Hi everyone.

I've joined a choir tonight and am slightly anxious as I've read on here a few posts about the potential pit-falls of singing in a choir. I used to do it a few years ago but since I started lessons again 6 months or so ago the way I sing has changed a lot.

I'm also slightly concerned that my voice felt quite tired which it never does in lessons, although I'm doing belting and all sorts of crazy things, and rarely when I practise.

What's your advice?

What's different about the way you sang in the choir? Are you sitting rather than standing? Did you forget to support properly? Are you singing in the most comfortable part of your range?

Perhaps you just aren't used to singing for an hour and a half at a time? When our choir re-started after the summer a fortnight ago, I could really feel my support muscles by the end of the first practice, because it was a long time since I'd sung for so long. I don't think your voice should be tired though, unless you are forcing; if you're properly relaxed it should be fine.

I'd agree with that. I'd also say that you probably haven't probably got the correct technique yet. Singing for a rehearsal shouldn't be causing you pain and is indicative of a less than perfect technique. Your teacher ought to be able to advise you on this.

I'd recommend that you sing using a light configuration in choir, something along the lines of a light cry, and leave the belting for more contemporary numbers !

Adapting your voice to the rep you're singing is really important and if you're trying to blend whilst using something that's designed to stand out, it will be vocally tiring - for blending, you want as little twang as possible (unless everyone is using it) and a nice light configuration.

Hope that helps!

Our vocal coach told us if you can't hear yourself, bearing in mind you're singing with a lot of other people in a choir, then don't force yourself to be louder as it will strain your voice.

And I'd reiterate what BerkshireMum said about singing for a longer length of time than you are used to. It took me a while to get back into singing with my current choir. But after rehearsing a couple of times a week it soon comes back/gets easier.

I also find I don't support properly in rehearsals all the time. Only when I remember. Laziness I know!

Thanks so much for all your answers guys! It's all really helpful.

I can't put my finger on what was different, Berkshire Mum. We did some sitting, some standing but that's normal for my lessons. My lessons are an hour but we were singing last night for twoat choir so maybe that was a bit of a shock. It was definitely my voice that felt strained though rather than support or anything else.

I'm singing with the altos which is where I've always sang and that feels very comfortable. I'm definitely not a soprano!! I didn't feel like I was singing loudly as I was so afraid of making mistakes! (Definitely no belting, Rosfrog!!)

I think I maybe just forgot technique and was just singing along merrily and that strained my voice a bit. Maybe I was also concentrating more on getting the music right rather than correct technique, though I'm sure my technique is less than perfect, John. I'm still learning! I'll maybe focus on using the right configuartion more next week, Rosfrog, as I certainly wasn't consiously doing this last night.

We sing quite a range of stuff. We sang a song in Hebrew which was quite classical in feel, then a contemporary song and an African song.

It's so different singing in a choir compared to the stuff I do in my lessons and I've really noticed the difference this time!

If you weren't singing loudly, I'd wager that you either forgot to support the sound, or that you were in voice set-up that's not designed for soft singing (soft in cry and speech / thick cry, for example, doesn't work).

Does that seem likely?

Yeah I think it probably does. I think that's maybe the most likely thing. I wasn't conscious of the set up I was using and so was probably alternating between a sort of thin cry and speech but not doing either of them properly if that makes sense? I don't think I was consciously supporting either.

I shall try again this week and try to sing a lot more consciously and see if that helps!

Thanks!