Your singing voice is an actual instrument, and it can be considered the hardest instrument to master because of how intricate and individual each voice is.  Unlike an acoustic guitar that can be tuned and then played, the voice has many elements that need to be aligned to create beautiful music.


Singing Boils Down to Three Basic Things

The air you send the vocal cords
The muscles of the cords to resist the air
The resonance to enhance the resulting sound wave

It would seem pretty easy, wouldn't it?

You need to work with three simple things: air, cords, resonance…yet why is it often so hard to sing?

The challenge with singing is that these three things have so many variables, yet they all need to coordinate together in very precise ways.

You need to send air to the vocal cords with the right amount of air at the correct airflow.

The vocal cords or vocal folds need to coordinate intricate muscle adjustment not only for pitch but also for the correct amount of resistance to the flow of air coming up from the lungs.

Another issue for the vocal cords is the almost automatic involvement of muscles that are meant for swallowing, not singing. Keeping these tiny muscles passive while singing takes practice.

You then need to adjust your throat and mouth's vocal amplifiers or resonators to the exact size and shape to give you the vowel you need that will interact properly with the sound wave.

Get this part wrong and you mess up everything you've done before. Yep, you can adjust the air and vocal cords correctly, but an improper vowel shape can send the whole operation sideways.

Will Singing Always Be This Hard?

Well, yes and no…but a bigger no.

Here's what's great about singing and developing your singing ability – when you start getting everything aligned, the system seems to take over and drive itself.

Have you ever hit a note that sounded amazing yet felt effortless? Or how about listening to your favorite singers – how do they sing over a wide range of notes, seem to have perfect pitch and make it seem so easy?

That's the magic place, as I like to call it.

The effortlessness of singing in a proper way can be so profound that it can confuse us. In fact, often, the first reaction of feeling this in one's singing voice is it can't be right because it's TOO EASY!!!

Let's look at a perfectly sung note:

You send the right amount of air from the lungs to the vocal cords, not over-pushing with abdominal muscles, as so many singers end up doing.

This air then helps bring the coordinated vocal cords together by the natural vacuum created by the air passing them.

There is no need to overuse vocal muscles or unneeded swallowing muscles. You are allowing natural forces to assist you.  This is essentially an actual singing technique.

Then an even more amazing thing happens:

The air molecules are compressed by the closed vocal cords and turned into sound waves – the compressed molecules spring forth when released and begin quickly vibrating.

These vibrating molecules enter your throat and mouth, which are perfectly adjusted to boost these molecules.

The air molecules begin to vibrate more intensely as they bounce around inside the correctly adjusted resonators.

In fact, they get so much intensity that they start to create a traffic jam of energy – energy that needs to go somewhere.

And where does this energy go?

Well, some of it goes out the mouth to the listener.

But HERE'S the REALLY COOL part!

Some of the energy goes back down and presses on your vocal cords, which makes it easier for them to resist the air. This means you don't have to push as much air, and the energy helps regulate cord closure and airflow. The whole system is working in harmony with itself, which causes you to SOUND AMAZING!!!!

This is the magic of the human voice and good singing!

As you develop this vocal technique, it will give you great tone, easy high notes, extended range, better pitch accuracy and eliminate cracking; in fact, getting your system to coordinate in this way will eliminate almost any issue you can think of.  

It's not a secret, and it's not a special system to sing well…it's SCIENCE!

You can be a better singer and develop your own unique voice; you just need to become a more informed one.

How Long Does It Take to Learn How to Sing?

photo of a man thinking

So the burning question is: how long does it take to learn how to sing? A few weeks? Months? Years?

Unfortunately, there is no straight-forward answer to that. The truth is, singing is a bit like juggling – it requires a perfect blend of coordination, control, and consistent practice. Some folks seem to have a natural gift for hitting those pitch-perfect notes, while others (like most of us) might struggle a bit more. But fear not, because the road to becoming a singing sensation isn't paved with insurmountable challenges. While there's no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of how long it takes to become a great singer, with determination and consistent effort, you can make progress faster than you might think, especially with the guidance of a singing teacher.

To Better Singing!

So even though the human singing voice can sometimes be a difficult instrument, developing even basic skills is easier than ever today, especially with online vocal coaching options for voice lessons.  

Basic vocal exercises, breathing exercises and finding a vocal coach with a proven singing method can help you with your singing career. No matter your skill level today, with practice and guidance, most people are capable of a very pleasant singing voice.

John Henny


PS. If you'd like to become a better, smarter singer or are interested in singing lessons, CLICK HERE.