Do you find yourself straining when singing up high? Does your voice crack or do weird things sometimes? Does it tire easily, or feel hoarse, or lose it's "punch" after singing for a while?

If so, you are likely having trouble with the balance between what we call "vocal registers", the so-called Chest Voice and Head Voice (aka Falsetto). If you've ever had your voice crack on a high note, you've experienced a sudden shift from chest to head voice. Some people, like the Swedes, become quite proficient at this and turn it into yodels, which are fun. When it happens in the middle of a song, however, it is usually disconcerting.

I'd like to say there's a simple, easy fix for this kind of problem in singing, but the subject is deep and complex. Fortunately the voice student doesn't need to know a lot of theory to make progress, and Functional Voice Training provides an intuitive and productive path to vocal ease, range and power.

This approach has many dimensions, from the anatomical to the philosophical. Here, I will offer you stories, opinions and explorations of specific aspects of voice training. I might occasionally say something outlandish. For a more organized collection of articles, please see the section on UNDERSTANDING YOUR VOICE.

I want to emphasize that our goal in vocal training is to make singing more enjoyable than ever. We will discuss how to get the two registers to play together nicely for a nice big, open-throated voice that can sing high, low, loud, soft and with whatever emotional colour you feel in the musical moment. Please check back here often for new writing, and if you ask questions or make comments, that will also prompt me to tickle these computer keys!