24 Vocal Experts Reveal Top Beginner Mistakes And How To Fix Them

…have a preconceived idea of what they “should” sound like.

“I find this question very hard to answer because every student is so different. But here’s one of the broader issues I’ve noticed in singers aged pre-teen and older.

I think the most common mistake a beginning singer makes is having a preconceived idea of what they “should” sound like, combined with a fear of trying new sounds. This can lead to singers forcing their voice, and singing in a tense, unsustainable manner.

The solution is to stay open-minded and be willing to explore. Check out a variety of vocalists and music styles to hear the amazing palette of sounds we humans can make. Throw yourself wholeheartedly into the wacky vocal exercises you do with your teacher, and learn how your body feels when you make different sounds. This is the foundation for singing with ease, flexibility and control in the future.”

…look for the “magic wand.”

“For hundreds of years people have been fighting over the best methods and techniques to learn this thing called singing.

The most common mistake beginning singers make is “looking for the magic wand.” 🙂 Meaning, hunting and pecking around for random techniques that are supposed to “teach them to sing.” That’s like learning to play Jimmy Page guitar licks before you learn basic chords. Or learning fancy drum fills before you can actually play in time. The problem with learning anything backwards, is that you get tangled up in some bad habits that take much longer to undo, than if you had just started at the beginning to begin with. The beautiful part about starting at the beginning, is that your natural talent will show you which things are easy for you and which are harder. Everyone is different in this way, and everyone’s pace at the various subjects involved will be different.

This is why it is very important to find a extremely qualified teacher to guide you through this maze. It will literally save you years of hacking away at what is a very delicate journey to navigate. For hundreds of years people have been fighting over the best methods and techniques to learn this thing called singing. Something a qualified teacher should possess, is a broad understanding of multiple approaches, because everyone learns and interprets vocal instruction much differently.

SO…… even though the “magic wand” technique you see on the internet, may help you hit that high note for a minute, it’s not a broad-reaching enough to cover the large terrain actual singing needs to cover. You’ll need to find a good teacher for that.”

…have the wrong mindset.

“One of the most common barriers I come across when it comes to people working on their voice is their mind set. Many clients I work with often believe that vocal technique and training is a tool or method that needs to be attached or replace what they already do. In fact when people start to realise that what we once did was very effective, we can start to unlock and reveal what was already there.

I would encourage anyone who wants to explore their voice to find a coach who works with safe primal sounds from a creative approach. I believe the key to a great voice is giving ourselves permission explore and play with what we have already been given!”

…not have a good warm-up as part of their regimen.

“The most common mistake I see with beginners is not having a good warmup as part of their regimen. Many beginners think if they just sing a lot they’ll get better, but since they aren’t warmed up they get vocal fatigue instead.

The solution is to find a warmup that works, either online or by working with a coach. As a singer improves his/her warmup may need to be modified, for example to cover a bigger range. Some of my students stick with the same warmup for years, but with others I make adjustments periodically.”

…refer to themselves as “beginning singers.”

“The biggest mistake “beginning singers” make is referring to themselves as beginners! A more accurate label would simply be “inhibited.” The use of the voice to express an emotional state is hardwired into our DNA. Like laughing, smiling, crying and dancing – there is no instruction necessary for the basics. Toddlers all do it very well.

Then our culture seeps in like a sinister virus and makes some kids feel intimidated to express themselves so freely. So depending on how many years have passed since first feeling one’s voice is not worthy of being heard – that’s the size of the “imaginary” mountain that must be climbed before people grant themselves permission to sing and be heard.

What I do is help “beginners” deal with the inhibition that’s blocking their natural connection with their voices. From there – it all depends on the music they were exposed to early in life and how much passion they have to pursue music.”

…fail to recognize that singing is an extension of good speaking.

“One common mistake beginning singers deal with is not recognizing that singing is really an extension of good speaking. That can take a lot of the mystery away and replace it with this thought: Singing is just speaking on assigned pitches for specific lengths of time. It uses the same mechanism to create sound, same power source and same resonators and articulators used in speaking. There are other elements to be mastered, of course, such as accurate pitch, phrasing and dynamics. But it’s not like learning to play a whole new instrument.

