How To Control Your Volume In Singing
Having control over your volume is super important in singing - you don’t want to be too loud or too quiet. But it can be really hard to find that perfect middle ground so that you’re getting the power and sound you like, but without blowing out your voice. So let’s have a look at how you can control your volume better.
Volume ≠ Power
A lot of singers confuse volume with power. They think that the louder they are the more powerful they are. That’s actually not true - and there’s an easy way to prove it! Download a decibel reader app on your phone and play around with the different sounds your voice can create. You’ll see how certain sounds sound louder, but they actually read quieter on the decibel reader! That is because certain frequencies resonate differently in our ear canals. This is why twangy sounds (brighter) are perceived as louder - they are similar to a baby’s cry and our ears are tuned to hearing that sound immediately.
So the next time you’re working on your volume ask yourself - do you want to be louder here or just more powerful? It’s probably the latter… That means you most likely have to work on resonance, not the actual volume.
What Changes When You Adjust Volume
When your volume goes up or down, three main things shift:
How much air you use
How firmly the vocal folds are closing
How you’re using the resonators to shape your sound
But it’s not about increasing one of those alone. It’s about recalibrating all three to stay in balance. If one system works harder than the others, things fall apart.
Loud ≠ Strong. Quiet ≠ Weak.
Volume isn’t about “muscling through” a phrase. When you sing louder by forcing your way there (especially in chest voice), you often end up with:
Too much tension in the throat
Strained high notes
A pushed, flat tone
And when you sing quietly without enough support or clarity, the sound can get breathy or dull.
The sweet spot is finding how to scale your dynamics in a way that’s coordinated, not forced.
What If You’re Always Pushing?
If your default is to get louder by gripping your throat or clenching your jaw, try stepping back.
Do a gentle sigh on a single pitch.
Then shape it into a word or lyric softly.
Build intensity by grounding the breath—not by adding force.
Let your volume grow from the inside out. Power doesn’t have to mean pressure.
What About Going Quiet?
Some singers can belt - but really struggle to scale things down.
Quiet singing doesn’t mean breathy or unsupported. You still need clarity, connection, and control - even if the volume is low.
“Quiet doesn’t have to mean whispery. It can be warm, intimate, and still supported.”
Practice letting your sound bloom at low intensity. Use hums, sighs, or light vowels like “oo” or “ee” to find consistency at lower volumes.
Key Takeaway: It’s All About Balance
If you feel like your high notes are too soft compared to your low notes, don’t just work on making the high notes more powerful - also work on making the low notes softer! Balancing out the notes from both ends will make you sound more powerful throughout the whole phrase.
I know it’s cliche to say “don’t work harder, work smarter”, but in this case, that really is true!
🎧 Check out the whole conversation around Volume with the VTS coaches here:
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