Learn how to sing better
Jan 09, 2026If you're looking to learn how to sing better - vocal technique and YouTube videos can be an absolute mine-field.
Advice meant for other styles. Advice meant for different voice types. Natural singers who've always had a high range trying to tell you how 'easy' it is - when you're not a natural yourself.
You might even find yourself singing WORSE when you take singing lessons, because your teacher simply doesn't understand the aesthetic you're really going for.
I can relate - I'm a rock guy at heart. I grew up with Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Alice in Chains - I guess you'd call most of it classic rock; the high, powerful singing that we all love.
But the only teacher available in my area (we're talking pre-YouTube days here) was a classical lady who taught opera. I mean, people say there's a crossover between the two, right? By all rights, classical singers can sing ANYTHING - so if you dial in an opera approach, you'll nail that Dio, that Iron Maiden, that Soundgarden song, right?
No.
One of the first things she said to me when I played Ozzy Osbourne to her was "you'll never sing like that - and why would you want to?".
In hindsight, I obviously should have run in the other direction - but as someone with no range, a terrible voice and zero skill as a natural singer, I really had no choice but to work with the only singing teacher in town.
I bought a few courses at the time too - SLS, singing for the stars, CVT and a few others - but endless exercises and endless theory really didn't help me sing any better.
I'm sure these approaches help some people sing better, absolutely - but not me. I mean, they're famous for a reason, right? But by that same logic, McDonalds must be the 'best' restaurant in the world...
It didn't really matter what I tried or how many scales and exercises I practiced, I still had two voices - one considerably low voice that was thick, powerful and loud but didn't go very very high in range before breaking, and then the high, light, flutely voice it would break into.
I was even told this was the anatomical limit of my voice "you're just not someone who can sing high"
Maybe this is too much information - but this led to a great depression, I even gave up singing for a time due to the sheer overwhelm and disappointment. All I ever wanted to do was sing a couple of CCR songs - but even the professionals were against me, telling me I just didn't have the voice for it.
Until I discovered the vagus nerve.
I know, it's not the usual thing you hear from a singing teacher - you're probably expecting support, twang, edge, mixed voice, blah blah blah
But discovering the role that the central nervous system plays in the basic function of your singing voice has been an absolute game changer for me, and a game changer for my students over the past 15 years.
When you dial in the right nervous system response - all of those sounds, all of those exercises, all of those scales, all of those drills suddenly start working in a different way.
It's no longer 'two voices' - but one singular voice that you can finally start developing, building and growing.
If you've ever felt like there's just something missing/something WRONG with your voice - like it's unable to follow your instructions correctly no matter what you try, your central nervous system is in a reactive state; meaning, you're not 'expressing' like a natural singer, you're 'reacting' like there's a threat.
What sound would you make if a grizzly bear suddenly jumped out at you?
It certainly wouldn't be a beautiful, lilting high range, right?
You'd yell, roar, scream and shout.
And that was my voice for far too many years through lesson after lesson, from teacher to teacher.
I'd roar and shout, and my voice would split, break and blow out.
Because I was reacting, not expressing.
It really lead me to a pit of despair as a singer - in fact, it really STOPPED me from being any kind of singer at all.
When I learned that the voice is largely a reflex, that your instrument is largely involuntary, and that subtle changes in the WAY you sing and the SOUND you make actually create different reflexes on a physical level...
My whole world changed as a singer.
The roaring and shouting stopped.
The middle of my voice appeared.
I was able to start really working towards higher notes in a way that had previously been out of reach.
I finally started seeing and hearing the singer I'd always dreamt of becoming.
And it was simple, intuitive and practical.
If you want to know the very first step I took towards creating the voice of my dreams and finally unlocking all of those blocks and obstacles that were holding me back for so long, there's one basic shift you need to make in your awareness of your voice and 'where' you're singing.
I've put this video together to show you the first basic step you can take right now to start unlocking your voice once and for all;
