If you’re learning how to get mixed voice you must stop voice cracking when singing!
If you crack it’s embarrassing and your mixed voice tone is disrupted.
Inside this video I’ll explain what causes cracking when you sing and give you three
exercises to eliminate cracks.
Hi, I’m Chuck Gilmore, International Vocal Coach and Founder of Power To Sing.
To learn singing technique to enable you to sing higher without cracking, straining, breaking
or breathiness, subscribe to my channel and get notified when I post videos each Friday.
First, don’t try to sing when you’re sick with a cold or allergy. Even if your technique
is perfect, you risk cracking and breaking because your vocal cords are swollen.
If you’re healthy there are three main reasons why your voice cracks when you sing.
1. You’re pulling your chest voice into the bridge and/or into head voice [demo]
2. Your larynx is rising too high [demo] 3. You’re singing a vowel too open or wide
[demo]
Vocal Exercises to Stop Voice Cracking When Singing
Here are three exercises to help you not pull chest, keep the larynx down and fix the vowels.
Stop pulling chest with this exercise.
1. Ney Ney Ney on the Octave Repeat scale.
It sounds like this. [demo] Notice I don’t do it loud, but I exaggerate the sound so
it’s witchy. Some call it a pharyngeal voice. Do it just loud enough to maintain a connected
tone. Don’t do it in falsetto. [demo]
Men will begin this exercise at the top of their first bridge, the Ab4 and descend to
the E4.
Ladies begin at the top of their first bridge which is the C#5 and descend to the A4.
I’ll demonstrate and then it’s your turn. Men first, then the ladies.
Demo. Ready men? Begin.
Now Ladies. [Demo] Ready ladies? Begin.
Lower the larynx with this exercise:
2. Gee Gee Gee with a dopey/hooty sound on a 1 ½ scale.
It sounds like this. [demo]
Don’t do it loud. Just medium or medium soft. Notice, if I stay dopey, the tone also
goes hooty as I sing higher. [demo] If I do it wrong and lose the dopy sound, it sounds
like this. [demo]
Men will begin this exercise on the B2 and ascend to the C#3
Ladies begin at the F#3 and ascend to the Ab3.
I’ll demonstrate and then it’s your turn. Men first, then the ladies.
[Demo]. Ready men? Begin.
Now Ladies. [Demo] Ready ladies? Begin.
Stop Spreading Vowels with this exercise and procedure.
3. “New to No” on an Octave Repeat scale.
It sounds like this. [demo] When you do it wrong and spread the vowel it sounds like
this. [demo] To help you do this correctly, let your lips form “oo” while you sing
“no”. Just think the word no. The “no” follows into the same feeling as the “new”.
[demo]
Men will begin this exercise at the top of their first bridge, the Ab4 and descend to
the E4.
Ladies begin at the top of their first bridge which is the C#5 and descend to the A4.
I’ll demonstrate and then it’s your turn. Men first, then the ladies.
Demo. Ready men? Begin.
Now Ladies. [Demo] Ready ladies? Begin.
What word do you find often splats or cracks, breaks or pulls chest voice. Tell me in the
comments below what word or words trip you up. For me...the word “love” wants to
splat.
A common vowel that spreads and splats is the “ah” as in “rockets red glare”
from the “Star Spangled Banner”. To sing it so it doesn’t splat, narrow the vowel
from “ah” to “uh”. Now sing it like r”uh” ckets red glare. [demo]
This is so powerful in keeping you in your mix. But what about all the other vowels that
give you problems? In the above example, to what would narrow “red glare” so they
don’t splat?
To help you know how to narrow any problem vowel or word, here’s a free PDF to download
to guide you through almost every vowel/word splat you sing. Get your Free PDF, “Vowel
Modifying Hacks” by clicking on this link here, or you can find the link in the description
below this Youtube video.
These three exercises and PDF will help you eliminate breaks in your voice by stopping
pulled chest, lowering the larynx and ending the splatting by modifying your problem vowels.
Please give this video a thumbs up, subscribe if you haven’t yet, and share this video
with someone who needs help with cracking and breaking or pulling the chest voice too
high.
If you’d like to join a community of singers just like you, I have a Facebook page, Power
To Sing, where I share up to date singing advice to help you succeed with your voice.
Another great resource for building your mix and ending the breaks and cracks is the exercises
for your vocal type. These exercises help you learn to bridge and are very powerful
ways to build your mix voice.
Go to PowerToSing.com and take the vocal test which I call the power test. Take the quiz
and discover your vocal type. Then watch the videos about your vocal type and download
the exercises for your vocal type. Start practicing these exercises immediately. Results will
come quickly.
I’m Chuck Gilmore with Power To Sing. You can sing higher with beauty, confidence and
power.
I’ll see you inside the next video.