Singing from your throat is often referred to as tension (not to be confused with throat singing/overtone), which can potentially damage your vocal cords. It’s essential to utilize a proper singing technique, where you take in proper breaths and engage your diaphragm.
As a singer, you should constantly improve your voice technique as part of your overall vocal health. If you struggle with proper breathing or feel a strain on the vocal folds, you might be singing from your throat.
If you have noticed that you don’t sound how you want to, are experiencing discomfort in your vocal practices, or feel tightness in your throat, you haven’t obtained proper singing technique. You are likely singing from the throat and not engaging your diaphragm correctly.
8 Ways to Stop Singing from Your Throat
Sometimes, singers are nervous about singing on a high note and tense up their throats in anticipation of singing those higher notes. The effect on their body creates muscle strain and makes singing the note accurately more difficult.
Here are eight ways to help you stop singing from your throat and engage the diaphragm correctly.
1. Practice Diaphragmatic Breathing
Most teachers use the term “breathing from the diaphragm” when teaching singing lessons. It means taking in a controlled breath to support your voice. It’s helpful to practice diaphragmatic breathing exercises as part of your vocal warmups and to help create a habit that stops you from singing from the throat.
A great way to practice breathing using your diaphragm is to lie down on your back with a hand on your lower abdomen. Take deep breaths through your nose, feeling your rib cage rise as you fill your lungs. Your abdominal muscles may also become engaged as you practice this exercise.
Exhale through your mouth and feel it lower as you release the air. Repeating this exercise several times over so you can get the hang of proper breathing for singing by engaging your diaphragm, filling your lungs thoroughly, and strengthening your vocal control.
To do it while standing, put a hand on your chest and breathe in through your nose, being cautious not to raise your shoulders. Focus your breath to flow out and you’ll be utilizing the support of your diaphragm correctly to get the most breath support for singing.
2. Get Professional Vocal Coaching
Working with a vocal coach is the best way to achieve vocal health and stop singing from the throat. Voice teachers can work with you one-on-one, and help identify the best warm-ups and exercises to help engage the diaphragm and sing with an open throat.
You may not see yourself doing certain things while singing, so having another person watch you perform, adjust your technique, and give you tips to work on at home can help your singing progress further.
A teacher with high levels of experience working with singers will also help you improve in other areas of your singing, so it’s a beneficial investment, especially if you’re serious about it. They can help you find easy songs and gradually move you to more challenging vocal pieces.
3. Maintain Proper Posture
Proper body posture is essential to ensure you’re not causing throat tension when singing. Good posture provides you with the best opportunity for breathing, vocal control, more accurate pitch, and even tone, improving your sound.
A great exercise to maintain proper posture is to stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Relax your shoulders and look straight ahead to avoid tipping and straining the neck. Imagine a string coming out of the middle of your head, and it will help lengthen your spine.
Having proper posture provides a more relaxed and open throat, so people reduce strain on the throat or other muscles when singing. If you sit while singing, try to sit more on the edge of your chair and focus on that same lengthening with your upper body to reduce strain.
4. Relax Your Throat and Jaw to Reduce Tension
Relaxing your throat and jaw helps prevent singing from the throat. When you can sing without added pressure and have a more slack-feeling jaw, it’ll be more open and allow for less throat tension.
If you tend to tense up when you’re nervous about something, it almost always will affect your throat. Try to make yourself yawn or open up the jaw as if you’re going to yawn to help release the pressure and allow the back of your throat to relax.
You can also rub your jaw if it feels tight while keeping the mouth open to encourage relaxation and work on producing sounds with some “aahs” or “oohs” as you yawn or massage the jaw. Do it several times until you feel your throat and jaw are more relaxed for singing.
5. Strengthen Your Core for Better Diaphragm Control
Believe it or not, exercise is good for singers just like an athlete—your voice is an instrument, and it needs care and movement. One way to work on releasing throat tension is by strengthening the core to help improve breath support with the diaphragm.
Consider spending time at home doing core exercises, such as the cat/cow in yoga. In this exercise, you’re on all fours and arching your back, and you can notice the release of your diaphragm while breathing.
