Singing School

Tips From DJ Sprunk

I have been taking voice lessons from my awesome friend, Courtney A.K.A. DJ Sprunk.  I'm now writing this text to pass on what I've learned about singing to YOU! 

*Diction.  Diction is fully pronouncing your words so people can hear them clearly.

*Sing emotively & with good posture.

*Use belly breathing and use your air rather than strain on vocal cords to get the power you want in your voice.

*Practice singing an "oooo" or other vowel sound on a musical scale.  Match your voice with notes using a piano or guitar.


*On notes that are hard for you to hit, it may help to aim a little above the note you are trying to reach.


*Sing in the shower to rejuvenate your vocal cords with the steam in the air.

*If you feel you have strained your voice, drinking warm water with a lemon or gargling salt water will help.

*Speaking of lemons.  Mouthing the word "lemon" without actually opening your lips and then again like normal will help you feel your natural voice.

*If you are playing guitar as you sing, playing finger style (no pick) may help your voice be well balanced with the guitar (rather than the guitar drowning out your voice).

*Sing bass through the chest.

*Relax your voice as you sing, and sing in your natural tone.

*Lip roll warm-ups are where you make a buzz or raspberry with your lips as you make tones with your voice.  You can do scales, arpeggios, or just move your voice around.  This is a good one to expand your range.  You can do a similar exercise humming an 'mmmm'

*Belting out in rhythm like a carnival barker, radio DJ, or even an advertisement can be an alternative style. Think Fred Schneider from the B-52's.  These kind of vocals still use pitch modulation.  It is sort of like a hybrid of rap and singing.

*Use these links for further study.