Author: Alex Bruce
Here’s a list of suggested gifts for singers. Both large and small, cheaper items to very generous gift ideas indeed!
So if you’re struggling to think what to buy for your singing friend or family member in time for their birthday, anniversary or holiday, look no further. They’re sure to love any (or preferably all) of these!
Throat lozenges
There are various pastilles and lozenges available, specifically designed for singers. They soothe irritated throats and open up the airways, meaning they help singers who may be feeling a bit tired and sore, who have a cold, or even feel totally well but want a little boost before a show.
Herbal tea
A choice for similar purposes here, but one that perhaps feels a little more ‘gifty’. There are so many nice tea gift sets out there, and herbal tea serves the purpose of being something nice in itself, as well as having benefits for singers. Look for flavors that contain ingredients that are known to soothe and warm the throat, such as ginger, lemon, honey, and so on.
Again, a gift that’s quite simple, but that can be executed very nicely, given the range of beautiful notebooks on the market. For writing out lyrics – whether composed or learned – making performance notes and so on, singers love notebooks! And they always come in handy too. Mel Bay’s Notebook-Size Manuscript Pad is a great option for writing out music and lyrics.
There are some great, relatively inexpensive, readily available microphone cleaners out there. Your singer recipient can use this regularly to keep their microphone fresh, clean, smelling good and ready for action. It’s very easy for mold/mildew to accumulate and affect the smell of a microphone, or even worse – ultimately, its functionality too. So this one’s a good idea. A great pick is the Goby Labs Microphone Sanitizer, which you can also get in an entire mic accessory pack.
Reduction thread adaptor
This isn’t the most beautiful item on the list, but it may be the most useful. A reduction thread adaptor is a little, portable gadget that can be used to make a microphone fit a mic stand, when it otherwise wouldn’t. This is a frequently occurring issue for many singers – microphone in hand, mic stand in front of them, but they’re not compatible. This goes a long way to solving the problem.
Particularly good if the singer in question is one who likes to record themselves, formally or informally. A pop filter, or pop ‘shield’, does exactly that – shields the microphone from the more aggressive plosive sounds the singer makes. Un-filtered, ‘P’ and ‘B’ sounds and make uncomfortable popping sounds on the recording and mean endless re-takes. The pop filter removes these from the equation while creating a smoother overall recording. Depending on the type of microphone, you have there are a variety of filters you can choose from here.
It’s important to find out – if you don’t already know – which microphone the singer recipient uses, to ensure that the stand you buy them is compatible (or buy the reduction thread above too)! A mic stand is particularly useful for those singers who do perform, and especially those who do so while playing an instrument – in that the mic stand frees up their hands.
Certainly getting to the more generous end of things here, depending on the microphone in question. With the sheer range on the market, the interrelating compatibility of equipment, and everyone having their own preference, definitely ensure you get some insider knowledge for this one, or better still, take the singer shopping! If you had to choose, the Shure SM58 Dynamic Vocal Microphone is a tried and true piece of equipment that is suitable for the majority of recordings.
Learning to play an instrument is a fantastic thing for a singer to do. It means they can self-accompany, write songs, and learn more about how music works. A guitar is an ideal option, because it’s portable and popular. You can’t ever go wrong by gifting a Baby Taylor to a guitar newbie or veteran since they play well and are great travel instruments. A ukulele may be even better, as it’s significantly cheaper, even more portable, and great fun too!
Happy shopping!
Alex Bruce is a writer for Guitartricks.com and 30Daysinger.com
The Complete Singer's Resource 