So you’re here because you want to be a better karaoke singer and performer. Whether you’re a seasoned karaoke pro looking for some extra tips, or a beginner learning the ropes, there are plenty of ways you can learn to sing better.
Granted, some people tend to have more singing talent than others, but everyone has the ability to improve their singing skills and put on a great performance. But how do you actually become a better karaoke singer?
The Quick Answer
The easiest way to improve at karaoke is to find your vocal range and choose a song that best suits it. You also need to remember to breath properly to avoid singing from your throat, and hold the microphone close to your mouth, but do not cup your hands around it.
- Find your vocal range
- Pick the perfect song
- Breath properly
- Have the correct singing technique
- Practice makes perfect
We’ll go through each of these tips in detail and give you real ways that you can improve your singing ability straight away. Plus we’ll go through how to prepare for a karaoke performance and how to make the most of your voice when you’re on stage. So let’s get started!
1. Find your Vocal Range
The very first thing you should be doing to be a better karaoke singer, is find your vocal range. So what do we mean by this?
Well, every singer has a vocal range, which means there is a limit to the kind of notes that they can sing. You can develop this and improve, but your voice will be suited better to a particular range of notes.
For example, singers like Taylor Swift and Justin Timberlake have high voices. so are able to sing high notes much better than singers who have a vocal range on the lower end of the spectrum like Rihanna and Elvis. There are of course some singers with phenomenal range like Whitney Houston, which will be difficult to imitate.
There are two great ways to figure out your vocal range.
- Find out what singers your range suits best (quickest and easiest)
- Using note matching (more technical and precise)
You can try note matching to find out your exact vocal range. The best way to do this is by using a piano and trying to match the notes. You’ll know you’ve exceeded your range when you’re struggling to match it. This will help give you an indication of whether it’s better to sing songs with higher, lower of middle of the road ranges.
2. Pick the Perfect Song
Once you’ve figured out your vocal range, or at least have a good idea what kind of notes you can hit, then you can move onto song selection.
Create a Shortlist
You should aim to first, get a shortlist of some of your favourite songs that you think you could perform well. The main thing about your karaoke performance, is that you enjoy it, so make sure you pick a song that you genuinely like, not just one that suits your voice.
Try not to pick really obscure songs. Songs that most people know work best for karaoke as everyone will enjoy the performance more if they’re familiar with the music. Aim for a shortlist of around 10-20 songs.
Take a look at our list of the 250+ best karaoke songs for some inspiration! This should allow you to eliminate some choices that won’t suit your voice the best.
By this point, you’ll probably have less than 10 songs on your shortlist. Now it’s time to really think about your songs carefully. Consider if there are any parts of the songs that are particularly difficult and if you can manage them vocally. This should help you to cut a few more songs out.
Narrow Down the List
Next you can start practicing. Have a go at singing each song on your list using an instrumental version so you can properly hear your own voice. Once you’ve been through all the songs, rank the ones that best suit your voice and that you enjoy the most.
Write these choices down, either on paper or just using a note on your phone. It’s a good idea to record your choices as it can be hard to remember them when you’re at the actual bar. It’s good to have at least three song choices to make sure that the karaoke DJ has one available.
3. Breathe Properly
If you start to feel like your throat is strained at any point in your performance, then the chances are that you’re primarily using your throat to sing. Instead, you should be singing from lower down, all the way from your diaphragm to really make the most of your vocals. This comes down to the fact that you’re just not breathing deep enough.
The best way to fix this, is by practicing deep breathing. Take around 10-15 minutes a day to really focus on your breathing, using a technique called belly breathing. This involves breathing using your mouth and nose to inhale as much as possible to fill your belly up. You then need to exhale slowly and deeply.
Also, when you’re actually singing, be conscious of singing from your throat and try and breath deeply and produce the sound from lower down. It takes a bit of practice, but it’s one of the best ways to be a better karaoke singer!
4. Have the Correct Technique
This comes down to a few things. Firstly, you need to be the correct distance from the microphone.
You might have seen some singers like Liam Gallagher with their mouths super close the microphone and wanted to copy them. But for most people, this isn’t the best approach and can lead to muffled vocals.
On the other hand, being too far from the microphone can cause you to try and sing too loudly and relying on your throat too much. This can also reduce the quality of your vocals.
Another way to improve your technique is by using vocal warm up exercises like these.
- Practice deep breathing for 5 minutes.
- Try humming a song or tune through a straw.
- Take a deep breath and then exhale by letting the air move through your lips allowing them to vibrate. This helps to relax your mouth.
- Do some tongue twisters to stop you getting caught up on your words.
- Massage your jaw with your hands to relax your jaw and mouth
5. Practice Makes Perfect
The old saying is true, practice does make perfect. With the songs you’ve shortlisted, you should try and practice for at least 20 minutes a day if you can to improve your singing performance.
Quality Over Quantity
Aim for quality not quantity though. You should be practicing using the correct technique and breathing we have discussed. Don’t get sloppy with with. It’s better to practice less and with good technique than for hours without trying properly where you’ll just cement bad habits.
Use the Instrumental
You should be practicing with an instrumental track for the best results. Singing along to the original song will only get you so far because you won’t just be hearing your own voice. When singing along you tend to focus on the track singing and not your own voice, which can lead you to believing that you sound better than you actually do. This won’t help you improve!
Don’t fuss over singing acapella though. Some people think that by singing without any music that you’ll get better because it’s much harder than with a backing track. However, it won’t actually do you much good as you’ll end up singing in the wrong key and struggle when you go back to using the instrumental. Singing without any music also highlights small faults that aren’t as obvious with an instrumental, so can damage your confidence!
The bottom line is that you should practice regularly using proper technique to an instrumental sound track.
Preparing for your Karaoke Performance
So it’s not long now until your karaoke performance. But what can you actually do in the days and hours leading up to your performance to make the most of your voice.
Rest your Voice
It’s a good idea to try and rest your voice as much as possible a few days before your karaoke performance. You can still practice a little if you think you need it, but aim to keep it under 5 to 10 minutes at a time to avoid wearing your voice out.
Hydration is Key
We all know that hydration is super important for your health, but did you know that drinking water is key for optimal singing performance? You need to make sure you’re fully hydrated to prevent your throat getting dry and experiencing the dreaded voice crack. So make sure you get your 2 litres of water in on the day of the performance but also in the days leading up to it.
Warm Up Properly
Make sure you properly warm up your voice to get the most out of it. Here are some of our favourite vocal warm up exercises.
- Practice deep breathing for 5 minutes.
- Try humming a song or tune through a straw.
- Take a deep breath and then exhale by letting the air move through your lips allowing them to vibrate. This helps to relax your mouth.
- Do some tongue twisters to stop you getting caught up on your words.
- Massage your jaw with your hands to relax your jaw and mouth.
How to Sing Great on the Day
It’s the big day! Hopefully by now you’ve chosen the perfect song, done plenty of practice and nailed your technique. The main thing about karaoke is that you enjoy it. Even if it’s a karaoke competition, you need to make sure you have fun first and foremost.
Here are the best tips for making sure your karaoke performance is the best it can be.
- Make sure you look like you’re enjoying your performance! It’s a lot more easy for the audience to enjoy your performance if it looks like you’re having a good time instead of looking terrified. This means you need to remember to smile, dance and put some emotion into your performance.
- Remember your breathing. Keep it regular and deep in order to be able to consistently hit the more challenging notes.
- Keep the microphone around an inch from your lips. Don’t get too close or it could get muffled, and if you’re too far then you’ll have to sing a lot louder which can decrease your ability to hit all the notes properly.