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In this post youโll get some essential tips on how to strengthen your singing voice and vocal cords.
If you’re a complete beginner, you’ll get a better sense of how your voice works.
If youโre a singer or rapper itโs important that you have a strong voice so you can get the right tone when youโre recording and performing music whether it’s lead or in harmony.
One important note, though โ when doing any exercises to make your voice better, donโt strain or go too far beyond your comfortable vocal range (unless you are trying to increase your singing range).
Using Warm Ups
The first thing you need to know is that before you sing (even if youโre just practicing), you should be warming up your voice. There are severalย vocal warm up exercises you can do that will help get your voice ready. Itโs important!
Doing this helps โstretchโ and loosen up your vocal cords. Think about it like exercise โ itโs a REALLY good idea to warm up before you do any crazy running or heavy lifting.
The same applies to your voice. Here are some things to try (within your existing vocal range):
- Sirens: start with a low and gradually move to singing aย higher note without straining in a sliding sound โ like a police siren thatโs heading towards you.
- Lip Trills: loosen the lips by blowing air through your not-quite-fully closed lips so they start to vibrate
- Vowels: sing scales with vowel sounds using exaggerated mouth positions to stretch your mouth.
Remember, donโt go far beyond your current vocal range. The idea is to gradually exercise your voice without straining so it becomes strong over time.
Live Like a Singer
In our complete guide on how to sing betterย we talk about the ideal singer lifestyle โ because it truly is a lifestyle. You need to live in a way that takes care of your voice. And that includes a few things:
Hydration
Hydration is absolutely essential to a strong singing voice. If youโre dehydrated, your vocal cords are dry and canโt work to their fullest potential.
Whatโs worse, is it may even cause damage if youโre consistently dehydrated.
So, drink up. LOTS of water. And before you sing or practice any singing, make sure youโre lubed up.
Health
Vocal exercise isnโt the only type of exercise you need. We also think keeping your body in decent shape is important. Why? Mostly because of your ability to breathe.
In order to have a strong voice, you need good control over your breathing. The more in shape you are, the better your breathing is naturally.
As far as diet goes, thatโs more about being able to sing. Eating a bunch of greasy food or a heavy meal before you decide to sing is not a good idea because it will really weigh down your ability to breath and vocalize effectively.
Beyond that, itโs probably not a good idea to smoke eitherโฆ
Habits
One of the most effective ways to get a stronger singing voice is to make regular vocal exercise and practice a daily habit.
Youโre not going to magically have a strong, bold voice overnight. It takes time. So make sure youโre using your time effectively.
Otherwise, itโll be 6 months from now, and youโll still have a weak voice.
Start practicing and doing vocal exercises regularly, if not daily โ even if itโs just for half an hour.
Master Your Breath
This next tip is also one of the most important. It involves breath control.
I cannot overstate the importance of breathing when it comes to singing with a powerful voice. Singing is all about breathing right.
Both of our favorite online singing lessons have dedicated sections on breathing with some great exercises that help improve control of your breath.
If you can master that, youโre well on your way to a powerful and strong singing voice.
Do this:
- Find a place where youโre not distracted and start focusing on how youโre breathing
- Start taking long, slow breaths of air in and out and notice how it feels
- Put your hand on your chest and another on your stomach and breath in โ your stomach hand should move more than your chest hand

There are a lot of great breathing exercises in programs likeย 30 Day Singer, so definitely try them out (thereโs aย free trial).
Thatโs really it, thereโs not some magic secret thatโll help you belt those notes out like Whitney Houston.
You really just have to live right, exercise your voice regularly and learn to master your breathing.
If you do that, youโll find it a lot easier to hit certain notes and control your volume/power. Especially if you are singing in falsetto.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can help to strengthen your vocal cords through practicing with proper technique. The vocal cords can be thought of as a muscle in exercise. The more you work it (in a CORRECT and SAFE way) the better it’s able to perform.
You may not have a strong voice if you’re not used to singing or speaking a lot. It does take some practice and proper technique to really project your voice. It also requires good breath use and control. If your voice is not strong, you can do several things to help strengthen it.
If you really want to level up your voice and singing ability, I highly recommend you try out 30DaySinger (14 Day Free Trial) – they’ve got tons of great lessons and exercises to make you a better singer fast.
Thanks for reading this guide on how to strengthen your voice. We hope it was helpful!
Next up, you might be interested in learning how to sing low notes effectively.