Here’s a favorite exercise of my that can turn these thoughts into usable skills: begin talking about something you’re familiar with, like a favorite pet, or describing the room you’re in. Then, keeping it in your speaking range, start making it a talking song. Remember not to suddenly get higher, but stay in your speaking range. Next, start moving back and forth between just talking, and singing your words. Keep it conversational, not stiff or formal. As you do, singing will become a more natural extension of who you already are.”

…be too impatient.

“The biggest problem most beginning singers make is to become impatient. Sometimes they form a belief that all they need to do is take a single voice lesson or watch YouTube videos to become great. While those things can certainly help, most people will need individual instruction from the right teacher or coach. Many times singers will continue to see a teacher or coach, not understand what they are doing, and don’t receive any measurable results. You should walk out of every vocal session knowing that you achieved something, and that you have more control over your voice. If you have that, you then just need practice, patience, and persistence, and you can become great.”

​…imitate.

“I believe the biggest mistake that beginning singers make is imitating. They are usually having a sound in their mind, often based on an experience listening to recorded music or a live performance, and a voice without a mic never sounds that. Imitating doesn’t help for good singing. Best to find a teacher on the cutting edge of knowledge of how to balance vocal registers regardless of musical genre. Anyone who teaches you to sing from your stomach in a head voice or a chest voice is likely to cause harm.”

…not take the time to learn correct breathing.

“In my opinion the biggest mistake beginning singers make is not taking the time to learn correct breathing. The voice is a wind/string instrument and if the singer is not aware of how the body works in tandem with the functionality of breath as well as the coordination of breath with larynx function, beginning singers tend to imitate people. The singer can often make sound similar to what they are hearing, however the sound is being produced completely wrong and can lead to vocal fatigue and a lifetime of bad habits.

There are simple exercises you can learn from your teacher that will greatly improve breath and larynx coordination. One exercise that is simple to do, is taking a glass half full of water and using a straw to blow bubbles into the water with pitch and tone on a 5 note scale. This will wake up the breath support and take all of the pressure off the vocal folds allowing air to move freely.”

…”perform” their warm-ups and vocal exercises.

“Most aspiring singers understand that warming-up and doing vocal exercises will help them develop their voice. However, many of them make the mistake of “performing” their exercises rather than learning from them. In other words, they prioritize making a scale sound “good,” as if they were performing on stage in front of thousands, instead of allowing themselves to be vulnerable and self-diagnose the honest conditions and coordination of their instrument. This comes at a cost; a longer warm-up, ingraining bad behaviors and inefficient training.

To help avoid this from happening, think of “singing” as an emotional intention connected to the lyrics of a song and “vocalizing” as a training (skill building) intention connected to balancing your voice. To vocalize an exercise successfully, you have to maintain quality form, which provides safer training and faster “programming” in the mind to improve your singing abilities. This is, of course, the purpose of doing exercises in the first place. To get you started, try applying a few key rules (from the THROGA Guidelines) to your current exercises and re-discover what they have to offer you.

Maintain Volume

The volume(s) intended at the start of an exercise should remain consistent throughout the exercise.

Maintain A Clear Tone

Avoid any breathy or distorted vocal sounds unless it is a deliberate focus within the exercise.

No Exterior Muscles

Avoid any unintentional facial movements or visible signs of tension in the neck or shoulder areas.”

…make mistakes with both attitude and technique.

“I would say there are more than one mistake beginners can make. There are technical mistakes and attitude mistakes.

Attitude mistakes are the following: everyone wants to know everything immediately and they don’t want to practice. They don’t understand everything takes time and takes lots of practice if they want to do it right.

Here is the most common question I get: “How many lessons do I need to take to be able to sing/scream like her/him?” So I explain to them, there is no guaranteed number of lesson and it’s completely up to them how fast they will improve. It depends on the individual person, their skills, their willpower, how much they can/want to practice, how fast they can pick the technique up. So those who really want to learn, they understand this and they give themselves time and that is how their progression happens.

Technical mistakes are the following: using their throat / wrong placement, lack of breathing technique, using too much volume and push. To correct these, we need to do many different exercises.

At Rocky Music Studio, apart from general exercises, we have specific exercises which are going to help them to focus on the exact problem area and work on that. So we personalize the lesson as much as possible. Therefore their progression is going to be faster.

