Our Ten Best- Episode 24: How to not Embarrass Yourself in Karaoke

karaoke2After a few beers, Karaoke at your local bar can seem like a pretty fun endeavor. However, before you run into the vocal jungle, listen to these 10 tips that will help you sing much better than you thought you could have otherwise.

10- Pick a song that suits your range: Sure, Journey and Queen songs are a blast to sing, but that doesn’t mean your vocal range can support that type of wailing. For those with lower ranges, find something that you don’t have to stretch too far to. For those with higher ranges, be careful as well, no one wants to hear your screeching, so you may have to rein yourself in a bit. Remember as well, in Karaoke, you’re singing to pre-recorded tunes, so improvisation isn’t needed or expected. Sing in the right key and the rest will come naturally.

9- Avoid duets: Unless the person you’re singing with is uber-talented, this won’t work and both of you will walk with your heads down back to your bar stool.

8- Sing loud: Most karaoke microphones are horrible and don’t pick sound the way they should. Keeping the microphone about three-five inches away from your face will make you sound as strong and clear as you possibly can. Now that you know that, go sing your butt off.

7- Don’t scream: No, this doesn’t cancel out the last entry. There’s a big difference between singing with some volume and screaming. Amy Lee can do it, but guess what? You can’t. So don’t. Please

6- Pick a different song: No one wants to hear “Piano Man,” or “Don’t Stop Believing” four times a night. Obese men should stay away from Biggie Smalls the same way the goth chick should stay away from Fiona Apple. Pick a sleeper hit [tracks from the Gin Blossoms or The Toadies always work great] or something no one would expect you to sing. The whole object of karaoke is to have fun and singing the same songs all night makes the experience boring.

5- Don’t make out with the microphone: Other people have used it before and other people will use it after. Spitting on the thing doesn’t make you sound better; it makes you disgusting.

4- Pick a quick song: Motown songs are great at showcasing your ability in a small amount of time and no one wants to hear a seven-minute song from someone who can’t sing.

3- Have energy: Too many times have people with great voices squandered opportunities to get numbers from the opposite sex by having no energy on the mic. A great voice is a huge part of the experience, but don’t forget to have fun and move around a bit.

2- Practice a few days beforehand:
Sing in the shower, or on the way home from work; anything to just give you an idea of how you sound. Recording yourself is also useful, so you can assess your weak spots and sound better when you have to.

1- Don’t drink:
Contrary to what you may think, alcohol doesn’t make you sound better. It actually slows down your response time and makes you work harder when singing. If you have to drink and sing, drink afterward.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14262 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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