style
Style refers to the inflections you choose to add to your performance. Your voice might sound great on long power notes way up high or be better suited to an almost spoken type of singing. You may be great with wordy lyrics or rap. Once again, a singing teacher can help you identify your sweet spot for style. After getting intimately acquainted with your voice and what songs are most suited to it, the next step is building a repertoire and - of course - more practice.
Listen
Listen to songs and try singing along with them. Your goal with this exercise is to feel out how easily your voice can sing a particular song. If the song is too high or too low, you’ll find it more difficult to sing along.
Once you have a list of songs that you find easy to sing, turn each song into a project. First, make a lyric sheet and learn the lyrics. Then, listen to recorded versions and learn the melody. Learn how the song is arranged into sections including the introduction, verses, choruses, and instrumental breaks. Finally, memorize the song so you can perform it without referencing your lyric sheet. Doing this for each song is an important practice to help you feel more confident singing karaoke.
“After getting intimately acquainted with your voice and what songs are most suited to it, the next step is building a repertoire and - of course - more practice.”
When you have learned a selection of songs that suit your voice and have practiced singing them in non-scary situations such as singing lessons or online karaoke, you should be well on your way to becoming a better karaoke singer. Find your closest Karaoke Night and step out!
Now’s the Perfect Time to Book a Lesson
Working with a voice teacher is one of the best ways to get to know your voice and improve your karaoke singing. Here at Love Your Voice, we’re big fans of karaoke and are excited to help you reach your singing goals. Get in touch to set up a lesson today!
Get in touch with Zelda to set up a lesson and start singing better karaoke!
Mention this article for a 20% discount on your first lesson.