The most important thing for correcting these mistakes, is learn to relax and understand that power doesn’t happen by volume, it’s about placement, projection and support by your diaphragm. Like I said, volume is a very common mistake and the reason why the whole training starts here, because when you sing loud, you have the tendency to push, then the muscles are going to get tense and the throat closes, so you can’t go any higher or lower. So it’s like a domino effect. Once they find the balance between how much support and volume they need, then everything suddenly becomes easy and effortless and they finally can start to enjoy singing and screaming. :)”

…make a number of basic mistakes.

“I work with singers of all levels and all ages daily. Here are some of the most common mistakes that I encounter every day with singers, particularly beginner singers or even singers who have been singing for a long time without proper training. If you ask me “are singing lessons necessary“, I always say yes, specifically to fix errors like these.

Always singing loud and hard.

Many singers have trouble with their mix and the break mainly because they are putting too much pressure on the chords, instead of learning to coordinate the air pressure correctly as they cross through the registers. Softer practice helps to train the muscle coordination. Once established a singer can then started to add volume.

The tongue!

Using the tongue to reach higher tones is a horrible habit that inhibits singing and natural tone, blocking the throat and making singing uncomfortable and shrill. Be aware of where the tongue is positioned when singing. The tongue should always be resting and relaxed in the bottom of the mouth with the tip of the tongue touching the bottom teeth on all the vowels. Use a mirror to watch yourself practice.

Lack of good breath support.

If breathing is shallow, the control over the air flow will not be present. Too much air or a rush of air passing through the folds makes for a breathy tone; the voice can crack as the folds are literally blown apart by air, singing is difficult and long phrasing impossible. Start by breathing out over a Shhhhh. When you are at the end of your breath, just relax your abdominal muscles and the breath will restore itself naturally and deeply.

Misconception of “pratice”

The idea that singing along to your favourite songs in the car or singing your heart out in the shower is practicing. A good practice session should consist of some simple vocal warm-ups, technical work to improve your capabilities as a singer and then song study. This cannot be effectively done in the car.

Fear of singing lessons.

Many pop and rock singers are afraid to take voice lessons for fear that their voices will become too classical in sound. Voice lessons can only assist a singer to understand their instrument better and give them the techniques to call upon in times of need.”

…over-sing.

“I come across the same mistakes time and time again. The first one is over singing. A beginner will try to copy, for example Celina Dion, and will over sing the softer verses then shout the high notes on choruses which creates a terrible tone and often makes the singer under the note and then the singer looses their voice. It’s all about technique and light and shade!”

…not breathe correctly and over-sing.

“In my many years of experience as a vocal coach, I have found that beginner singers make two errors that tie for the most common mistake: Breathing and Over-Singing.

In terms of breathing, I don’t mean the obvious notion of lacking a well supported, diaphragmatic breath (although that can be part of it), but I’m referring to a hyper, rushed sense in their singing, a sort of a run-on-sentence style delivery. It likely doesn’t even occur to he or she that taking a breath could help with their pitch; delivery; enhancement and articulation; tone; and in my opinion, the most important thing: the true essence of thought behind the line. Breaths represent a new thought, a new tactic, a new view. Taking a breath cannot only help to balance out the line you’re singing, but also stop you from rushing your tempo. I’ve seen it time and time again: inexperienced vocalists who sing until they’re almost literally blue in the face, finally gasping for breath. I tell them to relax, chill, take a breath.

And that brings me to over-singing. The singer who doesn’t have oodles of experience on stage or in studio under their belt, makes the classic mistake of over-singing. They push; they try so hard; they think too much; they concentrate on the execution; they can’t relax; they worry; they want to place everything just right. They are singing at us, instead of to us. They are not grounded in the lyrics, and they let the performance of the song take them to a dangerous spot in which their delivery ends up like overkill. Again, I say: relax, chill, take a breath. Focus on the words. Share the story with us through singing us the words.”

…use too much air pressure for high notes.

“The most common mistake beginning singers make (and even some very experienced ones) is to push too much air pressure into their vocal cords to get higher notes. Their throat tenses against all that pressure. They think if they just ‘belt it out’ it will sound strong. But they also know that their voices get tired when they do that and they can’t always hit those notes. They can feel their throat closing but don’t know how to change it.

