11 Playing To Your Strengths
So often, we’re quick to point out our vocal weaknesses, but not our strengths. In this lesson, through vocal exercises and song application, we’ll explore what you do best, and how you can play to those strengths in order to overcome your vocal weaknesses. Learning to understand and value your natural, unique vocal qualities is an important part of vocal mastery! This lesson also marks the next “Master Your Voice” Checkpoint — learn more or submit Checkpoint #3 here.
See the lesson resources below to:
- download the lesson notes (in Downloads tab)
- download the vocal workout for offline use (in Downloads tab)
My light bulb moment was the Bill Johnson quote about how I can’t afford to have a thought in my head that He doesn’t think about me. There’s SO MUCH to that statement! One is having the mind of Christ and all that that encompasses! A lot to ponder.
The category I most fit into was the too tight voice. My strength is that harmony comes easy to me and also getting into the mixed voice.
I do best as harmony backup vocals and really love doing it on team!
Amen!! That’s fantastic that you are able to sing harmony and are able to bring that skill to your team!
I feel like my strengths are harmonizing. I’m able to hear the harmonies and match the tone of the leader easily. I think it’s interesting how we downplay our strengths by telling ourself that we can do it because it’s easy. We are so hard on ourselves. I love the phrase “God loves your voice” at the beginning of this lesson. How true that is and shame on us for the self-criticism we continually do.
So so true! We downplay our strengths far too much. Harmony is SUCH a beautiful strength and skill!
I feel like mine is “too light”, but that says too much head voice pulled down. Last week you said you thought I sang in light chest voice. Can you clarify?
Just wondering if I’m on the right track focusing on the “too light” exercises. 🤷
Hey Pam! Great question—yes, I’d say that you fall in a bit of a different category, because the reason your voice is “light” is not so much that you pull head voice down, but that you just tend to sing more quietly in your chest voice. You can still use the “too light” exercises, but don’t worry so much about whether you’re singing in head/chest voice, and just focus on the WAH being louder and more powerful than the WEE, and then carry that volume/power into the song lyrics as well. Hope that makes sense!
Thank you! It makes sense; now to figure out how to do it. 😁
Hi Charmaine,
My sweet spot voice is in the lower/mid range and in that range, it sounds balanced and full, but my higher notes, it’s more nasal and too light and tight.
In your video, you said about doing the exercises based on our sweet spot range. So for this exercise, do I try to brighten up my sweet spot voice? (I kinda like my voice in its current chest-mix in my sweet spot tho!)
Or should I choose exercises in the higher keys (that are not in my sweet spot) and work on those?
Hey Sherlyn! Great question! I would say to focus on the keys/notes that are at the top end of your sweet spot range (where it starts to get nasal/light/tight)—but don’t worry too much about the keys that are far outside your sweet spot!
I’m learning a lot about my voice in these lessons. At first I wasn’t sure what category I fall into, but when it comes to going for higher notes, I think I can either lean too far into the pharyngeal (to avoid pushing up with chest voice) or push up with the chest (to maintain depth). Thinking of my strengths is really hard, but I could say singing in my range with a balanced tone, and what I do best is thinking through dynamics.
For sure—great observations! From hearing your voice, I agree… you do have a beautifully balanced tone overall! Yes, you (and most other people, including myself!) often fall into the trap of pushing up too much chest in the mix to maintain depth and power. I wouldn’t worry about having too much pharyngeal… often it can feel like too much when we’re singing, but it actually comes across sounding very normal!
Really enjoying this course. I feel like I fall into the “too light” category. Looking forward to seeing progress as I do the exercises intended to help me bring more chest voice into my mix.
One of my strengths is the ability to sing on pitch (most of the time).
Maybe the thing my voice does best is hit high notes with purity and power.
Awesome—yes, great observations about your voice! From hearing your voice in the small group, I definitely agree with you… you do have great pitch, and beautiful purity and power in your tone!
Thank you!
I definitely sit in the too heavy and too tight realm. I like your take on seeing that as a positive thing. I’m thankful for my powerful voice. Working through these exercises will be great to keep that power, but also lighten up so my voice doesn’t get fatigued as easily. As always, thank you Charmaine! 🙂
Yes! It’s so important to shift our perspective on these things!
Hi Charmaine! I have been taking your course since 2017, took a break for a little while and then back in 2018. I sing in my mixed voice at home and it sounds great and powerful, however when I sing at church which instruments, I loose my power and I don’t feel any connection I’m my voice. People cannot hear me and my voice sounds like falsetto. I am so frustrated because I work so hard and still I am still not able to overcome this issue. In a bid for me to gain power, I end up pushing up my chest voice, which causes me so much pain in my throat and dullness in my higher notes.
Hey! Definitely a very common issue — the things we practice seeming to “disappear” in public! Keep up the diligent work… practice practice practice at home. It will get better and easier!
Can you hear yourself properly in the monitors? That’s often a major reason why singers tend to push way more when they’re on stage at church. Make sure you can hear yourself… don’t be afraid to ask for more of your voice!
I recommend lots and lots of practice applying exercises to songs… as I teach in the upcoming lessons of “Master Your Voice”. The more we train the voice to engage specific techniques and efficient resonance… steering it in the right direction… the more it will instinctively go there. I would also suggest submitting an “Analyze My Voice” recording so I can give you some feedback on your singing — there may be specific areas I can direct you to work on that will help you in your practice and singing in a live setting. (you can find that in the website store)
I feel like, if anything, I fall into the too heavy category. Likely because my strength is chest voice! I love the richness and depth of tone:) Sometimes I get too tight as well.
For sure — too much chest voice heaviness often causes a lot of tension/tightness, so those will both be good exercises for you to work on!
I liked this lesson because you helped us identify what our tendencies are: too nasal, too heavy, too light, or too tight and then provided us with the specific tool for that tendency. I had never thought I was “hooty” but found out through the exercises that was where I tended to lean towards and now I have an exercise to work on that specifically to help get more of a mixed/balanced blend. Looking forward to what Lesson 12 holds for us!
Awesome, glad to help! 🙂