Understanding Your Unique Voice Type

Ever feel like you’re forcing your voice through a song instead of flowing with it? You might be wondering how to figure out your unique voice type and finally make songs fit your voice. In this episode, we’re diving into a simple, practical way to understand your vocal tendencies and adapt songs so you can sing with more ease, confidence, and control.

Step 1: Stop Forcing—Start Adjusting the Key

The first thing we need to look at is the key of a song.

Every song is written in a specific key. Even if music theory isn’t your thing, you don’t need to worry. Think about Let It Be by The Beatles.

If I sing:

Let it be, let it be…

And then I move it two semitones higher, it suddenly feels—and sounds—higher. That’s called changing the key.

Here’s the important shift: instead of forcing your voice to match the original version of a song, you can adjust the key so the song matches your voice.

Some singers ask me, “Isn’t that cheating?”

Not at all.

Even artists like Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, or Adele choose keys based on their vocal sweet spot. They don’t randomly pick them. So why should you sing in the exact same key as someone with a completely different voice?

The distance between the lowest and highest note in a song stays the same. That challenge doesn’t disappear when you move the key. You’re simply placing it somewhere that works better for your instrument.

Your Key Depends on Your Goal

Now here’s where it gets interesting.

If you lower a song too much, you might only activate your chest voice. That could make it easier—but it might also mean you’re not training your upper range.

So you get to decide:

• Do I want this to feel comfortable and safe?

• Or do I want to stretch myself and grow?

If your goal is to expand your upper register, lowering the key might not serve you. But if you’re performing tomorrow in front of a thousand people, choosing comfort could be the smartest move.

It all comes down to intention.

Step 2: Understand Your Vocal Sweet Spot

Once you know you can adjust a key, the next question becomes:
How do I know what fits my voice?

That’s where your vocal sweet spot and natural tendencies come in.

Most singers naturally gravitate toward either:

• Chest voice – fuller, stronger, more grounded

• Head voice – lighter, airier, more lifted

Some singers sing everything in chest voice. Others default to head voice.

When I work with singers, I’ll have them sing something simple like Let It Be. One singer might immediately lean into a strong chest voice sound. Another might float through it in head voice.

Neither is wrong.

But knowing what you naturally do gives you power. Because once you’re aware of your tendency, you can choose:

• Stay in your comfort zone for performance.

• Or deliberately train the parts you avoid.

That’s how you stop singing on autopilot and start singing with intention.

Step 3: Shift the Mindset—You Can Train This

This is the part where many singers get stuck.

They think:
“This is just my voice.”
“I can’t sing like that.”
“I’ll never sound like Whitney Houston.”

But here’s the truth: your voice is made of muscles. And muscles can be trained.

Singing is a skill.

Just like learning to draw or going to the gym, repetition builds strength. The more you practice specific techniques, the more they move into muscle memory.

At some point, you won’t consciously think about breath support or placement anymore. Your body will just know what to do.

Build Your “Vocal Technique Backpack”

I like to describe this as building your vocal technique backpack.

At the beginning of your singing journey, your backpack might be empty. Over time, you start filling it with tools:

• Mix voice technique

• Diaphragmatic breathing

• Head voice coordination

• Twang

• Cry technique

Every new technique you learn goes into that backpack.

Then, when you encounter a challenging part in a song, you don’t panic. You open your backpack and think:

• Would twang help here?

• Should I add more breath support?

• Can I approach this with a mix instead of pure chest?

Some singers say, “Maggie, just tell me what to do.”

But I can only give you options based on what’s in your backpack. The richer your toolbox, the more solutions you have.

Sing With Confidence—Not Force

Let’s recap what we covered in this episode:

1. You can change the key of a song to match your voice.

2. It’s not cheating—it’s smart.

3. Understanding your chest, head, and mix tendencies gives you clarity.

4. Your choices should align with your vocal goals.

5. Singing is trainable. Your voice is not fixed.

When you stop forcing your voice and start making intentional decisions, singing becomes lighter, freer, and more confident.

Ready to Fill Your Vocal Technique Backpack?

If you’re realizing that you need more tools in your backpack—more clarity on what techniques to learn and how to apply them—then I’ve got something for you.

Join my free training where I walk you step by step through the essential vocal techniques you need to build strength, flexibility, and confidence in your voice. You’ll learn exactly what to focus on based on your vocal goals so you can stop guessing and start progressing.

Click here to get started: https://www.singinginsiders.com/secret-video-opt-in-yt-fnl-v3. 

Get free access to the Vocal Technique Backpack training, a complete training on the core techniques every  singer needs to sing with confidence, control, and consistency.

Click here to access the free Vocal Technique training!