How to Avoid Getting Cracks in Your Voice When Singing

Warming up Your Voice

Start off by singing a few scales. A scale is a sequence of musical notes that either ascend or descend in pitch. Most scales are based around octaves, which are 8 notes that are each a half or whole step apart (do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do). Sing scales so that you can loosen up your tight, firm vocal cords. This will enable you to gain control and flexibility.

Do elevator slides. An elevator slide is a warm up technique that allows you to travel from head voice to chest voice and back in a smoother way that prevents cracking. To do this, start singing the vowel “e” on a low note and then make a siren-like sound as you move to higher and higher notes. Then, go back down to the note you started on. After this, do the same exact thing, but with an “ah” sound instead.

Sing along to a playlist. Make a list of four or five different songs you really enjoy singing. Then, rank them according to difficulty. Make a playlist that starts with the easier songs and ends with the harder ones. Warm up by singing each song on the playlist. By the time you get to the more challenging songs, your vocal cords should be more flexible and ready.

Using Your Body Properly

Relax your muscles. Many singers tend to tilt their heads up when they sing high notes and down when they sing low notes. These tense movements can strain your voice and even limit your range. Instead, always try to keep your throat and neck muscles relaxed when you sing. You may find that your voice cracks when you’re nervous. This is because your muscles are tense when you’re nervous.

Use your diaphragm. Many experience cracking because they’re singing from their throat instead of their diaphragm. Use your larger abdominal muscles when you sing and don’t rely on the smaller ones in your throat. This will allow you to have more support while you sing and transition more freely between registers. Train yourself to do this by practicing low breathing. To do this properly, expand your belly like a balloon when you take deep breaths.

Blend vocal registers. Vocal registers are different ways of producing sound. When you sing, your vocal folds look and vibrate differently when in different registers. Because of this, it’s hard to transition smoothly from one to another without cracking. Avoid cracking by training yourself to blend these registers. Head voice (the higher, lighter, sweeter register) and chest voice (the deeper, lower, more powerful register) are the more common vocal registers. Beginners naturally sing lower notes in chest voice and higher notes in head voice. Practice singing lower notes in head voice and higher notes in chest voice to help ease the transition.

Taking Care of Your Voice

Drink a lot of water. When you drink water, your vocal cords are lubricated at a cellular level. This lubrication alleviates the stress to your vocal cords caused by heat and friction. Make sure you drink the recommended 6-8 8oz glasses a day and keep a glass nearby when you’re singing. Make sure to drink lukewarm water while singing; anything too cold or too hot can negatively affect your voice.

Eat hydrating snacks. You can also hydrate yourself and lubricate your vocal cords by eating foods that contain a lot of water. Eat a good amount of apples, pears, watermelon, peaches, melons, grapes, plums, bell peppers and applesauce.

Avoid consuming alcohol, caffeine, excessive sugar, or acidity. Many foods and drinks have negative impacts on your voice, including milk, juice, coffee, ice cream, and candy. Avoid these foods and drinks particularly on training and performing days.

Avoid yelling and screaming. When you increase your loudness, your vocal folds bang together harder than usual to produce the sound. Over time, this can cause your vocal folds to become swollen, red, and damaged.

Don’t clear your throat. While it might seem natural to clear your throat before singing, it bangs your vocal cords together in a destructive way that can lead to severe hoarseness. Instead, try sipping water when you feel the urge to clear your throat. If you find yourself clearing your throat a lot, see a doctor. There’s a chance that you could be dealing with some allergies or acid reflux disease.

Humidify your home. Moisture is great for your voice. Put a humidifier in your room at night while you sleep to make sure that you’re breathing in environments that are most beneficial to your vocal cords.

Don’t smoke. Smoking cigarettes can not only cause cancer but also inflammation to your vocal cords. This inflammation can cause your voice to sound weak and husky.