I’ve been teaching voice for the past 15 years, and I’ve come to the conclusion that most of the male singers I’ve coached all share important features. Each voice is unique and each one of us has something new to bring to the world.
Many of the issues male singers experience and deal with are mostly concerns regarding fear
Fear of the head voice
Fearing the head voice can be a result of lack of understanding the technique, and/or, the fear of sounding like a girl and the image of yourself in front of others.
The head voice is a mechanism that can be developed. It only takes time and some practice. But nothing is possible without understanding how to sing and that the head voice is a combination of the chest and head resonances. I’ve created a video with some tips and exercises for male voices here.
Do not be afraid of sounding like a girl,
because no matter what you do,
you will always sound like yourself.
Too much chest voice
If your chest voice is too thick, this means that you are limiting your entire vocal range to 7 or 8 notes in total. Thickening the chest voice and pushing it forward will not help you reach higher notes because you are simply not mixing both the head and the chest resonances together throughout your voice. It’s really that simple to explain.
But also, thickening the chest voice could mean that you are exaggerating your lower register in fear of sounding too “soft”, in other words, sounding like a “girl” (like some might call it).
What do you sing?
Choosing the songs you sing should always be focused on what suits your voice and what you enjoy singing. I rarely sing songs that “others” want me to sing, because I always keep myself in mind. Of course, I’ve always given my audience everything they wanted, but by also including things that I adore performing.
Singing songs sung by girls are a possibility. Why wouldn’t they be? If the song is too high or too low, simply transpose it! I use ultimate-guitar for all my chords and you can easily transpose them in the desired key. Usually it’s a tone and a half (or two tones) lower for male voices, but it also depends on the songs and your voice.
WHo are you really when you sing?
We do not change who we are when we sing in order to represent a “male” voice. It’s all about being true to yourself and allowing your real voice to emerge on stage – no matter what you think others think of you!
Singing is a long process because it does not only involve learning and understanding, but also getting over your fears…
Male singers do not sing like male singers. Male singers sing like they should, by being honest. Oh and by the way, the same rules above apply to female singers too!
other tutorials & lessons here
Hi, I’m the Voice Guru, but you can call me John Tracy.
I’ve been teaching voice and music for the past 15 years. With experience in Opera, Jazz and Pop, I share my knowledge and everything related to the Art of Singing in my weekly videos, every Friday, ad free!
This channel is dedicated to all the singers out there, advanced professionals or young achievers seeking answers to issues they encounter throughout their artistic career.
If you’re looking to have a better understanding of the Art of Singing, or wish to get extra tools and tips from a professional singer and voice coach, you’re at the right place!