Do you get frustrated when your voice cracks while singing?

We’ve all been there– feeling intimidated and nervous, fighting against those embarrassing tones brought on by an unsteady larynx. But don’t worry, you don’t have to put up with that!

In this post, you’ll learn:

  • Why does your voice cracks
  • What are the components of the human voice
  • How to stop your voice from cracking as you sing

Why Your Voice Cracks

Have you ever been singing a beautiful song, and then suddenly, your voice breaks? It’s a common problem that all singers face, but why does it happen? 

The human voice is created when air passes through your vocal cords, which are two folds of tissue located in the larynx or voice box. When you speak or sing, the vocal cords vibrate at different speeds to create various pitches. The pitch of each sound is determined by how quickly the cords vibrate. 

What is a voice crack?

Vocal cracking happens when your vocal folds are over-compressing. This means that the vocal folds aren’t able to open up enough for the air passing through them to vibrate freely. As a result, they become strained and can cause a crack in your voice instead of a smooth sound.

And although you keep the alignment, adjustment, and acoustic setting, it can still cause so much cracking.

How to Eliminate Vocal Cracks 

Vocal cracking is embarrassing and can cause us serious stress when you’re performing. But did you know that many of our singing issues can be caused by trying to avoid cracking?

Our natural response is to tense up and muscle our way through. But this ends up squeezing the heck out of vocal cords.

Here are tips to smooth your voice as you sing.

Tip #1: Understand the Components of the Voice

The human voice is an incredible instrument. That’s why understanding how the vocal cords work can give you greater control and precision over your sound. 

To understand better how to eliminate cracks when singing, let’s delve deeper into these three components:

The Air Flow 

The airflow is what sends sound to your vocal cords. When you inhale deeply and then exhale, that breath is sent through your vocal cords, which are also known as vocal folds. This flow of air meeting the resistance of the folds creates a compressed air wave that produces sound when it is released. 

Breathing exercises, in particular, are great for helping you maintain consistent airflow. This will give your vocal cords enough time to adjust as needed without producing any cracks in your voice. 

The Chord 

The chord refers to the resistance of the vocal folds. The more resistant they are, the higher sound frequency will be created. However, if they are too tight, this can create strain on your voice and lead to cracking or straining while trying to reach higher notes.

It’s important to keep this resistance at an optimal level while producing sound in order to get maximum efficiency out of your singing or speaking abilities.  

The Vowel 

This is where you shape your acoustic chambers in order for you to interact with the sound wave created by your breath and resistance. By shaping these chambers properly, singers are able to control their range and produce beautiful sounds with their voices. 

This element is especially important for any experienced singer who needs better control over the chest or head voice. And to those who want to hit certain notes or maintain sustained tones for extended periods of time. 

Tip #2: Keep the Throat Resonator Properly

When you talk or sing, air escapes from your lungs and passes through your vocal cords before exiting your mouth. The air then passes through the throat resonator, which amplifies it so that it sounds louder and fuller when you speak or sing. 

The key to not letting your voice crack occurs is keeping your throat resonator in the higher notes of the sound wave. If you try to reach for lower notes while using a higher-level throat resonator, it won’t work as effectively and can cause issues like voice cracking or distortion.

To ensure that you are keeping your throat resonator in its optimal vocal range, practice singing on one note at a time until it feels comfortable before trying more complex melodies. This will help keep you from pushing too hard and straining your vocal cords. 

Tip #3: Raise Your Larynx

The larynx is a small organ located in the neck just above the vocal cords. When someone speaks or sings, the larynx rises up and down.

When it’s too low, it causes strain on the vocal folds which can lead to cracking. To avoid this, one should practice raising their larynx while speaking or singing. Raising your larynx doesn’t just prevent cracking, but it also helps with breath control and resonance.

But it’s not a great singing sound. And if you are dumping your larynx too low, you’re going to struggle because you’re getting the full impact of that feedback of energy and a balanced tuned vowel.

What you need is to develop the coordination of going for a higher pitch. This is to begin vocal folds to be pulled, stretched, and thinned with a stable larynx.

Tip #4: Control Your Vowel Substitutions

Vowels are the sounds made when your mouth is open, allowing air to flow freely through. The vowel sound is produced by shaping your mouth in different ways, which changes the tone and resonance of the note being sung. 

To ensure you eliminate the cracks, you need to learn how vowels work because vowels are really going to be your friend. Vowels are going to allow you to make alignments and eliminate yells.

The best way to practice using vowel shapes when singing is with vocal exercises. Start by humming a scale up and down while focusing on how closely you can match each note with its corresponding vowel shape. Doing this regularly will help you learn how to consciously control your vocal cords and shape them in order to produce different tones and volumes of notes accurately.

Wrap Up

A vocal break is embarrassing and stressful for any singer or speaker. However, there are steps you can take toward eliminating them from your performances!

By learning the proper technique for using your head or chest voice and hiring a vocal coach– you can all become better singers and speakers who never have to worry about cracking again!

With some patience and practice, anyone can learn how to control their vocals like a pro!