Breathy singing should be a choice. If you've tried countless YouTube tutorials and still can’t strengthen your voice, don’t worry—there’s a reason for that! Keep reading, and I’ll break down what causes a breathy voice and give you three quick fixes to eliminate excess air when you sing.
What Causes Breathy Singing?
A breathy tone happens when your vocal cords aren’t fully closing or when you’re pushing too much air through them. Here are the two main culprits:
Lack of Vocal Fold Closure – Your vocal cords need to come together properly to produce a strong, clear sound. If they don’t, excess air escapes, making your voice sound weak or airy.
Too Much Airflow – If you’re exhaling too much air while singing, it can overpower your vocal cords. This is often due to improper breathing patterns and posture.
How to Fix Breathy Singing
To eliminate breathiness, you need to:
Encourage Vocal Fold Closure
Control Your Airflow
Fix #1: The Vocal Fry Exercise
A great way to strengthen vocal fold closure is through vocal fry—that low, creaky sound you hear when your voice is at its lowest. This exercise helps train your vocal cords to fully close, reducing excess air in your tone.
🔹 Want to see exactly how to do vocal fry? Watch the video here for a full demonstration!
Fix #2: Disrupting Your Breathing Pattern
Sometimes, breathy singing isn’t just about vocal fold closure—it can also be caused by how you breathe and hold your posture. If you’re unconsciously pushing out too much air, your tone will sound airy no matter what.
One simple trick to help reduce excess airflow is to shake your fists vigorously while singing. This movement disrupts your habitual breathing pattern, engages your diaphragm, and naturally stabilizes your airflow—leading to a stronger, clearer tone.
Fix #3: Use Movement to Free Your Voice
Shaking your fists is just one of seven powerful movement-based exercises that I use to help singers transform their voices. These exercises help:
✔️ Encourage better breath control
✔️ Promote vocal cord closure
✔️ Reduce unnecessary tension in your voice
🎶 Want access to all seven exercises? Get them for FREE in my ‘Free Your Voice With Movement’ course! Click here to get access.
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