In this article, we discuss how to hold a microphone when singing.
Now for the purposes of this article, we are referring to the common and held microphones that are used by musicians when on stage.
This article is meant to talk about how to hold the microphone when singing, but will also be useful for those people who may hold the microphone when making announcements or being an MC.
Singing refers to traditional singing, but also to rap. When talking about microphones we are referring to wired and unwired microphones.
There are many ways to hold a microphone of course.
The most common way Is the open position. This is the traditional mic holding method. This involves having your 4 main fingers over the mic and your thumb underneath the microphone.
In this instance, you should have your hand beneath the ball of the microphone. In this position, you do not touch the microphone ball at all.
The second most common way to hold a microphone is to hold the microphone beneath the ring that sits on the ball of the microphone.
This one is most commonly used by rappers when they are busting some rhymes.
To prevent the microphone from moving around, it is important that you place your thumb on your chin at the same time.
Therefore, regardless of what you do the microphone will stay perfectly in line with your mouth, ensuring a consistency of sound.
By keeping your thumb on your chin, you also reduce the risk of injury.
What I mean by this is that if you have a microphone moving all around so close to your mouth, then you could accidentally hit your mouth with the microphone and that could be a very severe problem.
The other method of holding the microphone, which does not come recommended is the closed hand method, where most of your hand covers the microphone except for the top bit of the microphone.
It becomes very difficult for the audience to hear what you are saying in this circumstance.
It also makes your voice sound very compressed and distorted. So if the message behind the song is important you probably want to avoid this position.
Some artists hold the microphone way at the bottom. I call this the marriage vowels position. This is also an ill-advised method of holding a microphone.
The problem with this position is that the microphone is not held tightly and the grip is weak. As a result, the microphone can move around and the sound is not captured fully.
When you open a microphone, you will notice that your voice is only picked up by the top section of the microphone.
The ring on the surface of the microphone lets you know that all the sound will be captured by the section above the ring.
Therefore, it is important to make sure that you do not speak into any section of the microphone below the ring.
Something else to consider is ensuring that you use your own microphone for hygiene purposes.
This is because during the use of a microphone, there will be some spit that will come into contact a microphone.
Therefore, if you want to avoid other people’s germs, rather make use of your own microphone or wipe the microphone prior to using it.
How do you deal with a microphone when singing?
It must be noted that all microphones are not created equal and neither are all human voices. Step number 1 in the process of handling a microphone is to find the right microphone for you.
By for you, I mean a microphone that will complement the sound of your voice.
This will make things significantly easier as you can then accentuate the parts of your voice that are the most pronounced knowing that the mic will be on your side.
Then when you do have the mic in your hand make sure that you hold it properly. Avoid situations in which you are holding the mic loosely or you will get handling noise.
In which position should a microphone be held?
Practice without a stand.
As with most things in the world of music and indeed life, the answer to this question is that it depends.
The only way that you can absolutely understand how you ought to hold a microphone is through practice. In this case I advise that you practice as much as possible without a stand.
Same position each time.
Each time that you are singing and holing your microphone, you must ensure that the microphone is kept in the same position.
This will engrave a habit that allows you to know the perfect positioning of your microphone.
Sometimes musicians will put their heads down or lift their heads to the sky’s when letting out the high notes.
These positions should also be practiced as much as possible.
Why do singers touch the mic with their lips?
First, we need to understand the concept of feedback. In simple terms feedback refers to that awful screeching sound you sometimes hear when someone is using a microphone.
Feedback is sound coming out of a speaker and returning into a microphone. This does not only sound horrible to the audience but can do a lot of damage to your equipment.
To get a good tone when using a dynamic cardioid microphone, in a loud environment, the microphone should be straight in line and very close to the singer. In this way, external sound can then be isolated and feedback minimized.
How far away should the microphone be?
The perfect distance cannot necessarily be measured in cm or inches down to an exact number.
It is common knowledge that the sweet spot for great audio is close to the mouth but without touching the microphone with your lips.
I would say 3-5cm should do the job, but it will also depend on other related factors.
I would go as far as saying that it would be in your best interest to measure the perfect distance initially and then once you become familiar with it you can stop measuring
One other important thing to ensure is that you keep the microphone in the same position.
This does not mean that you do not move (unless it is part of your act). But instead you should keep the microphone the same distance and angle from your mouth.
One of the reasons for distorted sound is the fact that the angle at which the microphone is held is wrong.
If you feel as if the sound is not natural then play around with the angle of the microphone. Tilt the microphone a few degrees until the sound is correct.
Remember that the best way to become good or proficient in anything is to practice, practice, practice.
