25 Steps to Building a World-Class Voice: Vocal Stability, Precision and Mastery
GET ACCESS TO MY UPCOMING FREE WEBINAR: This post helps you get started, but it’s only the beginning. What would it feel like to finally reach your vocal potential and feel an actual transformation in your voice? I’ve laid out all of the steps to building the right foundation for building a world-class voice in my upcoming webinar: Building a World-Class Singing Voice: The Ultimate Steps to Vocal Mastery, Precision, and Excellence. Click here to sign up and get free access .
What if I told you that the secret to a great voice lies inside of the technique you use to sing from?
If you have been searching for how to sing better and sound better – and to deliver great performances to your audience and leave a lasting impact as a singer — this is your golden ticket.
The voice is an instrument that with the right methodology can soar to bigger heights than you can imagine. Wherever you are in your vocal journey — know there is more. You are capable of more.
I know – because it happened to me. I remember as a young singer wanting to touch my audience more than anything else. But it was more than passion I needed to get me there.
And it wasn’t until I stumbled upon the right method that everything changed for me. I ended up on stage at Town Hall with a record deal and a standing ovation. Something I had only dreamed was possible.
But none of it would have happened if I hadn’t found THE method to bring me to that level.
What if you had the tools to step on stage and not only had full command over your voice, you touched your audience so much they came to their feet for you? What would that mean to you? It meant everything to me and thats exactly what happened once I had the secret methods behind me.
And the thing is – you’ll never know until you try.
Here are my 25 Ultimate Steps to Building a World-Class Voice: Vocal Stability, Precision and Mastery
Join me at my upcoming Masterclass that will reveal these 25 steps and change everything for you as a singer. Nothing is more important.
Step 1: Identify what muscles are working to create sound
One of the first things is to identify which muscles are functioning to produce sound. Which muscles are over-functioning and which are under-functioning? Over-functioning muscles are referred to as “compensatory muscles.”?
Step 2: Reduce tension in the muscles of the voice and surrounding muscles.
Singing from the throat muscles leads to early fatigue and burnout. The voice is a coordination of air and muscle and vocal problems stem from a combination of environmental factors (allergy, infection, reflux or all three), over-singing without a healthy vocal technique and contractions in the muscles surrounding the instrument.?
Step 3: Clean up alignment + posture from the ground up?
Singing is physically and mentally demanding, and many singers experience tension and strain in their necks, shoulders, and throats. The right alignment can help reduce this tension by releasing unnecessary muscle tension and producing sound in a more efficient, effortless manner. Good posture is essential for effective singing which leads to better tone, breath control, and a more open and resonant voice.
Step 4: Align the “Vocal Path”
Next up, we want to align the posture and diaphragm position to support correct vocal production. Posture plays a very important part in the Vocal Path. Postural alignment affects the “vocal path” of the sound. Poor posture will thwart the vocal path and cause tensions to arise that affect overall vocal production. Most people have a slightly slumped chest and a forward head. This causes several issues for singers limiting range, causing constriction, vocal loss, and unnecessary tension in the vocal instrument leading to early fatigue.?
Step 5: Develop the correct positions for the voice to produce sound without strain
Using specific mechanical technical positions in vocal technique, we can dramatically improve vocal production, sound, resonance, and range—all of the elements of a healthy singing voice. These positions help to strip away the compensatory muscles and nurture the activity in the core muscles improving vocal strength, tone, and overall production. The correct positions continue to strip away the compensatory muscles and target a freer, more balanced technique unencumbered by the tensions and lack of support by poor posture.
*These positions are taught in the Cole Vocal Method ? taught only inside The Vocal Freedom Circle .
Step 6: Separate the action of the tongue, jaw, and larynx?
Until a singer separates the action of the tongue, jaw, and larynx they are vulnerable to interference from the incorrect motions and tensions inside these muscles individually that constricts and destabilize the voice. Inside the Cole Vocal Method? we practice core mechanical movements that separate the action of the tongue, jaw, and larynx freeing the voice, stablizing the laryngeal muscles and securing a full, rich and resonant tone and sound. We also improve overall vocal production and all of the attributes of a strong and healthy voice.?
Step 7: Loosen and stretch the ribcage and intercostal muscles?