Another helpful yoga exercise is the reverse table, where you lay on your back and bring up one leg at a time while breathing in and out five times. This helps to engage the core and encourages diaphragmatic breathing.
6. Warm Up Your Voice Properly Before Singing to Avoid Strain
This should go without saying, but you must warm up your voice as a singer! Warm-ups are the best way to improve your voice and ensure your vocal health. Without a proper warm-up, you can add more strain and even injure your vocal tract.
Your warm-ups don’t have to be extensive or even long. Sometimes, a quick five-minute warm-up with a few exercises is all you need to get your voice ready. If you work with a voice coach, your teacher should always begin singing lessons with warmups to prepare your voice.
7. Use Vocal Exercises to Improve Breath Control
Some helpful voice exercises work to improve your breath control, your vocal range, and open the throat to reduce strain. One such exercise is singing on a sustained note.
Using a simple vowel sound such as “ooh” or “eee,” you can inhale deeply through your nose and engage your diaphragm, then slowly release the breath on the note. Repeat the exercise until you notice you’re slowly releasing the air and holding the note longer and more controlled.
Another vocal exercise you can do specifically for breathing is the counting exercise. Count as high as you can go while you breathe in through your nose, and when you breathe out, you can count out loud through your mouth. This exercise aims to have the same numbers going in and out for the most controlled breath.
8. Stay Hydrated to Keep Your Vocal Cords Healthy
One last helpful way to stop singing from the throat is by staying hydrated. Your vocal folds move frequently when singing, and keeping them lubricated with plenty of water is the best way to ensure they work optimally and vibrate fully without irritation.
If your throat feels dry, you may start to sound creaky or croaky when you sing—this is known as vocal fry. It’s not necessarily harmful, but it does indicate weak breath support and can affect the quality of your voice and tone when singing if used too often. Bring a water bottle to your singing lessons, and consistently drink water throughout your voice lesson to keep your vocal cords free of dryness.
Common Signs That You’re Singing from Your Throat vs Your Diaphragm
The primary difference you would notice if you’re singing from your throat instead of the diaphragm is the type of breath that you use. If you see your shoulders going up or your breaths are shallow and quick, you’re likely experiencing strain and tension and singing from the throat.
Some common signs you’ll notice if singing from your throat include the following:
your throat feels constricted and tight,
you’re tilting your head down or back, which puts tension in the neck and strains the voice,
when running out of breath, you’re trying to sing through a phrase, and you “push” your voice, which makes you strain and sing from the throat,
your throat hurts or feels uncomfortable when singing,
notes aren’t on the proper pitch, or your tone is closed,
your jaw is locked up or feels tight, so you sing without an open mouth.
If you work when singing to take in deeper, fuller breaths and work to fill up your lungs, you’re engaging your diaphragm.
How it Feels to Sing from Your Diaphragm Instead
You won’t feel any strain or tension in your throat when you sing using diaphragmatic breathing. You’ll feel vibrations in your chest and cheekbones, sometimes even your feet!
Your voice originates from your throat, but instead of straining the voice by not taking in proper breath, many voice teachers and instructors use the term “sing from the diaphragm” to encourage proper breath intake for more effortless singing.
Master Vocal Technique and Stop Straining
Proper singing technique is critical for vocal health. Putting too much strain on your vocal cords can cause health issues, such as hoarseness or vocal fatigue. If you notice your voice is hurting, stop singing for a time, drink herbal teas, use steam, and rest your voice, along with providing it with other means of hydration, before singing again.
Breath control is the foundation of maintaining your vocal technique so your singing does not hurt your voice. Taking in a deep breath helps engage your diaphragm and ensures you have more control of your vocal sound when singing. You should also always practice vocal warm-ups, maintain proper posture, utilize your core, and drink lots of water.
Working with an experienced vocal coach or teacher is the most beneficial way to improve your voice. Master diaphragmatic breathing and protect your voice from strain and singing from the throat by scheduling a vocal coaching session with Music To Your Home!
