Singing is a great way to bond, pass the time, or make yourself feel better. You can take a group of friends out for a night and get lost singing your favorite songs, or buy a home karaoke machine and rock out.

If you’re not the best singer, there are several things you can do to improve your singing. With practice, you’ll be singing your heart out in no time, and sound good when you do!

9 Ways to Improve Your Singing

1. Stay Hydrated

How much water you drink directly relates to how well your vocal cords are maintained. Singing involves your body’s mucous membranes, and your mucous membranes are at their best when they’re adequately hydrated.

Set a goal to drink at least eight glasses of water a day. Spread these glasses of water out over your day, so you stay hydrated no matter what time it is. It’ll keep your throat lubricated, and you’ll be able to sing for hours.

2. Stop Smoking

When you smoke, your throat and your lungs are exposed to dozens of harsh chemicals. These chemicals can cause inflammation or irritation in your lungs, vocal cords, and throat. This can result in a scratchy sounding voice or difficulty singing big notes. Stopping smoking can stop you from damaging your throat because it’ll reduce the number of chemicals that you’re exposed to.

3. Invest in a Vocal Coach

When you sing, you don’t always hear all of the small problems you have with your voice. This is where a vocal coach can be an invaluable resource. They’ll listen as you sing and point out problem areas. If they bring these things to your attention, you can concentrate on fixing them. They’ll also help you with your breathing, posture, and your technique, so you get clear sound.

4. Breathe from the Diaphragm

Breathe from your diaphragm when you sing. Not doing so is a common mistake a lot of singers make, and it can restrict you when you try to hit big notes. You won’t have as much control, and your voice won’t resonate as clearly. Practicing your breathing routine and breathing from your diaphragm can help you hold notes for a longer period as well.

If you want to learn how to breathe from your diaphragm, this YouTube video will help.

5. Keep Your Chin Pointed Down

Although you’re inclined to have your chin up when you sing, you want to do the opposite. Keep your chin down when you sing. This position gives you more range control with your jaw and your vocal cords. If you jut out your chin like you’re naturally prone to do, this limits your jaw’s range of motion.

Keep your head straight and your chin back and you should notice a marked improvement in your singing quality.

6. Open Your Jaw

Stand in front of a mirror and say the alphabet with your jaw open. Notice what letters make you have the natural tendency to close your jaw. Keep your jaw open wide enough to fit two fingers sideways between your front teeth. This will help you get into the habit of singing with your jaw open and your chin down to enhance your sound quality. This will take practice, and using a mirror can help.

7. Ground Yourself

When you’re singing, and you’re trying to reach those higher notes, you have a tendency to push yourself up higher as well. You want to do the opposite and ground yourself. Focus your attention on your weight, and imagine sinking downward from your chest.

This exercise will allow you to stabilize yourself, and it’ll give you a greater degree of control over your posture and breathing. This can mean more powerful and clear sound.

8. Practice Control

Sing quietly to yourself as you go about your day. This technique forces you to listen and learn control because you’re not singing loudly to try and cover up and confusion or mistakes.

You can deliver a very high-intensity performance when you start to cut back on your volume levels and focus on your technique and vocal control instead.

9. Get Enough Sleep

When you sleep, your body takes this time to rejuvenate and heal itself from the small stress points of the day. If you’re just starting to sing or if you’re seriously trying to master your singing, you can cause muscle fibers in your throat to adapt and grow. You can also strain them during this time. Sleeping the recommended amount every night will give your throat a rest and give it a chance to heal.

Common Mistakes People Make When They Sing

Now that you know nine different tips to help you improve your singing, here’s a short list of mistakes that you want to avoid.

1. No Warmup Routine

No matter if you’re playing a sport or singing, having a warmup routine is essential. This helps your muscles get ready for a longer singing session. You can get away with singing without a warmup routine at first, but your muscles can only be shocked so many times. Over time, your muscles can lose their efficiency and smoothness, and this can mean a subpar performance.

2. Not Monitoring Your Progress

If you don’t know what areas that you’re falling short in, you won’t be able to improve. Not recording and listening back when you sing is one way to stay mediocre. No one is perfect, and believing that you can’t improve your singing is one way not to sound as good as you could.

3. Not Setting Goals

If you have a goal in mind, it’s easy to motivate yourself to work towards it. Not setting goals is a common mistake people make when they sing. This allows you to coast along and give up easily if you don’t see immediate results. You want to sound good when you’re out singing alone or in a group, and setting goals can help with this problem.

These nine easy tips give you several things you want to do to improve your singing voice. We also gave you three of the most common mistakes singers make so you know to avoid them. Whether you’re singing for a career or our singing karaoke with your friends, you want to sound the best that you can.