Voice lessons tips techniques

Get a microphone. It doesn't have to be fancy: it can even be the built-in mic in your laptop. If your computer doesn't have a built-in mic, they can be very inexpensive, and can be found at any electronics store. Connect it to your computer.

Launch a sound recording app on your computer, smart phone, or on the Internet, so you can hear what you sound like.

Play a song that you like, and know well. It might help to have the lyrics in front of you. The key is to know the lyrics by heart, so that you aren't thinking about what to sing, only how to sing.

Click Record. When you're ready, rewind the song to the beginning, then click the Record button (usually a red dot) on your sound recorder.

• Sing along with the artist. Do the best you can, focusing on your breath and on singing the notes correctly (keeping the notes at the same pitch as the artist).
• If you make a mistake, no matter how horrible, don't stop recording—go all the way to the end of the song. There is time enough later be perfect—for now, practice is what's most important.
• When the song is finished, click on the black rectangle or press the spacebar (which stops most sound recording applications).
• Rewind your recorder, pressing the arrow button that points left and has a vertical bar at the tip.

Click on the Play button to hear yourself singing. At first, you probably won't like it. Get over it and listen to it all; it's the only way you can understand what mistakes you make and what you need to improve about your voice.

• Listen critically, and recognize both your mistakes and where you nailed it.
• Play the original song again (no singing or recording this time), and compare your voice to the artist's. Play one part that's sung by the original artist, then play the same part, sung by you this time. Notice the differences.

Save your recording if you can. Saving the recordings to the same song on a longer period of time helps you track your progress. When you improve (and you will improve!), listening to the old recordings will let you hear just how far you've come.

Try again. Each time you record yourself singing this song, try to be more careful while singing. Be more passionate, or heartfelt, or whatever emotion the song is conveying—try to feel that part and make it your own.

• Unless you're practicing for a cover band, make the song your own! You don't have to sing it with the same inflections and expression as the original singer. Not all popular singers are good singers—they're just popular.

Sing for at least a half an hour a day. More is better—as long as you're not straining your voice, which could damage it. The more you exercise your vocal cords, the better and stronger your voice will be.

Find the different ways your voice makes sound. From the diaphragm, in the throat, in the nose: learn to isolate each type of sound you make. The more you know about how make sounds, the more you'll be able to control those sounds.

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Sing like a kitty. A great way to improve your voice is to sing "meow in different pitch each time. It is helpful because it contains all the major English vowel sounds (mee, ah, oo) which help when you sing aloud.

• Say "meow" very slowly, and feel where it resonates in your mouth, nose, chest, etc.

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Practice a belt. Everyone has to sing as though they are shouting in some point in their career, but you have to practice to get it to sound powerful and energetic, instead of desperate or screaming.

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Look for other resources to help you maximize your singing potential. For example, visit YouTube. There are plenty of resources from people who simply love to share their knowledge. Some may also be selling their products, but those aren't necessary if they aren't what you want or need.

• Ask friends and family, or your local music teacher to give you tips. Ask for their complete honesty, so they don't feel like they're required to praise you. In fact, if they do, thank them and then ask them to tell you where you need to improve.