Singing with Authenticity and Ease: 3 Steps to Find your Natural Voice

Singers often tell me, I want to sing with my authentic voice. I don’t want to sound like anyone else but me. But I feel like sometimes I can’t tap it. They say things like “I feel like it’s stuck in my throat.” “If I could just let go more I think I could find it”. “I know I have it in me, I feel like it’s just waiting for me to figure out how to access it.”

Singing with your authentic voice is the goal of most modern singers. Nothing is more important than having your own sound and singing with your unique voice.

What are the steps to find it? Here are my top 3 steps to move towards singing with your authentic voice with ease and authenticity.

First, a little preparation. It’s important to note that in order to access your true potential as a singer, you first have to practice a professional vocal technique. No amount of singing or trying to tap your emotions will pave the way for better high notes than a great vocal technique. We have one of the best vocal techniques in the world. It’s been cultivated over 3 generations and has been tweaked over the last 38 years to prime it for singers like yourself. You can find out more about that here.

3 steps to develop an authentic and natural vocal style with a distinctive sound.

Step 1: Get to know your voice, your range and your strengths.

Get to know your voice. What are your strengths? What are your best textures? What are your weaknesses – you can work on them, but best to stay away from performing them until you’re ready. Good singers know what they can do and stay within those parameters.

For instance, if you have a lower voice, stay in the range where it sounds and feels good. You can work on expanding your range behind the scenes, but don’t attempt to perform notes that are out of your range hoping to reach them.

If you have a higher voice, also sing in the range where your voice sounds the best. You can work on expanding your range lower in your vocal technique practice, but be sure to choose keys that are right for your voice. Tip: you don’t have to sing covers in the original key. Moving a key up or down by just a half step can make a world of difference in how a singer’s voice sounds and feels!

In addition you want to get to know your strengths and weaknesses. If you have a soft, breathy voice and are not a big belter then arrange your vocals to feature that (like Billie Eilish does).

If you are a belter then arrange your vocals to feature this aspect of your voice.

As you train and sing more, you’ll be able to round out the areas you want to develop. But it’s important to feature the qualities you have right now to build confidence in your singing.

Need more help? One of our vocal arrangers who is also a clinical psychologist and music therapist can help. He developed a Vocal Profile that profiles the natural characteristics of your voice and helps you get to know your voice and attributes in a comfortable, safe setting on Zoom. Find out more about that here.

Step 2: Choosing the right songs for your voice.

Not all songs are right for your voice. Choosing the right songs that fit your voice is key. Choose songs that feel good when you sing them.

That said, every new song needs to be worked into your voice. Don’t expect to just belt it out the first time through and feel comfortable. Think of it as a new dance routine. Does the dancer expect to get all of the turns perfect the first time through? Of course not! You have to work all of the jumps and turns in the melody and phrasing of each new song into your voice. Need more help? Cari’s Vocal Resource Library breaks down How to Master a Song right here.

Step 3: Make a song your own.

This step is two-fold.

1. Developing your own phrasing.

The key to delivering a more emotional and authentic performance starts with your phrasing. Think of phrasing as the “conductor” conducting the timing and rhythm of your vocal melody within the music. The instructions for How to Master a Song in Cari’s Vocal Resource Library is a great way to start understanding how to break down your phrasing and make a stronger impact. Phrasing is what makes your voice feel good to listeners and it’s a way to bring out your own unique sound once you understand more about how it works.

The first step is to be able to tap into the BPM (tempo) of the song and know where the “1” of the beat is at all times while you are singing. Work with a metronome that lights up on the “1”. My favorite metronome is the Korg KDM-2. You can tap in the beat and change time signatures easily. It lights up red on the “1” so it’s easy to find. Knowing where the “1” is, is the first step to grounding your voice into the rhythm of the song and the “groove”. Each song is different and requires a slightly different approach. It starts with knowing the BPM.

2. Developing your ear to improvise.

The key to your own sound is being able to embellish and improvise. Try taking a well-known song that you love singing and start breaking it down.

For instance, take an uptempo song and sing it ballad style. Slow the tempo down and sing it in your own style. Try changing the melody slightly to fit how your voice wants to move. Keep the main melody but add some embellishments here and there. Try moving up to bring more emotion on a few select notes, or adding a little riff at the end of the phrase. Or try holding a note a little longer than the singer does in a place where you want to express more emotion.

Developing your ear requires knowing your scales. Learn your major, minor and pentatonic scales so you can sing them at will. Developing your ear and musicianship will ultimately help your interpretation and your ability to improvise.

Want more? We’re happy to help. Send us an email at info@caricole.com and we can point you in the right direction. Be sure to join our mailing list for more tips and trade secrets like these here.

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