Vocal Technique Explained for Non-Musicians

You might be wondering how vocal technique actually works if you’ve never studied music or anatomy. In this episode, I break it down in a simple, practical way so you can train your voice safely and powerfully without reading sheet music or being “technical.” Let’s dive in!

What Vocal Technique Really Is

Many singers say, “I just need better vocal technique,” but that term can feel vague and overwhelming. At its core, vocal technique is simply understanding how sound is created and how you can influence it in a healthy way.

How Sound Is Created in the Voice

Singing starts with air coming from your lungs. That air passes through your vocal cords, which are located in your larynx. If you slide your finger down from under your chin, you’ll feel a small bump—often called the Adam’s apple in men. That’s where your vocal cords live.

When air passes through those cords, they vibrate and create a sound wave. That sound then travels upward toward your mouth.

The Vocal Tract: Shaping Your Sound

The space between your vocal cords and your lips is called the vocal tract. This is where the magic happens. By changing the shape of that space—using your tongue, lips, soft palate, and even the position of your larynx—you change the color of your sound.

That’s how bright or warm tones are created. It’s also how vowels are formed. An “EE” vowel and an “OH” vowel feel different because everything inside your vocal tract adjusts. This is where vowel shaping and vowel modification come into play.

Vocal Cords: Two Key Movements You Can Train

Here’s the beautiful part: your vocal cords are trainable. Just like a rubber band, they can stretch and shorten. When they stretch, your pitch goes higher. When they shorten, your pitch goes lower.

There’s also another movement: your vocal cords can come together or move apart. When you breathe, they’re open. When you speak or sing, they come together.

So we have two main actions:

• Stretching the vocal cords (for pitch)

• Bringing the vocal cords together (for power)

The Two Main Voice Muscles Explained Simply

Two muscles control these movements. I like to keep the explanation simple:

• The head voice muscle (officially the cricothyroid) stretches the vocal cords and helps you sing higher.

• The chest voice muscle (officially the thyroarytenoid) brings the vocal cords together and creates power.

When you learn to balance these two muscles, you unlock one of the most important techniques in singing.

Why Mix Voice Is So Important

Many singers dream of singing high, powerful notes like the big divas—but without pushing or straining. That’s where mix voice comes in. Mix voice happens when you lengthen the vocal cords for higher pitch while still engaging the chest voice muscle for power.

That combination allows you to sing high notes with strength, control, and safety.

Vocal Technique Has a Natural Order

One of the biggest mistakes singers make is trying to skip steps. Vocal technique builds in a sequence—just like human development. A baby doesn’t walk before rolling over or crawling.

In the same way, you can’t belt safely if you haven’t built the techniques underneath it. Singing is like building a skyscraper: without a solid foundation, the upper floors won’t hold.

The Foundation of Healthy Singing

That foundation starts with two things:

• Internal hearing (knowing where the pitch is going)

• Breathing and breath support

Without those, high notes become difficult or even unhealthy. Vocal technique builds layer by layer, and respecting that order is what keeps your voice strong.

Singing Is a Skill, Not a Talent You’re Born With

Once you understand that your voice can be trained, everything changes. Singing isn’t about natural talent—it’s about learning how your voice works and building it step by step.

Ready to Build Your Voice the Right Way?

If this episode helped you see vocal technique more clearly and you want to go beyond the basics, I’d love to invite you to my free training. Inside, we dive deeper into the foundations of singing and show you exactly what to work on first so you can build your voice safely, confidently, and with real structure.

👉 Click here to join the free training and start building your voice from the ground up.

👀  Want to master the vocal techniques that make singing easier?

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!