Avoid Getting Cracks in Your Voice When Singing
Singing can be a quite embarrassing time to have your voice crack. Your voice cracks might be in your control, or beyond your control. Luckily, this can be prevented by taking a few steps.
Contents
Steps
- Practice singing. If you have control over your voice, you may be able to keep it from cracking. If it's really very hard, hold your stomach and sing. You want your voice to be really deep!! Practice pitch control and see if you are able to hold said pitch without letting your voice crack.
- Actively sing. If you try to sing well, and really think about what pitches you are hitting, you may build enough control to keep yourself from breaking the pitch.
- Ask for help. If you take lessons from an instructor, ask them if they have any tips or tricks to help your voice. They have most likely experienced this themselves, or have seen many cases of this in their teaching experience.
- Drink water before singing. Keeping your throat moist can help you have better control over what you sing. If the cracking is caused by a dry throat, this is an easy fix. Swallow a teaspoon of olive oil.
- Try voice exercises that help you inflate and contract your vocal chords. These exercises if practiced regularly, can help you gain better control over your voice and prevent it from cracking.
- Keep your diaphragm down at all times. If you are cracking notes, it means you're over-blowing your notes which is not good.
- Warm ups are extremely helpful. Look up vocal warm ups on youtube, and you will find many different types, such as the classical "Do mi sol do sol mi do". Move up by either half steps or whole steps.
Tips
- Keep practicing! If you don't, then you will never get to your destination.
- Always use lots of air, even when singing non-classical pieces (pop music). The more air you pump through your vocal cords, the easier singing becomes.
- If you are having troubles with your voice, attempt to use a different vocal placement (pop is referred to as belt, meaning you squeeze on the notes and sing forward; classical is referred to as head, meaning you sing using an airy voice and a placement towards the back of the throat with your soft palette lifted).
- Drinking honey tea, (water, tea and honey) also really helps your voice, but it can also dry out your throat.
- If the problem is a cold or you lost your voice, give your voice some rest. Drink plenty of fluids and refrain from singing and excess talking.
- Another option is to drink a mixture of water, lemon, and honey. As a general rule, use one tablespoon of lemon juice, and two of honey in one cup of hot water.
- Talking quietly and as little as possible is good for your voice, whispering is NOT.
- If the problem is caused by puberty, try to wait it out. You should be singing again in no time at all!
- Live by the motto "sing wet, pee clear" - drink lots of water throughout the day, even when you're not singing! This is especially helpful when you are sick.
- If the note is too high for you to sing in your normal voice, try singing it in your head voice.
- When you're singing, it helps with high notes to close your eyes, move your hands, bend down, and really get into it.
- Right before you sing, pour about one centimeter, or about that much, of olive oil in a cup. Then drink it! If you are going to be singing rap, or something like that, you probably don't need it as much as if you are going to be singing low and long high notes.
- Once you have warmed up, avoid talking. Your vocal chords are prepared to sing and talking will reverse everything.
- Always warm up before singing. This gives your vocal chords a chance to remove any junk and will prevent most cracking.
- Be prepared to change the pitch of the song when singing if your voice demands it. In case your voice gets tired before you start singing, never attempt to sing at a higher pitch. It is better to reduce the pitch in order to not over strain your voice and make it crack.
- Breath control can help.
Warnings
- If your voice begins to hurt and water/air aren't reducing the discomfort, stop singing immediately.
- Dairy products can cause a build up of phlegm in your throat which is extremely hard to sing through. Most singers don't drink any milk for twenty-four hours before a performance.
- Avoid products with excessive sugar, sweetness or acidity. Most common examples: milk, juice, coffee, ice cream, candy. Avoid them particularly on training and performing days.
- If you've lost your voice, do not try to sing. You could end up doing permanent damage to your vocal chords.
- Also avoid screaming or talking loudly before a performance or at any time due to the fact that it can seriously damage your vocal chords, once in a while is fine but be careful.
