Here's Why Your Vocal Tone is Shaky, and How You Can Fix It
- Jenny Clair
- Feb 20, 2024
- 4 min read
I sat down beside my mom. I wasn't thrilled with how my performance of "Cry" (Faith Hill) turned out. I had done my best, but WHY didn't my voice sound smoother? Stronger?
”It will get easier the more you get on stage, honey,” my mom said. But I didn’t feel all that nervous on stage. It’s always been a second home to me. Yet my voice sounded shaky at times. This was especially true while I was performing, so my mom chalked it up to nerves. And that’s a fair guess, really.
While I wanted to believe that simply performing over and over again would fix my shaky tone, “it will get easier” wasn’t all that helpful. I did continue to perform over and over! But that shaky tone somehow continued to present itself here and there all the way to my music college days!
More than repetition, what I really needed was a practical solution. A skill I could rely to get to the root of the problem.
ARE YOU STRUGGLING WITH A SHAKY, WOBBLY SOUND IN YOUR SINGING VOICE?
A shaky, wobbly vocal sound is quite common and brings out the insecurity in any singer — as it makes us sound far less confident and prepared than we truly are.
Now, my mom was on to something when she pointed out that my shaky tone was related to performance. But still, it’s more complex than just being nervous.
When I took the stage, my breath pattern changed not only because of my nerves, but also because of the excitement and distractions that come with performing. To a degree, yes, you need repetition on the stage to expand your comfort zone. But developing smoothness and strength in your vocal tone goes much further than repetition.
WHAT'S THE SOLUTION?
Let's talk about your breathing.
I know the topic of breathing comes up often around here, but it's for a good reason. Hang with me, here!
A singer’s breath pattern consists of more than just the inhale and the exhale.
There's another phase of our breath cycle I want to discuss today; It’s called the suspension.
The suspension is a moment in time between the inhale and the exhale. After completing the inhale, we pause just for a moment. And then we proceed with exhaling.
Try it.
We call this the suspension because we’ve essentially suspended the inhale briefly before continuing on to the exhale.
In theory, executing the suspension is very simple.
The tricky part is continuing to implement the suspension even when we’re under pressure, distracted, or nervous.
We began in discussing the shaky, unsteady vocal tone...let's circle back around to that.
SO WHAT DOES YOUR SHAKY, UNSTEADY VOCAL TONE ISSUE HAVE TO DO WITH THE SUSPENSION?
The magic of the suspension comes down to air pressure!
Listen up because this part is truly amazing. There is varying air pressure inside our lungs, as well as air pressure outside our lungs - out in the room around us! Isn’t that amazing to think about?! The suspension packs a lot of punch into a small moment because during this small moment of suspending the inhale, we’re actually equalizing air pressure in our lungs with the air pressure in the room! (WOW!)
This equalization of pressure will give you next-level smoothness in your singing voice.
REMEMBER:
When your vocal tone sounds shaky or unsteady, “it will get easier the more you’re on stage”, is not going to be the most helpful advice. Commonly spoken but unfortunately, not exactly true. Because practice doesn't make perfect...
Practice makes permanent.
So we want to make sure we're practicing the right things. Right?
Let's try it one more time:
Inhale
Small pause in which you've simply suspended your breath
Exhale and sing
Seriously, practice this.
And remember:
Repetition on the stage isn’t enough.
Understanding the Suspension and your overall breath cycle will take you REALLY FAR, but also isn’t enough.
Understanding + Repetition = Gold!
How did this simple breathing hack work for you? Let me know in the comments and ask any questions you have below.
For more instruction on how to do this well, a whole module in my vocal technique course is dedicated to the suspenion. It's a comprehensive voccal technique video course, which is helpful because video content is so much more easier to learn singing than written form could ever be. Singer Set Free covers posture, ,the inhale, exhale, and so much more! It's the combination of vocal techniques that create significant changes in your singing, and I invite you to join me inside the course.
To learn more about Singer Set Free, click the button below.
Hey, I'm Jenny. I write music, perform, and teach. I help singers break through vocal barriers, rock auditions, and become one-take vocalists. I love making great singing easier and more attainable than you thought it could be. This blog is my place to dig into vocal technique and unpack what it takes to connect and communicate honestly with an audience.
Everything about my musicianship and teaching is outside-the-box, instinctive, and fun. That's what makes this such a great place to hang out. I invite you to stay a while, check out my music, and see how this blog can impact your vocal skills and refresh your love for performing.
Happy Singing, and take care.
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