Vocal Power - More Muscle Isn't More Power

If you are having trouble adding vocal power without straining or creating unwanted tension in your voice, then you may actually be trying too hard. Proper vocal power is not created by squeezing out the notes as hard as you can. If you try to force out the sound as a mechanism of introducing more vocal power, then you are on the fast track to frustration and possibly even on your way to a damaged voice.

A common misunderstanding is that more muscle equals more power. It really depends upon the situation. Of course there are some situations, such as weightlifting, where more muscle DOES mean more power. But then again, in our cases with singing, more muscle does NOT mean more vocal power.

Have you ever been golfing? Some may have, some may have not. But you get the point... you swing a club at a small ball standing on a tee in the ground. You see golfers hit those balls pretty far huh? I bet the stronger they are, the farther they can hit...right? Wrong! If you put the golf club in the hands of a huge bodybuilder, they would not be able to hit farther than Tiger Woods. The foundation of the skill is technique, not strength.

I know this from first-hand experience. Have you ever seen "Happy Gilmore" with Adam Sandler? If not, he is a golfer that finds success in the sport by swinging his club like a baseball bat and hitting it REALLY far. Well it is a movie, so count that out!

However, when I was a kid out at the driving range I had the same idea regarding swinging with power. I would swing as hard as I could in hope to smash the ball all the way down the field. I had no luck. I was very inconsistent and the ball would fly all over the place. Then I look over at the people next to me and they would swing so smoothly with half as much effort as me, but their ball would soar out of sight! Hmm... it makes so much sense that more muscle equals more power, but it just isn't always true.

Most beginner singers will agree with me on this, especially if they struggle with vocal power or strain when trying to add power. However, they don't know that they agree with me because they are not yet educated on how the voice works. So let me explain...

In order to free your voice, you must release all tension and strain... but you already know that. So how do you do it? You do this by using the right muscles. If you struggle with straining as you go higher, and want to achieve proper vocal power, then you will want to read this.

Back to weightlifting. It is a common misunderstanding to assume that singing higher (or with more vocal power) requires more muscle support, but that is not necessarily true. Using extra muscle actually does the complete opposite and holds you back! Think of it like this: you are at the gym lifting weights. You get to the point where you are lifting weights that are a little too heavy for you so you call a friend over to help you out... because more muscle means more power, right? Well lets say as you start to lift those heavy weights your friend pushes AGAINST your power. It just makes it twice as hard! You call for extra muscle thinking it will help, but it backfires and does the complete opposite. So when you are singing and feel like you can't go much higher or just can't add vocal power without strain, you start to use extra muscle support but those muscles are doing the opposite as to what you want them to do! Those extra muscles cause strain and constrict your voice which puts a ceiling on your vocal range and vocal power, as well as reducing your vocal tone quality. The key to a higher range and proper vocal power is to free your voice of constriction and use the correct, and natural, coordinations.