Breath and diaphragm movement is often trapped by tension in the muscles that wrap around the ribs. One of the key elements of freeing the breath and getting the air into the lower triangle portion of the lungs is stretching the ribs, and intercostal muscles to free the diaphragm movement allowing the singer to breathe more deeply into the lungs. This builds a storehouse of air to sing on decreasing tension at the throat and balancing the air-muscle coordination needed to sing freely and smoothly.
Step 8: Breath control: Establish diaphragmatic breathing?
Breathing diaphragmatically will help you access the lower triangle of the lungs where your deeper breath capacity is. Having more access to breath capacity will increase your vocal strength and freedom. Singing is a coordination between air and muscle. The less air you have, the more you “muscle” the voice which causes more strain. The more air you have, the less tension and strain you feel at the throat and the more power, strength, and freedom you have during singing. The secret to breathing diaphragmatically starts with moving the ribs.
*Inside The Vocal Freedom Circle and my Vocal Mastery Program I teach these dynamic diaphragmatic breathing exercises inside Cole Vocal Method?
Step 9: Build strength in the trunk of the body to support the sound
Most singers struggle with support and find themselves singing from the neck up. The true way to support the singing voice is to establish the support in the trunk or torso of the body where real support lives. Pectorals, chest wall and sternum, intercostals, abdominals, rhomboids, and back support are all places we develop strength combined with the right alignment to support the sound and take the pressure off of the throat and vocal muscles so they can function and perform at their best.?
Step 10: Build laryngeal depth?
The position of the larynx affects the passaggio area quite a bit. As you ascend in pitch the larynx tends to get pushed upwards. In a well-trained voice, this movement is minimized providing a more stable larynx allowing for smoother register shifts. Untrained singers generally have little to no control of this area. Even in trained singers I often find higher laryngeal position due to over-singing and a lack of technique.?
Step 11: Build the legato line
In classical singing, the legato line refers to a smooth, seamless, and flowing connection between notes, where the sound appears to be continuous and unbroken. To achieve a good legato line, singers must focus on maintaining a consistent tone, pitch, and volume throughout the phrase. This requires a strong understanding of breath control, vocal placement, and articulation. The goal is to create a sense of continuity and connection between the notes, rather than a series of disconnected sounds.
Step 12: Isolating the core vocal muscles
The core vocal muscles, also known as the intrinsic muscles of the larynx, play a crucial role in the production of voice. These muscles adjust the tension and position of the vocal folds, allowing for the production of different sounds, pitches, and volumes. These core vocal muscles work together to produce the complex movements necessary for speech and singing. In our methodology using mechanical movements, as we strip away the overuse of compensatory muscles we isolate the core vocal muscles strengthening their actions. The untrained core voice is usually a bit weak. We practice movements that target the core muscles of the voice and breathing to work together to produce sound that is unencumbered by compensatory tensions. We then practice scales and movements that build strength in the core voice.
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Step 13: Voice-building techniques to build the Legato Line and Overtone Series
Voice-building techniques are a specific series of exercises that build the legato line, the overtone series and the overall range, tone, sound and production of the singing voice. These exercises are different from warming up or regular exercises. They are designed to specifically build the “core” mechanicals motions of the instrument. Inside Cole Vocal Method? I teach a series called The Master Voice Building Exercises which is a series of 38 exercises that build the strength of the voice and all of the features of a strong and healthy voice including the legato line, the overtone series and the overall range, tone, sound and production of the singing voice.
Step 14: Develop vocal fold closure for better vocal production, tone, and control
Vocal tone is your unique sound quality. The sound, color or timbre of your singing voice. Every voice has a specific color, which can be described as warm, dark, or strident, nasal or throaty. Two singers singing the same song may sound different — the reason is tone. Vocal tone and timbre comes from the size and shape of your vocal resonators and the mechanics of your voice —how you use your muscles during singing–your vocal technique and the closure of your vocal folds.?
Step 15: Conditioning exercises to reduce inflammation that accumulates from oversinging
One of the many benefits of Cole Vocal Method? is the conditioning aspect that keeps the voice healthy at all times and reducing inflammation at the vocal folds and keeping the voice conditioned and health for perpetual singing. Singing is an athletic event. Dr. Peak Woo (an internationally recognized laryngologist, clinical research scientist, and author of Stroboscopy) said that the physical effect of a 45-minute vocal performance is equivalent to a 2-hour football game for a linebacker. The impact of a live concert, the strain on the voice, is irrefutable. Like athletes, is imperative that singers condition their instrument pre and post show or they are going to inevitably end up with injuries or issues. Using our conditioning exercises singers can reduce the inflammation at the vocal folds that occurs with oversinging or after recovering from respiratory issues or other health issues such as asthma, allergies or reflux.?
