Compared to instrumentalists, vocalists have a distinct disadvantage when initially learning and developing their voice. This is because you can actually see and interact with the different physical points of a guitar/cello/saxophone/drum kit, whereas vocalists have to learn their voice blindly through trial, error, and experimentation. In this article, I’ll help you understand how to sing better by explaining the 4 building blocks of singing technique. I call them the 4 Pillars of Singing because they usually all have to be strong simultaneously in order to sing like the artists you love! I’ve written this article to try and give you the same advantage that instrumentalists have: a framework to “see” the different parts of your voice and know how they should be operating. I’ve put a strong emphasis on troubleshooting and avoiding common pitfalls, so I would HIGHLY recommend reading each section thoroughly – even if you’re very familiar with the basics!
Breathing
Ya can’t exhale well if ya don’t inhale well! Stable singing comes from a diaphragmatic inhale, followed by an actively supported exhale. The diaphragm is a flexible muscle under the lungs that, when expanded, allows for faster air intake and greater lung capacity. Active support gives us a consistent and variable control of airflow, which is all-important for singing high notes, keeping notes in tune, and preventing CO2 buildup (that moment when you need to take a breath but can’t because you need to exhale a bunch first!). Our bodies automatically use diaphragmatic breathing when we’re horizontal, so try laying down on your back as you learn to take the correct breath. The correct inhale has a very noticeable expansion of the stomach, and no movement of the chest/shoulders. After you become acquainted with it, try standing and breathing this way. If you’re still struggling, try putting a hand over your belly button and breathing “into” it, actively watching the hand! You can further increase lung capacity by "expanding the breath" into the pelvis and lower back as you inhale. During the exhale, gently/moderately engage the abs to create active support.
Tip: People often forget about active support after only a couple of lines into a song, especially when singing high notes or long phrases. Try singing a song a couple times while only thinking about active support through the entire exhale of each line.
It’s also important to understand why breathing hurts technique. Try taking a very deep breath, really puffing out your chest. Notice how your belly is sucked in—completely the opposite of what we want! After a non-diaphragmatic inhale, the weight of our chest and shoulders creates a heavy, unchanging pressure on the lungs. It leads to a high-pressure, uncontrolled exhale with no room for active support.
Tip: You can't focus on all Pillars of Singing at once, so each singer must work to make some techniques automatic. I HIGHLY recommend taking lots of time to practice diaphragmatic breathing and active support while singing songs, especially for those at the beginning of their journey.
Truly, the Breathing Pillar is more like a "Breathing Foundation" because it makes the rest of singing so much easier. You'll be glad you put in the effort when it starts to happen automatically!
In addition to singing, scientists have found diaphragmatic breathing to be massively helpful for physical and mental health. For more instruction and information on the benefits of diaphragmatic breathing, visit https://positivepsychology.com/diaphragmatic-breathing/
Resonance
Resonance refers to our ability to resonate (make the timbre of our voice brighter, more nasal, and/or more full) and to maintain this tone with placement. A strong understanding of resonance is essential for maintaining rich tone in all ranges, increasing volume, reducing strain, and even expanding your range! You can physically feel resonance when the mouth is closed, most commonly a vibration in the nose when humming a comfortable note. This sensation has many names in the singing community, such as “the buzz”, where you’re “aiming” your voice, or the “point of focus”. Placement is the concept that we can maintain this “buzz” and change its location to either the chest (low range, Chest Resonance), nose/cheeks (Main range, Mask Resonance), back of the throat (passagio, Pharyngeal Resonance), or the forehead (passagio and mixed registers).
Tip: It's best to start learning Resonance with a closed-mouth, aiming for Mask placement. You'll feel the buzz a LOT more if you drop your jaw with your mouth still closed.
Once you identify what resonance feels like with your mouth closed, it's vital to keep the same mental intention when you open up! If you’re new to the concept, try humming a note slightly higher than your speaking voice, loudly enough that you feel the “buzz”. Now try increasing the buzz, not via volume, but by making your voice more nasal. Don’t do anything with your tongue to get this nasal sound. In fact, I’d recommend sticking your tongue out while humming to ensure it doesn’t interfere. To apply this concept to a song, try resonating while you hum a section that’s in a comfortable range, then again with the same resonance on the words.
Tip: Exaggerate the resonance. Double it. If you’re shy, triple it. Professional-sounding vocal resonance usually feels unnatural for beginner/some intermediate singers.
Resonance is the most difficult vocal system to describe and gain a clear understanding of because each singer has a unique combination of vocal cords and facial structure. There's a wide range in how each person feels resonance, where their placement changes, and how much natural resonance their voice has. Some folks may need to focus heavily on resonance to achieve a conventional pop tone, while others may achieve it with little effort! The most virtuosic singers resonate very strongly and know the best placement for their voice for every note and register they sing in. It can be extremely helpful to have a teacher lead you through the process and help determine the best resonance for your unique voice!
Tip: When it comes to resonance, analytical types beware! Learning how resonance physically works is unhelpful, even counter-intuitive to understanding how to actually implement it. I’ve found that learning-by-trying and paying close attention to the physical sensation is the best route to singing with better tone.
