How can I learn to sing opera? What are some tips to practice?

Question:I'm not sure how to use the diaphram to sing. How can I get it working? I know it may sound dumb but I want to learn!

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I'm not sure how to use the diaphram to sing. How can I get it working? I know it may sound dumb but I want to learn!

It doesn't sound dumb at all. It's great that you want to learn how to improve your singing, and it's even better that you're interested in opera. To make any significant improvement you will need to find a teacher, but let's see if I can give you some tips to get started...

Practice every day. It is better to warm up for 15 minutes, three different times during the day, than to spend 30 minutes straining to reach notes. That way each warm up almost acts as a new day's warm up. So you get three days of work in one day.

Using the diaphragm: When you breath you should work on making your rib cage expand. A lot of people only move their chest when breathing, you want to fill up your ribs and the area just above your stomach too. Think of your lungs as a balloon and you'll get the idea.

Don't strain your voice. The first thing that people do when they want to sing is force themselves to sing notes that they really can't reach (both high and low). Find the middle of your range and start from there.

Try singing a few notes at a piano. If you have piano skills, great. If not grab a friend who does. Play a single note and then try matching your voice. Listen carefully to what you are singing vs. what is being played. Try this on different vowels: e eh ah Listen CAREFULLY. Even better, have someone else listen to make sure you are singing the right pitch.

Next, warm up slowly. Don't start very high. In fact, it might actually be better to go down first. Start on middle C doing a five note scale (C => G and then back down) and then go down to B, B-flat, A, you get the idea. Try to connect your pitches through air. You don't want to swoop, instead try to keep a very steady flow of air coming out of your mouth. For example: If you take a big breath and then exhale you will notice that it is very smooth, the air is steady, it doesn't sound like a scratched CD. Apply this to your exercises.

Now you can go up. Keep in mind the same things: don't swoop, steady air, don't strain. As you repeat this throughout the day you will notice that your voice will get stronger, as will your range.

I don't know if you know solfedge, but if you do then these exercises are good. If you don't, maybe a friend can explain: (note: (do) = high do)

do mi sol mi do
do mi sol (do) sol mi do
do sol do
do (do) do
do (low-sol) do

Now apply the skills you have learned in these exercises to the songs you are singing.

Listen to operas. You can learn a lot by just hearing what the experts do. Get exposure to all different styles from Verdi to Wagner (I'm not so much of a Wagner fan myself, but to each his own.) to modern day opera. See what you like and don't like.

When you find a teacher sign right up. If you don't already know who you want to study with then go to your local music store and ask. They usually have a record of all of the private teachers in the area. Be prepared to call multiple people because by this time of year many teachers have all of the students they can handle.

Good luck and let me know how it goes!

Take lessons.

Inquire at a nearby college with a music department, or call your local opera company.

Nobody can learn to sing opera without a teacher--and in fact, when rock singers get signed to a contract, the record labels often require them to take voice lessons--otherwise, they're likely to sing in an unhealthy fashion and wind up voiceless and facing larynx surgery.

Moreover, even the greatest opera stars maintain a voice coach throughout their careers. If Pavarotti continued to get voice lessons throughout his career, then the wisdom of it ought to be obvious.

You are NOT going to learn on the INTERNET... and you are NOT going to learn by asking here on ANSWERS.

You need SINGING LESSONS and you need a VOICE COACH... and you must PAY FOR THAT SERVICE.

If you really DO want to sing OPERA, then you need to learn ITALIAN...

All in all... you will need to study singing for a minimum of 10 YEARS.. just to get good enough so sing in a real opera for a real opera company... and you will NEVER stop studying if you manage to make it that far.

what has really helped me is listening to my favorite opera singers over and over and slowly i learn the words and the music! and how to use your whole body when u sing!

You really need proper singing lessons. But to start with, try some singing and breathing exercises like arpeggios to different vowels etc Never force you voice so it strains. And when singing high notes, step on the note rather than reaching it from below.. if that makes anysense..

I would suggest that you take advantage of as many singing venues as you have available to you,

first sing in choir (school choir/ chorus; church choir; a local group etc)- use the experience to get in shape vocally, ask questions, attending regularly, and experiencing a wide variety of vocal music.

second try out for honors choirs- this gets you working on audition material, singing in front of audition panels, and if you make it, you will heighten your vocal/ choral experience through working with master teachers/ conductors. It also gives you useful feedback- are you ranking high among others singers, what are your strengths, what do you need to work on etc. The music business is very competitive whether pop or classical and healthy competition will help you grow as a performing artist.

finally as the others have mentioned you need to study with a private instructor; take time finding the right one for you. Doing the other things I have mentioned above first will give you some contacts who can lead you to a voice instructor that meets your needs ( and time to save up some money to pay for them)- ask the directors of the groups you sing in for recommendations of local instructors; ask the instructors what their background is (resume), and what styles of music they prefer to teach, how much they charge, and how long the lesson lasts each time you meet- pick the one who best suits your needs

Remember through all of this to listen, listen, listen to every recording you can get your hands on, use a local library as a resource since opera recordings can be pricey to budget! Keep lists of favorite artists, composers, styles, operas, etc.

Best of luck to you,
HS Choir director 16 years

Lesson, lessons, lessons and practice, practice, practice. A good resource to find a teacher is local universities in your area. If there aren't any, then find a singing group and talk to people there. Join it if you can. Technique is so important in singing opera, so you must learn it and continue to develop it. Good luck, singing is a wonderful thing!

You use the diaphragm to breathe and you use the diaphragm to speak, which means that it is already working. It is not just the provenance of the singing voice.

As some others have answered already, you MUST find a good voice teacher! This is the absolute first step of YEARS of hard work and dedication this will take. Call the Music Department at your local University and ask for the names of the voice professors there; if you are a beginner, they might not take you on yet as a student, but they can give you the names of some of their graduate students who would be great teachers for a beginner like yourself (and by beginner, I mean someone who probably has had very little, if any, formal voice training).

Beyond studying with a classically trained voice teacher, joining a choir or other (classical) singing group could also be helpful. Almost all professional opera singers today have Bachelor's degrees in Music/Voice, and most also have Master's degrees today. Carefully consider that this is probably the course you will also have to follow if you pursue this particular dream. If you don't already play the piano, you should also start piano lessons, as this will help you monumentally.

There is so much more that goes into becoming an opera singer than I can write here, but your voice teacher will hopefully be able to give you some guidance. Know that this is a very difficult path, and one that will not be very financially lucrative for many years, but if you love opera and absolutely feel that you MUST follow this dream, then go for it!