Step 16: Align the speaking voice so it does not hinder the singing voice
The speaking voice alone can destroy the singing voice. Talking loudly over very loud noise or using your voice loudly like cheering at a concert puts unnecessary strain on the vocal folds, and can even damage the voice. In addition, glottals in the speaking voice can cause vocal problems and injury. Speaking from the throat or using glottals causing the cords to strike often, leads to hoarseness and vocal problems. I created a set of speaking exercises to help you get your speaking voice out of your throat and to stop rubbing the vocal cords.
You’ll find them also inside the Cole Vocal Method? taught in-depth inside Vocal Freedom Circle . You can also purchase them separately in the Vocal Rescue Kit here .?
Step 17: Develop resonance: the Overtone series + harmonics
Vocal resonance is the process by which the sound produced by the vibrating vocal cords is enhanced in timbre and/or intensity by the air-filled cavities through which it passes on its way to the outside air. Resonance is established by correct vocal production without “squeezing” or “pushing” the air.?
Step 18: Develop control over vibrato and straight tone on all notes
Natural vibrato is a sign of proper singing technique, including proper diaphragmatic support, posture, open throat, soft-palate placement, tongue placement, and overall vowel placement. It is a natural variation in pitch that occurs when the voice is relaxed and well-supported. In addition to getting control over the vibrato, we also want to get control over smooth “straight tone” on all of the notes of a singers range.?
Step 19: Build the range
Vocal range refers to the range of pitches that a human voice can produce. It is the distance between the highest and lowest notes that a singer can sing comfortably without straining their voice. Vocal range is an important characteristic of a singer’s voice and is used to classify singing voices into different voice types.
Step 20: Build flexibility and speed
Vocal flexibility refers to a singer’s ability to produce a wide range of tones, dynamics, and articulations. It is the capacity to move smoothly and effortlessly between different vocal registers, pitches, and emotions. Singers with good vocal flexibility can adapt to various musical styles, genres, and languages, making them more versatile and expressive performers. By developing flexibility, singers can improve their vocal range, pitch accuracy, speed, expressiveness, and creativity, ultimately enhancing their overall performance.
Step 21: Build a safe and healthy belt?
Belting is a specific technique of singing where a singer carries their chest voice above their break or passaggio with a proportion of head voice. It’s often described as “high chest voice” or “mixed voice,” although if done incorrectly, it can be damaging to the voice. Building a healthy belt voice is accomplished with correct vocal techniques, correct alignment, and building the right support, and developing laryngeal resistance to resist the increase in air pressure that accompanies louder and higher singing.
Step 22: Build the bridge or passaggio, connecting the registers?
Passaggio refers to the transition or “break” between lower and higher vocal registers (often called “chest voice” and “head voice”), that singers may choose to enhance (as in yodel) or to smooth out (as in classical singing). Singers blending the passaggio require a combination of proper breath support, tongue placement, and vocal technique to smoothly transition between their chest and head voice.?
Key points to consider:
Step 23: Interval study and jumps
Singers intervals refer to the spaces between two pitches or notes in music. In Western music, these intervals are measured in half-steps, which are the smallest units of measurement. The ability to recognize and sing intervals is crucial for singers to improve their accuracy, confidence, and overall performance.
Step 24: Depth, sustain + power work
Depth work is important once the basic foundation of the above is established and the singer has a level of strength required to do depth work. Included in this category is sustain and power work. Depth work develops more power and strength in the singing voice.
Step 25: Advanced techniques to develop all of the finer advanced aspects of the voice?
Advanced techniques follow once the above is established. Advanced techniques build upon the foundation to take the singer to the next levels of precision and ability. Some of these techniques involve portamento, messa di voce, trills, runs and other elements of mastery and finesse.?
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This post helps you get started, but it’s only the beginning. What would it feel like to finally reach your vocal potential and feel an actual transformation in your voice? Come join the thousands of singers who have already transformed their voice and vocal health with the Cole Vocal Method? .
Set your voice free in only 20 minutes a day with these transformative vocal techniques found only here! Click here to find out more .?