(Video) How to Start the Song with Great Sound

Have you ever thought…I wonder what my voice is gonna sound like?

If you’ve ever had to stand in front of a group of people and use your voice to get their attention, you may have had this thought. Maybe you were even nervous about what it would sound like. Would you crack? Will it sound shrill? Will people even hear you?

I know I’ve had this experience hundreds of times in my life — it’s a big part of being a performing singer. Because once you get that first note, you’re good! It’s like a writing a paper. The hardest part is getting the first sentence or two out. But after that, you get on a roll.

When I was in college, I’d lose my voice a lot. I was early in my operatic training and my voice wasn’t fully developed enough to sing at the caliber that a lot of the music required. I knew this to a certain degree, but would also push myself. So when it was audition or competition season, it was go time. I’d practice like crazy, take extra voice lessons, and tire my voice out before it was even time to perform! When my name would be called as the next contestant, I’d walk up to the curve of the piano, put on my hand gently on the lid, and internally pray to God that something…ANYTHING would come out.

Thankfully, there’s a technique for that.

The moment that your vocal cords come together is called your ‘onset.’ The process goes inhalation, cord closure (the vocal cords meeting one another), and phonation (sound). Sounds simple, right?

Well, for those days when you’ve got a head cold, or I’m about to pee my dress on stage, that onset doesn’t always have our back. Many things will interfere with the process — nerves, stress, inflammation, voice changing, being sick, or having bad habits. Thankfully, the ‘onset’ is an exercise that can be practiced!