5 Secrets to Improving Your Singing Voice from a Veteran Vocal Coach

Improving your singing voice is not only possible, it is probable with the right guidance and the right technique. I have spent that last 3 decades tweaking and refining a technique that helps you accomplish everything you’ve ever dreamed of vocally. In this blog I will reveal secrets used within The Cole Vocal Method™ as I walk you through the top 5 secrets to help you improve your singing voice in the quickest but most effective way. These are some of the many methods within this technique.

If you think that you are stuck with the voice that you have, you are mistaken. The singing voice is an instrument inside the body that is improved with vocal technique. Singers are athletes of the small muscles of the voice and breathing and require drills to improve performance.

1. Vocal Secret #1: How to unlock the breath

The key to unlocking the breath is to understand how breathing works, including the movement of the diaphragm and then how to use the breath during singing.

In vocal technique (paramount to developing your voice), we reach down for the breath. Because the movement of the diaphragm is downward, we go in this direction to bring more air into the lungs in preparation for singing. Think of the lungs like triangles with the more narrow tip at the top. You want to breathe downward to access the deeper portion of the triangle.

2. Vocal Secret #2: How to access high notes

Lifting the chin and reaching up to sing high notes with compromise your ability to sing with ease. When singers lift their chins to reach up for high notes repeatedly over time it will not only lead to vocal strain but it will diminish access to high notes. Reaching upwards with your chin to reach high notes compresses the back of the neck which limits access to range and creates additional tension to the voice.

In order to sing with less tension and reach better higher notes, try tipping the chin slightly down. Tipping the chin down slightly will help to open up the throat, decrease throat tension during singing and help to free the upper range.

“In nearly 15 years working as a professional singer-songwriter I never received the kind of guidance and support that Cari Cole offers in her Vocal Freedom Circle. My voice, now a stronger instrument, that I had the pleasure of testing it next to the world’s most beloved tenor Andrea Bocelli who invited me to sing alongside him. I was able to reach high notes with such power that the press spent 30 minutes interviewing me on my vocal accomplishments, picking my brain for how I did it. I could only say “Cari Cole and The Cole Vocal Method.” ~ Cristal Marie

3. Vocal Secret #3: How to sing with less tension and more ease

To sing with less tension and more ease singers need to focus on position, learn about what muscles interfere with the voice, how to align the body correctly to support the sound and take the tension off of the throat. One of the techniques we use is lengthening the back of the neck.

In a seated or standing position, first think of placing your head on top of your spine, like a scarecrow’s head sitting on top of the stick. Imagine your head balancing at the top of the stick (your spine). As you do this, lengthen the top of your spine up towards the ceiling.

All of the secrets on this page are fully demonstrated in The Cole Vocal Method™. Learn exactly how to eliminate tension and build a powerful and professional voice – for any type of voice or genre. Join our list to find out more about how to learn The Cole Vocal Method™.

4. Vocal Secret #4: How to sing with more power and eliminate nasality at the same time

There are many techniques that help singers sing with more power, but this is one of the most effective. And it also helps to decrease nasality at the same time.

The position of the tongue in singing is the place to look to start to control. During singing the tongue is moving quite a bit while articulating vowels and sound. Singing with more power requires getting control of the back of the mouth and tongue.

Look into a mirror and look at the back of your tongue while you say the word “Kah”. Do you see the tongue drop when you say the “ah”? Or does it stay high? Most people’s tongues stay high. This is an indication of several things. One – that your tongue is tight and needs lengthening and loosening. Two – that your tongue is over involved in your singing. Three – that you probably feel tension when you sing. Four – in addition that you might have issues with nasality or trouble with your “break” area. All of these are caused by a high tongue.

To experience the motion of the tongue naturally dropping, bring an imaginary cup to your lips to drink from. As you prepare to drink some imaginary liquid do you feel the back of your tongue drop as you open the back of the mouth getting ready to drink? This is a motion that you do every day and tapping into it before you sing a phrase will help to drop the tongue before you sing.

To learn more about getting control over the back of your tongue, start with our Singers Gift Vocal Warmups which teaches the “Kah” scales helping to drop the back of the tongue.

*Keep in mind that certain vowels like “ee, ay and i” will always have a higher tongue position. However when you get control over the back of the tongue you are able to lift it without all of the tension that accompanies that lift right now. In addition once you have control over the tongue you will be able to separate the action of the tongue and the laryngeal muscles (right under the tongue) which become unstable when the tongue is not stretched out at the base and pulls on those muscles as it lifts.

5. Vocal Secret #5: How to develop vocal “tone” and smooth transitions between notes

Vocal “tone” is a sought after quality of singers that is accomplished through repetition of the right vocal technique exercises. A great vocal technique like The Cole Vocal Method™ will develop a beautiful and strong vocal tone that is rich and resonant which helps to smooth out the transitions between notes. This creates a smoother and more agile voice that is less tense and labored.

Additional Tip: Vocal “tone” is something that won’t develop if you sing loud all of the time. Singing loudly every time you sing only ends up burning out your voice and overtime will cause hoarseness, raspiness and fatigue. Sing with a moderate volume particularly when vocalizing to develop good vocal tone.

The Cole Vocal Method™ has everything any aspiring or professional singers needs and teaches singers each of these secrets in great detail. Find out more about The CVM™ here.