How to Sing From Your Chest (Step-by-Step Guide)
Tyler Connaghan Music producer, Singer
10/29/25 | Last modified: 12/22/25
Most singers underestimate the extent to which their chest voice can impact the way they sound. Naturally, beginner singers who try to sing from their chest voice push harder when aiming for high notes. However, learning how to sing from your chest the right way requires tapping into the natural resonance that lives in your chest cavity for notes and power.
In this guide, we’ll look at how to strengthen chest voice and sing more consistently with chest voice exercises so you can feel more comfortable singing from your chest.
What Is Chest Voice?
Anatomically speaking, what do we mean when we say chest voice?
Vocal teachers will often describe chest voice as the part of your range that feels grounded. Unlike head voice, which resonates in your head, the sound from chest voice vibrates through your chest and ribs.
You can feel it when you speak in your normal tone or sing lower notes that seem to sit in your body rather than float above it. It’s the natural starting point for most voices.
In contrast, the head voice sits higher and feels lighter. It resonates more in your skull and nasal passages. The mixed voice is where these two worlds meet. You get the warmth and power of the chest with the brightness and freedom of the head.
In any case, your chest voice is the anchor.
To master it, you have to find balance.
Step-by-Step Guide on How to Sing From the Chest
Knowing how to strengthen your chest voice starts with awareness. In the following steps, we’ll look at how to feel where your chest voice is coming from and how to build strength and resonance in that lower part of your range.
Step 1 – Find Your Chest Voice
When learning how to sing with chest voice, it’s best to start by speaking in your natural tone. No need to exaggerate anything here. Just use your regular speaking voice.
From there, glide into a comfortable low note. You’ll likely feel the vibration spread through your upper chest and sternum. That’s your chest voice in action.
Keep your throat relaxed and avoid pushing. The sound should feel solid but not forced. Try placing a hand on your chest as you sing. If you feel it buzz, you’re in the right spot.
Step 2 – Breathe the Right Way
Your chest voice depends on steady airflow supported by the diaphragm. As I always say, all great singing comes from the breath.
Stand tall and inhale through your nose, letting your ribs expand outward instead of your chest rising. You should feel your stomach move slightly forward as air fills your lungs. Then exhale slowly while singing a comfortable note, keeping that gentle expansion steady.
This control helps you sustain notes in a pleasing tone without straining or wobbling. Practicing five minutes a day will build the muscle memory your voice needs to stay grounded.
Step 3 – Warm Up Gently
Before diving into full songs, warm up with low humming or “gee/nah” slides to get the folds vibrating evenly.
Focus on getting your airflow right before you worry about volume. Quietly warming up, in this regard, can give you a better assessment of your voice for that day and set you up for more powerful singing later.
If you’re feeling tight, roll your shoulders, loosen your jaw, and let tension fall away from your neck. Physical warm-ups are a great way to prime your vocal cords and help you tune into chest resonance.
Step 4 – Build Resonance and Projection
The next step in learning how to sing with chest voice is learning how to project it.
Think of your tone spreading outward like a speaker cone. It should feel broad and steady. Aim the sound forward toward the space in front of you and keep your throat relaxed.
The energy should feel as if it’s directed into your mask (the area around your nose and mouth). Try singing a note and placing your hand on your sternum to track vibration. If it’s steady and your sound feels open, you’re projecting correctly.
Use a mirror to continually check your posture and keep your neck aligned with your spine.
Step 5 – Smoothly Connect to Head Voice
A well-trained singer can move between registers without a noticeable break. To practice this sensation, slide from a low chest note into a higher one using a gentle siren sound. It should sound smooth and connected.
Keep the airflow consistent and resist the urge to push as you climb higher. You’ll feel the vibration move upward from your chest to your face. That’s normal and healthy.
The goal is to blend registers so the sound stays unified from bottom to top. Many singers struggle here by tightening the throat or overshooting the shift. Relax, keep your breath flowing, and practice slow transitions daily.
Step 6 – Strengthen and Sustain
Building endurance takes time and patience. Focus on control instead of volume. Start with sustained low notes, holding each for five to ten seconds and keeping tone even.
Then try octave jumps, moving from a low pitch to a higher one and back down. You can even try adding in some slow slides between notes to build flexibility.
