Singing clearly

by Tom
(New York)

While I can hit each note in tone quite well, I feel like I lack clarity and power in my singing. I can never sound as smooth as others I hear.

From The Editor

Thank you Tom for submitting your biggest singing challenge.

It sound like you're on the way to a good singing voice. You mentioned you're hitting your notes fairly well, which is a good start.

One big problem that singers have is not being able to sing on pitch. So it's very good that this doesn't seem to be a problem for you.

When you say that you're not quite getting the clarity and power you want, it sounds like two things may be going on.

Firstly, it could be an issue of how well you're balancing your air versus vocal cord.

What this means is you may be singing in a breathy tone, and allowing more air to pass through your vocal cords than needed.

If you get the proper vocal cord closure, your tone will thicken up and gain clarity.

A singing exercise that will help you with this is singing a song using the word "Gug" instead of the lyrics.

The reason this works is it automatically gives you vocal cord closure, so you can get a feel for how to sing without being too breathy.

The second thing that it sounds like is happening, is you're not experiencing the sound resonating in the right places.

A very common issue is singing with your tone buried in your throat, which can result in as you described "tone without clarity".

What you can do to fix this, is sing with your hands on your cheeks... And make an effort to sing with the sound above your cheeks only.

This will help you to get your sound resonating in the correct areas, which will improve your clarity as well as power.

There are some exercises on this website that you can practice that will help you improve in both of these areas.

Be sure to check the singing lesson videos section to use them.

Good luck!

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About The Author

Roger Burnley - Vocal CoachRoger Burnley - Vocal Coach

Roger Burnley is a vocal coach located in Hollywood, California. He has been teaching singers for over 30 years and singing for even longer than that. 

Notable past and present clients include Macy Gray, Brandy, Ray J, The Beastie Boys, James Torme, Taylor Lautner, Nona Gaye, and many more.

His clients have collectively sold more than 30 million albums, with several reaching Platinum and Gold status. 

Roger has been featured on VH1, TV Guide Channel, TV One,
and MTV appearing as a vocal expert.

About The Author

Roger Burnley - Vocal CoachRoger Burnley - Vocal Coach

Roger Burnley is a vocal coach located in Hollywood, California. He has been teaching singers for over 30 years and singing for even longer than that. 

Notable past and present clients include Macy Gray, Brandy, Ray J, The Beastie Boys, James Torme, Taylor Lautner, Nona Gaye, and many more.

His clients have collectively sold more than 30 million albums, with several reaching Platinum and Gold status. 

Roger has been featured on VH1, TV Guide Channel, TV One,
and MTV appearing as a vocal expert.

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