How to Sing in Mixed Voice

As you progress with your singing lessons, you’ll move on from the basics to more advanced techniques.

Mixed voice is one of those techniques that can hugely enhance your capabilities.

While it may not be easy to master, with practise, you can achieve the smooth transitions and strong tone that are synonymous with singing in mixed voice.

What is Mixed Voice?

Mixed voice is a technique that seamlessly blends the lower tones of the chest voice with the higher notes of the head voice.

Have you ever sung a song and felt a significant strain when transitioning from lower to higher notes?

Do you sometimes feel as if you’re moving between two distinctive singing styles rather than casually transitioning across your entire vocal range?

Or perhaps you find yourself restricting your song choices to those that stay within a limited-range comfort zone.

This can be frustrating, but it can be overcome.

The answer is to find and develop your mixed voice! In time, you too will be able to sing effortlessly in mixed voice, just like Freddie Mercury, Beyoncé, Axl Rose, Celine Dion and Dolly Parton, who are all known for their mixed voice talents.

The Benefits of Perfecting Your Mixed Voice Singing Abilities

Learning to sing in mixed voice can take time, effort and patience, but it’s so worth it! Over time, you will:

• Expand your range – You can increase your repertoire when those high notes become easily attainable. It’s an excellent skill to learn if you enjoy singing across a range of different musical styles.
• Increase the power of your vocals – With mixed voice, you’ll find you can sing with greater power and control, even on the high notes.
• Develop a more consistent sound – There’ll be no awkward break or change in sound when moving between your chest voice and your head voice.

Finding Your Mixed Voice Zone

So without further ado, let’s begin our journey to perfecting mixed voice.

The first step is to identify your ‘passaggio’ – which is the point at which your voice transitions from chest voice to head voice.

If you’re already taking singing lessons, then it’s likely you’ll have covered these basic singing registers, but let’s have a recap anyway:

• Chest Voice – This is the deeper tone that resonates within the chest. You use this when you speak normally, so say a few words out loud, and you can feel the tones reverberate within your chest. The same applies when you sing lower notes.
• Head Voice – When we sing high notes, we’re using our head voice. Imagine you’re a tiny baby chick. Say ‘cheep cheep’ in a high-pitched voice. Can you feel that resonance, not in your chest, but high up in your forehead? That’s your head voice in action.

An Exercise to Locate Your Passaggio

Pay close attention to the sensations of your head voice and chest voice, as this is the key to finding your passaggio.

Repeatedly sing scales, sliding carefully from one note to the next, until you find the spot where you’re moving from chest voice to head voice.

Once you’re familiar with this, it’s time to begin learning to blend these two registers so you traverse them seamlessly.

Practise Makes Perfect

Put in the time, and you will get there—but don’t strain.

Slow and steady is the best plan here, so consider setting aside just 10 – 15 minutes a day to work on your mixed voice.

Ascending and descending scales, carefully and with thought, across all the vowels—OO, OH, EE, AH, AA—will help you get to where you want to be.

Try to take your head voice lower and your chest voice higher. The goal is to develop an overlap of the registers rather than having two distinct sounds.

Keep your jaw loose and focus on your breathing. Keep at it.

If you’re finding it difficult or feel you’re actually sounding worse, stick with it.

It’s also a great idea to record yourself, so you can listen back and identify weak areas.

Keep your recordings long-term, too, so you can see how you’re improving over time.

Unlock Your New Singing Superpower

Learning to sing in mixed voice can be transformational.

Practise regularly, and speak to your singing tutor for some tailored help and exercises.

Eventually, you’ll find that the most challenging songs become less formidable, as you use your newfound control to bring confidence, power, and range to every performance.

»Take your mixed voice to the next level with expert guidance — start your singing journey at the London Singing Institute.