Mouth shape
The shape of any instrument determines its tone, and vocals are no exception! A strong understanding of mouth shape allows easier access to your high range, can make your voice sound grand and deep, and conforms the voice to genre via pronunciation. The 3 main parts that determine mouth shape are the lips, jaw, and soft palate. I’ll also mention the tongue here, only to warn newer singers: KEEP IT RELAXED, LIKE NORMAL SPEAKING! The lips directly convey the emotion behind the lyrics and the genre (like the southern draw of country or over-pronunciation of pop-punk)!
Tip: If you listen back to a recording of yourself and you sound plain or bored, your lips probably aren’t conveying the emotion. Sing it like you mean it!
A dropped jaw will do wonders for increasing your range and volume (without increasing airflow!). New singers are often surprised at how much they need to drop their jaws for conventional singing, so get comfy opening your mouth tall enough to fit your pointer/middle fingers vertically! When dropping the jaw, think more vertically than horizontally. Opening the mouth/lips too horizontally can lead to pronunciation and stability problems.
Tip: Listen to your favorite singers and identify when they really drop the jaw. Generally it’s any time notes are held out and in the Chorus (main memorable part) of the song.
Finally, the soft palate is a flexible muscle on the top of your mouth near the uvula that, when lifted, gives a sense of depth, and darker tone to the singer. The soft-palate can be difficult to control initially, but we automatically raise our soft-palate when we yawn or do impersonations of an opera singer or Patrick Star. Once you have some control over it, try vocal warmups with your soft palate lifted the whole time.
Tip: Did you forget? KEEP THE TONGUE RELAXED!
Similar to the Breathing Pillar, people tend to disregard Mouth Shape because it’s easy! Many times it’s the factor that lets you slaaaay the high note instead of cracking it, and the difference between a run-of-the-mill karaoke performance and an intentional, emotional one that wows your friends.
MENTAL GAME
Mental game is the ability to stay calm and focused under pressure, along with the openness to express real emotion. It’s important because it determines the likelihood of the other 3 Pillars staying strong when stress attempts to derail you. With any performance-based skill, stress can come from within (like fearing you won’t hit the note) or from outside factors (nerves in front of a crowd). When you inevitably become stressed along your singing path, it’s your self-confidence, acceptance of possible failure, faith in your practice, and focus that determines your Mental Game. If you struggle with self-confidence, singing is a great way to build it! Be confident you can achieve your goals, even if it’s not possible right now.
Tip: Sing for yourself first and foremost. The goal doesn’t have to be singing in front of others.
It’s human instinct to despise and avoid failure, even though it’s a powerful (and essential!) tool for growth. Like a tightrope walker 100ft in the air, staying fully relaxed in the face of possible failure is all-important for advancing vocal technique. You’re going to mess up, you’re going to botch a note BAD sometimes. Accept that it’s part of the process, learn from your mistakes, and don’t take your failures to heart.
Tip: Mistakes are inevitable. If you want to grow more from them, get a singing teacher.
Practice makes perfect, and faith in your practice is the best way to calm nerves! It's tough to have faith in practice if you don't actually practice though, lol. If you’re thinking about what could go wrong, you lose focus on what needs to go right in the moment. Don’t ruminate on failure, focus on the task at hand!
Tip: It’s extremely helpful to organize your focus with a lyric sheet. Record yourself singing, then make notes to create specific focuses for each line, word, or even syllable.
Like any art, singing is honest self-expression. Consciously or not, you’ve probably been inspired by another singer at some point. Perhaps you connected with their emotion and felt understood or comforted. There's a unique power the voice has to convey emotion and be connected to, and I expect you’re reading this because you want to discover what it would sound/feel like to express yourself that way. I’ve worked with many students who have great technique, but tell me that powerful and emotional singing feels out of reach. Great technique alone can be impressive, but it's no substitute for real emotion. Bands like Rage Against the Machine and Duster show us that formal technique may not be a requirement for emotional connection at all! If you want to sing with the same emotional intensity that you resonate with, you must be willing to express it yourself. I recommend most singing practice be focused on developing technique and without emotion. But sometimes you should also practice SOLELY with real emotional expression, so you can distinguish points in the song where you can let go and be emotional, and moments when you need to remain technically focused. If you’re performing or just singing for yourself, let go of the technical and be in the moment. Sing the words like you’re their author and don’t let anything else distract you!
Don’t let anyone convince you there’s only one “correct” way to sing! "Great" singing is subjective and comes in all shapes and sizes. So if your favorite singer inspires you but they hardly ever sing with resonance ( like Phoebe Bridgers, Lorde) or drop their jaw (like Stephen Wilson Jr., Lou Reed), I encourage you to copy that and see if it feels right for you! However, if you want to learn conventionally great singing, the 4 Pillars of Singing are a great guide to starting and improving your singing! If you're not sure what I mean by conventionally great singing, here are some fantastic singers organized by genre.
Pop (Harry Styles, Adele)
Hard Rock (Chris Cornell, Ann Wilson [Heart])
Pop Rock (Maroon 5, No Doubt/Gwen Stefani)
Punk (blink-182, All Time Low)
Jazz (Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra)
Country (Chris Stapleton, Dolly Parton)
