Why You Need to Start Filming Your Singing Practice
Urgh, could I have suggested anything more awkward and uncomfortable?
Maybe, but it wouldn’t be suitable for this PG13 rated website.
I know the thought of singing in front of a camera probably makes you shudder, let alone WATCHING IT BACK.
But stay with me, I wouldn’t suggest this unless the benefits were HUGE.
WHY WOULD YOU EVEN CONSIDER THIS?
Have you ever noticed what goes through your head when you’re singing through a song in practice?
If you’re anything like me it’s a flurry of…
“Oh shit, it’s that high note, please, please, please let me hit it!”
“What are the lyrics to the next verse?”
“Am I going to make it to the end of the line without passing out? I never take in enough air for this part!”
“Is my tongue tense? Why is it tense? Relax! Relax! Relax!”
“What on Earth do I do with my hands? It’s as though they just grew overnight and I have no idea how they work!”
Okay so even if your brain is able to be a little less of a crazy motormouth than mine and stick to checking in on just your singing technique, that alone is a lot to keep tabs on.
How are you inhaling?
Are you controlling your exhale in the right way?
Is your neck aligned?
Is your soft palate lifted?
Did your jaw just jut out?
Is there tension in your lips?
Nobody can keep an eye on all those moving pieces at all times in a song.
Luckily, a good amount of them are visible externally, cutting down the number of things you’ll need to be conscious of DURING.
I know you’re not swimming in spare time, so you want to make your practice sessions really count right? To get you the best results in the shortest amount of time?
Well then you’ll need to figure out what specific elements of your technique you should be spending your laser focused practice time on.
That’s where video comes in.
THE POWER OF WATCHING YOURSELF ON VIDEO
Filming yourself won’t only allow you to watch what happens physically when you sing but it’ll also usually put you under some pressure or slight stress (hello inner perfectionist and fear of failure) which is similar to what you’ll feel in a performance.
So you’ll get a more realistic idea of what might happen if you throw an audience or a stage into the mix.
Most of the singers in my group trainings have a moment (or 17) of pure dread when they realise they’ve signed up to upload a video of themselves practicing each and every week into our private Facebook group.
But they also see the value in doing this almost instantly.
One of the benefits of the challenge is that everyone else is in the same (uncomfortable) boat and they often hear your voice and see your performance in a much more positive light than you do. We’re our own worst critic after all.
But even the singers themselves notice things they never do in the moment, little hiccups in their technique they didn’t even know were contributing to tension or inconsistency in their singing.
The beauty of this is, once you’ve discovered these “glitches” - you can FIX THEM.
So do you want to know where to start?
I've put together a FREE mini eBook that acts as a little checklist for what to look for in your practice videos.
The best thing about this guide is that it also links to training videos I’ve made that'll get you started on the most important part - the FIXING.