In order to fix it, the singer should learn a technique called ‘mixing’ or ‘blending’. That means building a connection between your vocal registers so the transition is smooth. Both men and women have two (or more) voices: chest voice, which is usually your speaking voice, and head voice which some people call falsetto. In between is usually a ‘crack’ or ‘break’.

The idea is to create a sound that will connect those two voices, a sound that has some of the body of chest voice but the flexibility of head voice. This mix of the two voices will allow you to get higher in your chest voice without shouting and getting vocally tired. It takes some work and time to develop but you can do it with a good voice teacher. There are even some online lessons to help.”

…over-complicate singing.

“In my humble opinion, singing is a career path and a profession, but it is also therapeutic – one other feature of singing, that many people disregard, is, singing is a means of communication along with expression, and not just some technical, methodical and legalistic performance – a sigh is an expression, singing is communication- when singing (audible) is combined with expression (visual), they can be very powerful!! When communication is not authentic, it becomes quite redundant. I prefer an honest “hillbilly” over a pretentious articulated well dressed snob any day.

So one mistake that beginners, and professionals alike, make is over complicating singing.

Don’t overcomplicate singing

Let’s be honest; the vocal coaching profession is quite similar to the marketing profession, or a personal trainer: some find it hard to see us as relevant, so some coaches try way to hard to sound smart, and the result is, a confused student/artist, who is more concerned about breathing the way his/her coach suggested, or positioning themselves the right way, or what about this one; it makes me wanna scream!!

A few misconceptions

“Singing FROM your Diaphragm” let’s get that one out in the open- no one can sing from their diaphragm- your diaphragm assists- it’s a big assist, but nevertheless, you sing, supported by your diaphragm. I have seen many a weight lifted after this is explained. Or how about one more: “females are not able to sing falsetto??!!” Falsetto, in simple terms, is an uncompressed/flaccid vocal. So anyone can sing falsetto!!

Learn the language, but keep it simple

As a coach, I teach my students the terms, just so they can speak the language. But I focus on communication along with expression more that the overly technical analogies.

Using everyday expressions as part of development

Example: if I said to you, when you are happy, sad, angry etc.. your voice reflects that- no ones teaches you how to sound off your emotions. If you paid attention what your voice naturally does, to express said emotions and utilize them in your singing, your entire approach to your art is a lot less stressful, and you will observe that your mind and body have much less negative tension.

Remember why you loved singing?

Ok that was a bit of a rant… I do apologize, here’s the thing; waaaay before people knew the terms: falsetto, or head voice, chest voice, mixed voice, vocal fry, forward resonance and all that mumbo jumbo- they were singing, and it was about communicating to their audience. Information is great, and it is relevant, please don’t misunderstand me; however, it is relevant only to communicate, to the artist, what they need to fix- but at the end of the day, if we got back to the basics of, I love singing, and just like I express myself dynamically, when I speak, let’s do that and we sing.

Forget the “rules”

So let me wrap this up: the biggest mistake, in my humble opinion, singers make, is positioning information before the art, and its innate ability to communicate to an audience. It’s comparable to a person who has to have the lyrics of a song in front of them, even though they know the song. The lyrics distract so much from being able to fully invest into the communication performance. Information should be used to develop, not as a rule – one final example – typically, we are taught to refrain from singing through your nose, however, many Gospel singers use this technique, dynamically, and tastefully, referred to as forward resonance, as a form of their stylistic as and communication – and boy do they make you feel!! So, forget the rules and let’s sing our butts off!!

Have fun!!

!So to answer the question: the biggest mistake that performers make, is placing information before the true, authentic vocal communication, combined with natural and honest expression.Using everyday expressions in tandem with your art, with result in an honest more subjective performance.Yes, information is helpful; however, fun and authenticity is more important.”

…try to teach themselves using videos or courses.

“The biggest mistake I see is when singers try to teach themselves through videos or courses. That’s fine if you’re not that serious about singing, and getting little tips and tricks are ok, but you can’t expect to learn much that way. The voice is so unique to each person with a huge variety of things that can go right or wrong that this route isn’t typically the best, especially if the singer is dealing with any kind of vocal problem. It would be like going to WebMD to figure out why your shoulder hurts and what exercises you can do to fix it. You’ll get possibilities, but rarely a diagnosis or treatment. You’ll be much better off even booking a single one-on-one session with a vocal coach who will give you specific advice and a strong plan of action.

