There comes a time in every singer’s journey when they want to improve how they sound.

It may be that you’re needing to perform more challenging songs, songs with melodies that go a lot higher than what you’re used to doing. So you may find yourself reaching or straining to get those high notes out, and that comes at a cost.

At a certain point in our range, we have what is called a bridge. And you literally need to train the right coordination in order to create that bridge so you don’t pull up the bottom or disconnect into a weaker sound.

So you may find yourself searching for answers online. And if you’ve ever been down the rabbit hole of trying to find answers on social media, you may encounter some well-intended content, but it can be very loud and misleading. A lot of it is sound-based teaching. 

“Copy this sound and you will have a stronger mix/belt.”

If you find yourself striving to fix your sound, I’m going to let you in on a little secret.

Sound can’t be fixed.
Sound is something we perceive, and it’s subjective.

In my experience of training singers for the last two decades, when we strive for a certain sound, we will most likely end up manipulating physiology to get it. And usually, this isn’t something you can repeat consistently or sustain over time.

And why is sustainability important?

Because if you need to sing for long periods of time, you’ll want the right setup and coordination in place so you can avoid strain, vocal fatigue, or potential vocal injury.

Think of a lifter making sure they have the right form before they deadlift that heavy weight. Plain and simple, vocal athletes need to have a solid foundation in place so that they don’t hurt themselves.

Why?

Because at a certain point, vocal athletes experience an increase in vocal load and vocal demand.

So if I’m not chasing a sound, what should be my goal?

In training, our goal is to condition the voice to be consistent in navigating from low, middle, and high areas, and to meet the demands of performance.

So what works?

Here’s what I’ve learned time and time again. If you prioritize training the condition, the physiology, the underlying mechanism, you will ultimately sound better, singing will feel better, and you will have far more access to sounds and nuances.

Of course, you could easily go back to chasing sounds vs. securing coordination. But insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a whole different sound, and being super frustrated in the process.

So what does that training look like?

Stay tuned. I will have a follow-up blog with a bit more insight into the specifics of training!

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