A singer’s body is their instrument. And no matter how good your technique or how healthfully you sing, there comes a point where too much practice will fatigue your instrument. The common wisdom is that a singer should sing for no more than about three hours a day total, and not more than about an hour straight without a break for vocal rest. But every singer is different. It is so important to know your instrument well enough that you are aware of what it feels like as you approach the threshold of overuse so that you can stop singing before you reach it. After that point, the idea of “mental practice” becomes essential.
What is mental practice? Mental practice consists of taking yourself through your music in your mind’s eye (or in this case, ear) in a deliberate and specific way to reinforce your technique and performance intention without doing any actual singing.
Here is an exercise in mental practice that aims to guide you step by step through a performance virtually in your mind:
Lay down on a comfortable surface with you feet flat on the surface and your knees up. Support your head with something sturdy like a book (rather then a pillow which engages sleep). Keep your arms resting
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