The other thing about “one size fits all” training is that it won’t get you to a professional level. There are some singers that might not need much training at first and there are many artists with natural abilities, but once you get to a higher level, the amount of control and consistency it takes to perform at a pro level every day and night is something many singers need help with.

I always say, there are natural runners, but not natural marathon runners. Learning to do something and being a pro at it are two very different things. If you wanted to be a better tennis player, you can watch a video or take a class at the local rec center, but if your goal is to play in the US Open, I’m sure most people would recognize that would take some high level training to get there. Pro tennis players even have their coach in the stands when they play for constant advice. The singing world is getting more competitive all the time and most record labels, producers and other industry professionals are looking for artists that have developed themselves to that high level with little to no vocal issues.

…not spend enough time on correct breathing.

“Newbie singers don’t spend nearly enough time working on their breathing. They jump to the ‘fun stuff’ and consequently end up with common vocal problems like raspiness, lack of power, too much vocal tension etc which all stem from not having a solid breathing foundation. To correct it is easy – get back to basics and master the use of your diaphragm and how to use your air once you have it.”

…focus too much on what the audience thinks of them.

“One of the biggest mistakes a singer makes is focusing on what the audience thinks of them. Worrying about how they are being judged – “Do I sound good?”, “Do I look weird?”, “Do they like me?” Beginners to professionals worry about this, but when you’re a professional you’ve usually had so many shows and been in so many situations that this worry is usually very minimal. However, I’ve seen this fear, this concern come up at various times in an artist’s career. Maybe the pro is doing something out of their comfort zone, taking new risks and they find themselves worrying how the new music, style, stage performance will be received.

So here you are worried about how you’re being seen by the audience – you worry about your pitch, forgetting the words, how you move, what you say, all because you’re afraid of being judged. And what’s the worst judgement… that you’re not good, you sound bad. “Important” people – labels, managers, publishers freak you out even more because their opinion carries even more weight. This focus shuts down your joy, your self expression, your ability to be spontaneous, the fun of singing. We lose most of your personality and style in the effort to be perfect.

But ask yourself – have you heard a singer sing out of tune and you still liked them? Have you seen someone forget the lyrics and it was charming? Everything you think you need to get “right” is not true. It really doesn’t matter. What actually matters is the same thing that matters when you’re singing in your car, the shower, or your bedroom — that you are having an ecstatic experience expressing your deepest truest emotions; that you are expressing yourself authentically.

On stage, being a pro is all about being that same free you in front of others and learning how to share that experience with the audience effectively, no matter who they are or how many showed up, so they can have an ecstatic experience that changes them. Your audience does not come to judge you. Just like you go to the movies or put on an album to feel something, to match your mood or change your mood so you will feel better for feeling your feelings, your audience comes to be moved, touched, affected and feel better for experiencing you.

Learning to let go of being “good” and building the tools to connect to yourself so you can discover yourself, your voice and style, so you can freely and authentically share who you are and change the world – that’s the artist’s job, responsibility, & privilege!

You Do You!”

…try to judge the sound too quickly.

“The most common mistake beginning singers make, technically speaking, is they try to judge the sound too quickly. As the vocal mechanism is learning to approach the pitch in a new way and your nervous system is learning to accept a new ‘norm,’ singers will often judge the sound before the adjustments have time to take place. Instead, relax and trust the process. (Assuming you are working with a coach who knows how to effectively and efficiently balance the voice,) if the sound is improving and the feeling of pressure on the voice is diminishing as you work, then you know you’re on the right track.

Artistically speaking, singers should always remember to give themselves ‘permission to fail.’ Permission to fail affords singers the artistic freedom needed to explore without the fear of judgement.

Lastly, beginning singers are often over-sensitive about their abilities or perceived ‘lack of ability.’ As a professional vocal coach of 25+ years, I’ve pretty much seen the gamut when it comes to voices. A teacher who truly has the singer’s best interest at heart will approach the voice and any of its challenges with a nurturing sensitivity and encouraging spirit! If this is NOT your experience, then you should move on.”

