Learn To Sing Pop

Jules Rendell is a professional singer and songwriter with classical training from the Royal Northern College of Music. As a singing teacher, she trains beginners and professionals alike in a range of styles from pop to classical, soul, jazz and rock. Here she will cover the basics of good singing technique, to help you make the most of your voice.

Step 1: Vocal Agility

The only way to improve your vocal agility is to practice. Singers like Mariah Carey and Celine Dion will often use a similar set of notes to ad-lib over a song. Practicing that scale will help you to ad-lib in the same way.

Step 2: Working on your registers

There are three vocal registers: the high register is also known as your head voice and is used to reach the top notes. The middle register is the notes in the middle of your range. The Low register is also called the chest register, and is the same voice you sing in. Work on each equally to achieve even tone throughout.

When singing in a low register, make sure you sing with an open mouth. Practice in front of a mirror to make sure you're doing this. Don't force your voice, but sing with abdominal support throughout. To strengthen your low register, exercise using a descending scale, repeating and descending semitone by semitone.

If you have a strong low register and a weak high register, it's your middle register you need to work on the most. Use descending exercises, controlling your voice so there's no discernable change of tone.

When singing in a high register, smile and lift your cheeks. Imagine the sound is coming from the space behind your nose, and try to produce a sound like a witch's cackle. Exercise using ascending scales, placing an 'n' sound in front of a vowel. The 'n' will help push the sound into your high register.

Step 3: Belting

Singers like Beyonce, Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera will often belt out their top notes. Belting is essentially a form of shout singing. When belting, support your voice by holding in your abdominal muscles and sing in your high register rather than pushing up from the bottom of your voice.
Practice belting using descending scales, ascending semitone by semitone with each repetition.

Listen to singers like Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera and Beyonce Knowles. If they do something you like the sound of, copy it, learn it, and incorporate it into your own repertoire.