Ep.30: Singing Lesson: Flips, Cracks, Breaks, Falsetto – Problems and Solutions

Ep.30: Singing Lesson: Flips, Cracks, Breaks, Falsetto – Problems and Solutions

 

This is a singing lesson about the problems with breaks in your voice and the solutions.

 

Have you ever said, “That song is right in the middle of my break!”? [Video Example] Do you feel limited because your voice flips, cracks, or breaks into falsetto in the best part of the song?

Inside this video singing lesson, I’ll discuss these vocal problems, the easy solutions and why this never needs to bother you again.

 

In this singing lesson, I’ll explain why flips, crack, breaks, and falsetto, never need to bother you again. You can literally eliminate these from your voice and sing any song you want.

 

This problem usually happens for both men and women at the upper portion of their chest voice.

 

For the men, that feels like it’s near the top of their voices. For women, it feels like it’s right in the middle of their voices. (There’s a reason for that.)

 

Generally, for us guys, most of our voice is chest voice. So the crack occurs near what we think is the top.

 

Generally, for women, most of your voice is head voice. So the crack occurs at the transition between chest and head voice…sometimes it’s called “The Middle”.

 

This transition from chest to head for both voices is called the Bridge or Passaggio in the voice. This is where the resonance or vibration from chest voice wants to transition into the head on the higher pitches. It’s also where the vocal cords make an adjustment to make the transition easier.

 

Rather than saying, “it’s right in the middle of my break”, it’s likely more accurate to say, “it’s right in the middle of my bridge”.  

 

Singing Lesson: Flips, Cracks, Breaks, Falsetto – Problems

 

These flips, cracks, and breaks into falsetto prevent us from singing the songs we want to sing. They may prevent you from audition or getting a part.

 

You may always have to lower the notes in the song so you’re always singing in chest voice, or worse, you sing the song by pulling the chest voice too high.

 

You may try and sing the song but embarrass yourself when you break or crack. It’s a problem you never seem to escape.  

Perhaps you sing breathy and light so you don’t feel the bridge nor the break. But you can’t be heard and this often encourages the external muscles to squeeze out extra sound…which raises the larynx.

 

Staying in falsetto after you break limits the power in your voice. It reduces the lower overtones in your voice. Also, you can’t blend back down into your chest voice without a clunk to reconnect.

 

Sometimes you suddenly get lighter in the bridge, so you don’t feel it. But, everyone hears the distracting change in your voice.

 

Singing Lesson: Flips, Cracks, Breaks, Falsetto – Solutions

 

You’re not really limited by the break. You are limited by not knowing how to sing through the bridge in your voice. It’s not a natural gift for most people. But it’s something we all can learn to do.

 

Eliminating the break is accomplished by learning how to bridge…or how to sing through the bridge successfully.

 

Learning how to bridge is done first by allowing the resonance to shift from the chest, split and move into the head and eventually transition completely into head resonance. For example, let me show you how I can do a vocal exercise that will allow the resonance to shift from the chest, up into the head, and back down.  [Demo Lip Trill and Goo]

Second is learning to maintain vocal cord connection (not breaking into falsetto) as the resonance moves from chest to head. Watch. [Demo Ney and  Gee] You feel the resonance shift from chest, up into the head and back down again. No disconnection.

 

Third is to learn to comfortably sing and sustain notes that are in the bridge. This takes a little time, but can easily be learned and perfected. [Demo Oct. Repeat on mum]

 

Other tips to help you succeed in the bridge:

• Reduce the volume
• Reduce the amount of air you are pushing
• Give adequate breath support (see Episodes 15,16, 23)
• Raise rather than lower the pitch

 

It’s completely within your ability to learn how to sing in the first bridge of your voice and transition into head voice and back to chest without flips, cracks, breaks and suddenly going lighter or singing breathy.

 

Do you know your vocal type? I’m not referred to whether you’re soprano, alto, tenor or bass. Your vocal type is what you tend to do when you sing.

 

If you tend to flip, crack, or break into falsetto, your vocal type is likely flip-falsetto.

 

To discover your vocal type, visit PowerToSing.com and take the vocal test, which I call the PowerTest. Take the quiz and immediately determine your vocal type.

 

Visit the Knowledge Center and watch the videos about your vocal type. There you’ll find free exercises designed for your vocal type. For example, if you’re Flip-Falsetto, you can get exercises that will help you succeed in the bridge so you can sing without breaking.

 

I’m Chuck Gilmore with Power To Sing. You can sing higher, with beauty, confidence and power.

 

I’ll see you inside the next video.