Repeat each exercise no more than a few times per session. Over time, your chest voice will feel richer and more dependable.
Best Chest Voice Exercises
Once have a good idea of where your chest voice sits, you can use exercises to strengthen it and build stability.
Low Hums and Vocal Fry
Start your practice by humming at a comfortable low pitch with your mouth closed and throat relaxed. You should feel a smooth vibration across your chest.
From there, try light vocal fry like the example below:
It helps engage the lower register gently and builds strength at the foundation of your tone.
Lip Buzzes
The lip buzz is a semi-occluded exercise, which helps train better breath control on pitch.
Press your lips together loosely and blow air to create a steady “brrr” sound. Glide from a low to a mid-range pitch and back down. Lip buzzes are one of the best exercises for maintaining relaxed breath support and preventing tension as you explore the chest register.
Sirens
Slide your voice from your lowest comfortable note to your highest and back down again. The goal is to imitate the way a siren sounds and blend your registers while holding onto chest resonance as long as possible before easing into the higher tones. Keep the sound connected the whole way through.
This exercise strengthens coordination between your chest and head voice.
5-Note Scales
Sing a simple five-note pattern (do, re, mi, fa, so), then descend. Stay within your comfortable chest range at first and focus on maintaining a consistent tone and resonance.
As you grow stronger, extend the scale slightly higher while maintaining that grounded feeling in your torso..
Staccato “Ha” Exercises
Take a deep, supported breath and release short bursts of sound on “ha.” Each note should feel punchy but free of tension. Make sure the sound is coming from your gut rather than your throat.
This drill trains clarity at the start of each note (otherwise known as your “onset”) and teaches you to project without shouting. It’s particularly useful before singing high-energy songs.
How to Use Forbrain to Sing from the Chest
Forbrain’s bone conduction headset gives singers a faster way to connect with their chest resonance, as, instead of relying only on what your ears pick up in the air, Forbrain sends sound vibrations through the bones of your skull.
This makes it easier to feel how your voice is resonating in real time, creating an instant feedback loop that helps you adjust on the fly while reducing fatigue.
How to add Forbrain to your routine:
- 5-minute warm-up: Use Forbrain during the early stages of your warm-up to lock in chest resonance.
- Tone tracking: Wear it while running through scales or sirens to monitor how vibrations move between registers.
- Resonance drills: Focus on sustained low notes with your hand on your chest and listen through Forbrain for a balanced, grounded tone.
Once you feel comfortable with the above, remove the headset and see if your muscle memory sticks.
Final Words
Learning how to sing from your chest takes patience and attention, as with everything in singing. The more you practice with awareness, the stronger and more reliable your tone will be. Over time, you’ll notice more control and a richer, more emotive sound without strain.
FAQs
Is it good to sing from your chest?
Singing from your chest can be great when done correctly. Chest singing builds strength, projection, and confidence. It also helps develop the muscle coordination needed for powerful, grounded singing and helps prevent throat strain by spreading the effort across your diaphragm and torso instead of forcing air through the vocal folds.
How do I know if I’m singing in chest voice?
You’ll know you’re singing in head voice if you feel a steady vibration in your chest and sternum, almost like your body is part of the instrument. The tone feels warm, solid, and connected rather than light or airy like your head voice.
How do you sing from your chest instead of your throat?
To sing from your chest properly, keep your throat open and breathe deeply from your diaphragm. Let the sound resonate through your chest cavity and avoid clenching or pushing.
Reference List
- Whitling, S., Wan, Q., Berardi, M. L., & Hunter, E. J. (2022). Effects of warm-up exercises on self-assessed vocal effort. Logopedics Phoniatrics Vocology, 48(4), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1080/14015439.2022.2075459
- Titze, I. R., Palaparthi, A., Cox, K., Stark, A., Maxfield, L., & Manternach, B. (2021). Vocalization with semi-occluded airways is favorable for optimizing sound production. PLOS Computational Biology, 17(3), e1008744. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008744
- Nudelman, C., Udd, D., Åhlander, V. L., & Bottalico, P. (2023). Reducing Vocal Fatigue With Bone Conduction Devices: Comparing Forbrain and Sidetone Amplification. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 66(11), 4380–4397. https://doi.org/10.1044/2023_jslhr-23-00409