Performing Live

Tips from Glyn Tucker on Performing live

If so here are a few simple tips.
 If you are a singer performing live then it is important to get your voice warmed up and ready to perform. First you should consider what you are doing with your voice in 12 hours or more before the performance. The best thing you can do is REST your voice as much as possible.
This can  sometimes be tough call; you may be socialising with friends (or fans) at a function or music festival where you are waiting for your turn to perform. Whenever possible avoid these situations, or at least be aware of noisy environments and refrain from pushing your voice too hard. Prior to taking the stage you should do some vocal exercised to prime the voice for action. Just as an athlete will do some gentle stretches building slowly to moderate flexing of the muscles, you need to treat your vocal chords the same way. Start by doing some gentle   humming, either a tune with a limited range of notes, or up and down a half-octave scale. Extend it to a full octave but keep it gentle. Now extend again farther up the scale by starting a semi-tone higher, then another semi-tone.Believe me performing live can be a tough call for many people, not only with their confidence level but also being able to maintain their voice properly.
Repeat this but do not strain as you go higher. Now sing some aah’s and ooh’s and eeh’s in the same manner, never straining, but easing into a little more volume as your voice warms up. Then sing a phrase or two from one or two of your songs. Check any lyrics that might trip you up. If you are an instrumental musician the same analogy as the athlete warm-up applies to you. Play some medium paced scales and chord chord progressions in the middle of the range, and gradually speed up and extend to give your fingers (or embrouchure in the case of  brass and wind instruments) a chance to loosen up.