HOW TO start singing

A user sent me this question and I'll attempt to answer it.

I'm not sure whether this topic fits the purpose of this blog because my main idea was to focus on the basics of playing the guitar. However, I guess it does make sense because if one were to play the acoustic guitar, the next step would be to sing along with it while playing.

To answer this question, I have actually previously posted a topic on "HOW TO play the guitar and sing at the same time". Perhaps this post could answer the question. However, I think the intention when this question was asked was to find out how to sing/improve on the singing portion.

With that in mind, I have to firstly say that I think personally, I know I'm not a great singer at all. At the most, I'd consider myself an average singer. I say this because I have not taken any professional singing lessons, or even learned any special techniques. I basically just sing because I love to sing.

So, here's some things that I did to be able to sing like how I sing today:

1. Sing during your church worship service - This actually stems from the fact that we all need to practice in order to improve. I find that the church worship service is not only a time of giving God the glory that He rightfully deserves, but at the same time, we can improve on our singing abilities.
2. Imitate what you hear - This has been by far the method I have been using all along since I started singing. What I usually do is to listen to the song, and imitate the singer. I think this is probably why most people over Youtube comment that when I sing, they can't hear any accent. But when I talk, they can tell that I have some sort of Asian accent.
3. If you are able, join a choir - This can prove to be important because you can learn certain techniques when singing in a choir. For myself, I recently joined a choir and it has taught me to learn to sing using your diaphragm (and not your throat), and also tips on hitting higher notes.
4. Do not be afraid to sing out confidently - Over the years, I have realised that when I can't hit certain high notes, it's because I was afraid that I couldn't reach the note, hence I would sing softly when those high notes came. As a result, I would usually not be able to hit those notes. However, when I attempt to sing those notes with more confidence, I find that more often than not, I am able to hit those high notes.
5. Enjoy yourself - I believe that the most important thing is to enjoy yourself while singing. Even though techniques are important when singing, don't let it take away the joy of singing. Enjoy yourself when you are singing. After all, you are singing to the Lord, and not to people.
   

I hope these tips have somewhat helped. Continue to play and sing for the Lord. I know He listens and is well pleased.