Proper Microphone Technique for Singing on Stage

When you're singing on stage, most likely you'll be using a microphone. If you're an opera singer, you may have the vocal pipes to skip the microphone, but otherwise you're going to need one. This article will explore how to properly use a microphone, and will give some tips for the proper microphone technique when singing on stage. You can't just pick up a microphone and assume that glorious sounds will emit from it, even if you're the greatest singer in the world. There are techniques you'll need to use to be able to make beautiful music with your voice that comes across the sound system just as nicely as you sang it.

1. One rookie error associated with using microphones when singing is holding the microphone pointed at the speakers when you are not singing. This is something I still find myself doing. For example, let's just say there's a guitar solo in the song you are singing, and so you have ten measures of guitar to wait before you sing again. You hold the microphone down at your waist and it points towards one of the speakers. You'll know immediately that you have made this rookie error when you hear awful noises eminating from the speaker and sound system. Solution and Tip: Hold the microphone pointed upwards at all times when you aren't using it.

2. A related error made with the microphone is getting the microphone too close to the speakers. You're going to get a similar noise and hear a bunch of feedback. The microphone is too close to the speaker. The same thing often happens if you get your cell phone too close to your car stereo, weird.

Tip: To avoid this, keep yourself as far from the speakers as possible when you are singing on stage.

3. Holding the microphone too close to your mouth. If you let the microphone touch your lips as you sing, some of your words may come out hazy or indistinguishable. You will sound blurred. You may also get too much bass with your voice. Sometimes, when you are singing something really low, you may need to do this to be heard, but with higher sounds, you should avoid this.

Tip: Don't hold the microphone with your lips touching it except for really soft and low sounds.

4. A related rookie error is to hold the microphone too far away. If you do this, no one may be able to hear you. The microphone can only pick up sounds that go into it, and if you aren't close enough, it won't pick up your voice.

Tip: Hold the microphone close enough to you so that it can pick up your voice.

5. Some rookies may hold the microphone the same distance from their mouth for all singing. This doesn't work, because if you go from singing something low and soft to something high and loud, you're voice is going to be so loud that you'll blow everyone out of the room! This definitely won't help you win a karaoke contest either.

Tip: You should practice with the microphone and get to know your own voice. Things you sing loud should have a farther microphone distance than things you sing soft, for instance. You'll get the hang of it with practice.

6. If you hold the microphone directly in front of your mouth, angled right towards your mouth, you may get hissing and weird noises.

Tip: Hold the microphone so that it is at an angle from your mouth, or don't hold it directly facing your mouth. This is not to be confused with distance.

7. How should you hold the microphone? If you hold it too loosely, it may wobble as you sing and make you sound nervous. But, if you hold it really tight, it can also pick up on the vibrations of your hand, and could have a similar effect. Hold the microphone at the base or halfway up, and never on the top where you sing. Hold it firmly, but no so tight you can't move at all.

8. If you tap your microphone all the time, you can damage it. You don't want to put too loud of sounds into the microphone by tapping or making loud noises if the system can't handle it.

Tip: Figure out what type of sounds your microphone is suited for if you will use it for something other than singing. Otherwise, if you want to see if it's working, instead of tapping it, say "Testing, 1, 2, 3... " That always works.

9. Tangling of the cord. If you aren't careful, you'll get tangled in the microphone cord.

Tip: Use a cordless microphone. Otherwise, stay close to the base of where the cord is plugged in.

10. Positioning of the microphone. Some singers like to use microphone stands while performing on stage. However, if these aren't the right height, your sound won't be as good.

Tip: Place the microphone at the level of your mouth, directly below it and facing upward. Or, you can place the microphone right above mouth angle and angled slightly downward.