So you're looking for singing tips men can use.

Maybe you've been to your local classical teacher and she's piercing the sky with her high vibrato and opera tone.

But you're a bloke.

A man.

Surely it's not all goo-goo-gaa-gaa exercises and girly sounds, right?

Guys out there, from man to man, here's what you REALLY need to start doing to become a better singer.

1 - Head voice isn't just for girls

I'm serious.

Your favourite male singers really ARE using head voice; you just don't really know exactly what it is or how to use it yet.

So you need to work this one out.

Let me explain in the most practical, man-speak way exactly how your registers work.

No metaphors or classical fluff.

Just spanners, grease, petrol and gears.

Chest Voice occurs when you contract the TA muscles - these tough SOB's are the muscles which make up the body of your vocal folds. This is your "man" voice.

Head Voice occurs when you contract the CT muscles - these mysterious little buggers are actually located underneath your larynx (your Adam's apple!) and they 'stretch' the vocal folds long and tight. This is what that local classical teacher tried to get you to do. 

Falsetto, not to be confused with head voice, is what you're REALLY trying to avoid here. Falsetto occurs as a result of false closure of your vocal folds - basically, like blowing air across the top of a beer bottle.

Mixed Voice occurs when you contract BOTH the TA and CT muscles at the same time, to retain the thickness in the body of the vocal folds that you enjoy from your 'manly' voice, while also stretching the folds longer and thinner to allow you to sing high notes with ease. Mix voice in particular is used for "full voice" singing in all registers, as well as belting.

So, if you want to belt the shit out of something, you've actually got to learn how to use head voice first.

Weird, I know - but I'm telling you like it is.

Is it your shout or mine? I'll have a Guinness thanks buddy!

2 - Your speaking voice isn't your singing voice

So you've got a low speaking voice.

I do too.

In a classical sense, I'm a baritone - which isn't necessarily a range thing, it's more a tonal quality in a specific range kind of thing; but for our purposes yes, it means I have a lower than average voice and don't naturally sing "Tenor range" notes easily.

But that doesn't mean it can't be done.

In fact, I make a living singing predominantly in the Tenor range, and one of my favourite things to do is absolutely freak people out by singing super challenging high range songs, followed by super low songs in my natural range. The contrast is pretty wild. Like this:

Here's the kicker for you though, even that low range stuff ISN'T my speaking voice.

No Aussie accent in sight.

Actually, there's NO accent in sight at all - it's really accent 'neutral' meaning I'm keeping everything open and really making choices about my articulation and style instead of letting my native tongue take over.

And on the flipside with the higher range Chris Cornell clip above - I'm not pushing my chest voice into the high notes, but you'll notice I'm also not singing in weak head voice or falsetto, right?

Wild stuff.

And that's because singing and speaking, while they use the same mechanism, really aren't the same thing. It's kind of like walking and running - sure, they both use your legs, and they're connected in a functional sense; but ultimately they're two different ways of using the mechanism, just like singing and speaking.

It's time you stopped letting your speaking voice ruin your singing voice.

#3 - Chest voice doesn't mean pushing

I get a lot of guys coming my way at the coaching studio saying that they can't sing high notes because they're a baritone, or that they've got a pushy voice because they're a man.

But we've been through this already - you're not pushy for ANY reason other than... you're pushing.

It might "feel" like you have to push to sing in a strong way, especially on high notes; but it's just not the case.

Look at someone like Layne Staley, Chris Cornell - or even the two videos I just shared with you.

Am I yelling?

Am I shouting?

Am I limited for range?

Do I just have a high voice naturally?

That would be a resounding NO for every one of those questions.

And the answer is simple: Stop pushing.

#4 - Airflow is key

You might have seen one of those YouTube guru videos where the guy is telling you to "hold your breath like you're stoned" or even to "support like you're taking a shit".

And obviously, it just makes you yell more and makes the whole thing clunky and hamfisted, right?

That's because airflow is key to vibration, and vibration is key to resonance, and resonance is the key to a great singing voice.

If you 'cut off' your air, you're simply not singing anymore - you're shouting.

I've got two questions for you about those kinds of teachers.

Do they REALLY have a low voice? Listen to their speaking voice - it's pretty freakin' high, right? They might "say" that they're a high baritone or something like that, but if you actually listen to their voices - they naturally have higher voices, and most likely had an issue with aspirate delivery; meaning, they released too much air when they sang because they have a lighter voice. The solution to this might very well be to hold back some of their air - but for you, my friend, it's like pouring gasoline on a raging fire to try and put out the flames.

Sure, compression is important, and eventually pressure will be important for you too - but for now, focus on airflow; it's paramount to the health of your voice, and it will actually make you a MUCH stronger singer in the long run if you stop trying to force your voice out through your vocal folds like a block of cheese through flyscreen.

At it's most basic elements, the voice is a result of AIRFLOW > VIBRATION >RESONANCE

Cut off any one of these basic elements, and you're going to experience all kinds of weird issues and strain when you sing.

Let's get real for a second.

I've been exactly where you are right now - looking for singing tips men can use, not just the classical female exercises you'll see everywhere else.

Struggling, straining, pushing and yelling.

And there's no future in it - but you already know that, and that's probably why you're here, right?

So let me tell you exactly how I turned all of this around, and went from a struggling low-voiced guy to the super pro vocal prowess you'll see in my "before and after" video below.

Best of all, add your details below that and I'll give you my own personal vocal blueprint; the "instruction manual" for how your voice really works - this blueprint has absolutely changed my life as a singer and is the result of 20 years study and also the 10 years of expertise I have developed as a professional voice coach.

Watch the video below: