We are all songwriters. Many of us, however, are also performing singer-songwriters — that means we take our songs out into the world and sing them for (gulp) people! So, it’s no surprise that we’d like to sound as good as we can — and take good care of our voice in the process. For some tips on how to improve your vocals during performance, open mics, or just singing your newly-written tunes in the shower, I turned to my friend, the unbelievably talented Siobhan Quinn.
Here’s the scoop on Siobhan: “Siobhan Quinn is a touring singer and songwriter who teaches voice in Alexandria, VA and throughout the United States in conjunction with performances. She has upcoming Flexible Voice vocal workshops in Alexandria VA, on February 13, and outside Boston the weekend of May 22-23. She will be teaching a Flexible Voice vocal master class clinic at Swannanoa Gathering in Asheville NC during Contemporary Folk Week/Guitar Week. Her class is in high demand, so book early if you are going to attend. Siobhan is currently writing a book, Flexible Voice, on exploring vocal technique and performance. For more information see www.dreamersloversandoutlaws.com”
On to our interview, with some great singing tips!
Q: What are the biggest mistakes singer-songwriters tend to make in terms of their vocal performance?
A: Singer-songwriters spend a great deal of time crafting their songs — and need to, of course — looking at details of melody and lyric. But then they never step away and pay attention to the vocals as they are getting to the conclusion of their writing. It can help a great deal because you can find certain things that don’t sing well or things that sing better. For example, my husband Michael Bowers and I write together and he’ll bring me a vocal line that I have to say, “That’s not really singable.” My voice is substantially different from his, and it’s really about how the voice moves through lyric and melody physically. There are times when people sacrifice the vocals for the lyrics or the vocal quality for the melody or lyrics that they would like to have.
Q: What do you think singer-songwriters don’t realize about their voices?
A: I think the idea that there is stress involved when you’re singing, especially when you’re singing songs that are close to your heart — singer-songwriters are laying their souls bare a lot of the time. Think about how the body reacts as it’s going through emotions — the body is your instrument when you’re singing, so you have to pay attention to how the emotions affect you. If you wrote a song about your ex, for instance, you wouldn’t feel as threatened by strangers in the audience as you would be if your ex was actually sitting there.
Q: How much can singer-songwriters improve or change their voice for performances and recording?
A: A lot, absolutely. Unless there’s something physiologically wrong with your voice. Otherwise, it’s likely a psychological problem if you feel you can’t sing, but mostly it’s muscle tension for a lot of singers. They have tension in their bodies, so the best thing we can do is try to remove as much tension from our singing voice as possible. Unless you’re singing a wailing blues song…and even then, while you can use that muscular tension and movement to create a different tone it’s not ideal. When you hear a squished-up voice and it just sounds like it’s really straning it’s because someone is not singing from the correct positioning in their body. It’s literally about muscular tension mostly in the neck but also in the upper shoulders, the upper back, or someone might stand on one foot and lean heavily on the other — it’s a lot of little things and it all influences the voice.
Q: What are some tips for preparing your voice for a gig or an open mic?
A: Well, your voice does need warming up — it needs tuning, essentially. Singing cold is a very, very bad idea. It leads to muscular issues and problems with the vocal cords and muscular tension because you’re not sure your voice will get where it’s supposed to go. In the morning before a gig, make sure you’re stretched out. If you do yoga, great, if not try it out sometime. You want to focus in on the breath and make sure it’s even. Also, you shouldn’t be smoking — anything — and in terms of drinking you should be hydrating all day long. Alcohol will dry you out, though — so I stay away from it completely when I’m singing.
Six Vocal Tips from Siobhan Quinn
1. Start your day by stretching (yoga’s great!) and vocalizations (no words, start with humming. It’s the best simple thing you can do, gently running slides through your entire vocal range)
2. Hydrate with room temperature water — no ice! — and clear liquids (not soda) throughout the day
3. Watch your food intake, make sure you get protein.
4. Warm up your voice thoroughly.
5. At the gig– get some room temperature water for the stage, stretch again (you’ve just lugged in your equipment), vocalize again a little so your voice gets used to the microclimate you’ll be in.
6. Enjoy yourself! Try to sing with as little stress in your body as possible and don’t concentrate on your vocal technique at a gig…that’s for your home studio…concentrate on the emotional meaning of your songs.
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I contacted Siobhan after getting a “warning” from someone who books local showcases. He liked my songs a lot, but felt my singing needed serious work. The amazing Siobhan, after hearing me for 5 minutes, said “Do you have acid reflux?”(!) (I do.) Saw a throat doctor, who pronounced “reflux laryngitis,” and got me on acid-reducers. After that, I still had work to do, and I did work hard, but I’m really pleased with the results — not that there isn’t still room for improvement, but I hear the difference, and other people do, too. I only had a few lessons with Siobhan, but I intend to have more!