How To Sing from Chest to Head Voice Without Breaking

Having a break in your voice as you sing from your chest voice into your head voice is embarrassing and frustrating. Inside this video I’ll help you learn how to sing from chest to head voice without breaking… stop breaking completely…not just cover it up or smooth it out..but eliminate it. Watch!

Some years ago I attended a performance in a large venue with over 20K in attendance. A world famous choir was performing with an renowned international bass-baritone. In the middle of one of his songs he massively cracked. It wasn’t just a little crack, it was a big one. So much so that I wondered if he was fighting a cold and this why such a skilled singer cracked.

But no matter the reason, years later I remember it and I bet he remembers it… all too well.

Pavarotti had the same thing happen to him. He said people booed him.  Audiences can be very unforgiving.

Two Vocal Exercises to Eliminate the Break 

Here are two vocal exercises and one trick you can use to eliminate the break in your voice.

By the way, if you are new, be sure to hit the like button, subscribe, click on the bell so you get notified, and share with a friend.

Before I share these, let’s talk about why breaks happen.

1. Illness. You are sick and your vocal cords are swollen. This requires you to be perfect in your technique. Even then, you might still crack after all you do to prevent it.
2. You pull your chest voice too high. This is one of the most common reasons you break routinely.
3. Your larynx is to high. This happens when you strain and reach upward for the high notes.
4. By habit you just let go into falsetto so no one can hear a crack…even though the results are the same…you’ve broken the tone by going into falsetto.

Exercises to Sing from Chest to Head Voice Without Breaking

Exercise One

If I could only give you one exercise to eliminate the break here it is: Ney

For this to work you must do the exercise correctly like this. I’ll show you 3 scales you must master. Soon you will have no break. [Demo]

There are several key principles about this exercise.

First, you must stay with the exaggerated, witchy sound from bottom to top. If you let go you aren’t doing it right. [Demo]

Next,  you must begin doing this exercise softly while maintaining the witchy, exaggerated sound.

Doing this correctly results in eliminating the weight of the lower voice as you ascend in pitch while not letting go into falsetto on the higher pitches.

Gradually eliminate the witchy sound until you are able to do the exercise in your normal singing voice while keeping the tone connected.

Exercise Two

You must keep the larynx down at the level where you speak. Otherwise you will always be fighting this break.

You can retrain the larynx to stay low with this exercise: Gee

For this to work you must do the exercise correctly like this. You must master the same three scales as above. Soon your larynx will stay lower where you speak. [Demo]

There are several key principles about this exercise. First, you must stay with the exaggerated, dopey sound from bottom to top. If you lose the dopy sound you aren’t doing it right. It will get hollow or hooty as you ascend in pitch like this: [Demo]

Next you must begin doing this exercise softly while maintaining the dopey, exaggerated sound. [Demo]

Doing this correctly results in keeping the larynx low at your speech level as you ascend in pitch while allowing your voice to go hooty on the higher pitches.

Gradually eliminate the dopey sound until you are able to do the exercise in your normal singing voice while keeping the tone connected.

One Trick that Works

If your voice strains or feels like it’s going to crack on a high note, narrow the vowel of the problem word. For example, while singing the Star Spangled Banner, the vowels of the words in the phrase, “rockets red glare” would be narrowed to “ruckets rid glir”. By narrowing the vowel, “ah to uh”, “eh to i” and again “eh to i” your voice won’t feel strain, you won’t crack, and your head voice comes in easily. [Demo]

For a more detailed video about vowel narrowing watch this video.

Other exercises to eliminate the break can be found in the exercises for your vocal type.

To get your vocal type and exercises that eliminate straining, cracking, breaking and falsetto these are available in the PDF, “Get Your Vocal Type”. Get the PDF now my clicking here or you can find the link in the Youtube video description below this video.

This PDF will take you to a vocal test, which I call the PowerTest. This will give you your vocal type, and it contains links to videos for each vocal type, together with exercises for men and women that will help you to sing from chest to head voice 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.