"Observing" Your Voice

In the above diagram you can get a nice, uncomplicated view of what your voice box or larynx looks like. By varying degrees of relaxing or constricting the vocal muscles you are creating different tensions which will produce different pitches or notes in your voice tone. The more constricted you make them the higher the resulting tone as well, the more relaxed, the lower your tone or note will be. Like any muscle in the body a good vocal work out is the best way to develop and strengthen the voice muscles. Trying to sing too high before your voice is properly prepared is a good way to damage your voice and cause trouble for yourself in the long run. I don't recommend it. "But how do I get that nice high end range of So and So or Whosy Whats?" you ask? Well, I'll tell ya, as I mentioned before the voice is a muscle that needs to be trained to it's optimum capability, so start off with a range that is comfortable to you and does not make your voice tired too quickly. A good way to find this range is to simply hum a tune in your natural or speaking voice and focus a good portion of your attention on how your voice "feels" physically. Look at the diagram above and find other visual examples so that you can visualize what is happening in your body. This is what I mean by developing an ability to "observe" your voice. Once you establish where you are comfortable humming, slowly constrict your larynx in order to raise the pitch, not too much at once, maybe a note or two higher (using a musical instrument such as piano or guitar to find the notes will help you to maintain the note appropriately and to duplicate it in subsequent practices, this will also assist with air flow control which we will hit on later). Once you establish a comfortable spot in your upper range repeat the process only this time relax your voice muscles creating a lower pitch. Again, don't try to go too low all at once. Although you won't necessarily do any damage, you will see that this will tire out your voice just as quickly. All the while visualizing what your muscles are doing.
Now as I mentioned earlier I am not trying to teach you all the complicated ideas, theories, techniques and what have you of singing. I am merely sharing with you the method of self instruction that got me going in hopes that others will find it useful.
Now that you have found a comfortable singing range for your own voice open your mouth and make some noise. I found that using the vowels of the alphabet A,E,I,O,U to sing with useful because they incorporate the most used sounds which make up our words and each vowel works the voice muscles in a slightly different manner and will eventually strengthen these muscles to a point that you will have an easier go of it when you start to apply more volume.You can practice this anywhere you are comfortable really. The key is to DO IT!! How long should you do this each day? Well, everyone will be different but for a beginner I would start at around 15-20 minutes twice a day. Now here again is where you "observe" your voice and determine how long is best. When you begin to feel the fatigue of singing in your muscles that's a good time to stop. There is no need to push it. As you practice you will strengthen and develop your voice and will soon be singing all day. My practices sometimes go for 6 or 7 hours before I begin to feel fatigue but I have been singing (and practicing) for many many years.
Another useful and fun way to practice singing, once you have found a comfortable range to start with, is to find an vocal artist that you like or admire who sings in this range and sing along with them. It has been my experience that, if you choose properly, the singer you are singing with will not only help you with phrasing, timing and feeling but they will push your range just a little at an acceptable gradient which will help you to expand your own range easily over time. Experiment with different singers and remember to observe what your voice is doing to approximate the sounds. Remember, DON'T PUSH TOO HARD. Like all muscles your voice will need to recover so take it easy and stick within your current ability. Believe me your voice will get stronger if you are diligent.
There are a million different methods that you can learn regarding how to sing, I suggest that you seek out as much of an education as you can so that you have a good strong understanding of the principles of voice and it's capabilities . The amount of info is vast so a good analogy to keep in mind is that a whale will take in huge quantities of sea water and expel all but the tasty morsels which it needs to survive. This can be said of any knowledgeable pursuit and fosters independent thinking and originality.

"What singing means to me, I never did consider myself a singer, I just let people watch me feel music and how it comes through me. I've worked on it and practiced a lot. I mean, music, I dance to it, and singing is just one way of getting it out of me."
Erykah Badu