…not power their voice from the right place.

“The most common mistake I see beginning singers make is a wrong or missing sense of where they should be physically powering their voice from. They usually have no idea about breath technique, and don’t really sing from anywhere in particular, which results in the inevitable tightening of the ribcage especially when they ‘go’ for some difficult note. If they have heard the commonly misdirected entreaty to ‘sing from the diaphragm’, they again will tighten the ribcage at the bottom or solar plexus area, which is where the bottom edge of the dome-shaped diaphragm is attached. This gives the diaphragm too much slack, and therefore a lack of control of breath. Inadequate breath control creates all kinds of vocal limitations and imprecision, as well as vocal fatigue and strain.

The way to correct this counterproductive vocal power center is to sense the voice being powered from much lower… the pelvic floor. This will give a balance of breath support and control, a very efficient self-compression of breath. Much like riding a horse downhill, when the pelvic floor (saddle) is engaged correctly under a tall spine with the head balanced over the heels, the ribcage is actually widened. The stretched diaphragm has better control of breath, which results in an instant improvement of vocal control. And that opens the door to all kinds of vocal ability previously unavailable to the new singer, giving them confidence and vocal ease. A good exercise is to sing with the back to the wall… head and heel touching. Posture is centered over the tailbone instead of the solar plexus.

In simple words, I suggest you ‘sing your butt off, not your throat’!”

…not be aware enough of what the tongue is doing.

“Most singers know that the tip of their tongue should rest gently against the bottom teeth. Few realize when it is not. Heightening awareness of what is actually happening with the tongue can produce quick results in beauty of tone and comfort during production.

To develop an awareness of what your tongue is doing, look in the mirror. Be diligent to focus on the tongue and what it is doing for each of the five singer vowels. You can see what vowels are the culprits and what vowels are helpful as you strive to keep the tip of the tongue where it belongs. If the tongue continues to pull away from the bottom teeth when singing, try speaking the vowel and see if it still does the same thing. Often the tongue behaves more naturally when speaking. If so, you can analyze what you are doing differently when speaking vs singing and adjust accordingly.

If a mirror is not close at hand, you can place an observational finger just behind the chin bone, where the bone is no longer felt and the flesh is soft and squishy. Keep it there and work through the vowels. You can practice singing quietly when doin this. If you feel this area tighten and push against the finger, that’s tongue tension. Removing unnecessary tongue tension will release your sound and production will feel more comfortable. Of course, some amount of tongue tension is necessary to create a defined vowel. The trick is to only use what is necessary. Generally, however, the tip is key and it’s ideal placement is to rest gently against the bottom teeth.”

…not understand their own physiology.

“Knowledge is power and the application of that makes us more successful. Most singers have no clue how many vocal cords they even have, what they’re made of, or how they work. My suggestion would be for singers to learn about their own physiology so they garner a better understanding of what it is they’re doing and calling themselves. Then, as they begin to work on their technique and style by themselves or with a good vocal coach, they will have a better understanding of how to apply their instrument — their body — to what they’re learning.

That, and taking care of their health, which is their body, which in turn IS their entire instrument. So many times singers get this wrong and it affects EVERYTHING else about singing great. You would never put sand in the gas tank of your car, but people put garbage in their bodies all the time. Fact is, you can buy a new car. Any questions???”

…be unable or unwilling to be emotionally vulnerable.

“Beginner singers often come into my studio with a belief that they don’t have a “good voice” or don’t know how to sing the “right way”. I always challenge that belief from the get-go. What I find is that there is no “right way” to sing. Sure there’s technique and practice involved in being a great singer, but there’s something far more important and that’s confidence and a willingness to be vulnerable.

Each person I get to coach has an incredibly unique voice with tons of potential. It’s often tension and negative self-image that keeps our voice from growing and deepening. I think when a person is willing to take a risk and reveal real feelings, they will experience their voice come alive. It’s in these moments that we light others up through our own vocal expression.

So, again I believe the biggest mistake beginner singers make is not so much technical but emotional. When we relax and are willing to be vulnerable emotionally, our authentic voice emerges, raw and powerful. Once we have that foundation, then we can dive into performance technique!”