Two singers sing the same note, at the same volume, in the same song. The first sounds full, clear and present, and cuts through a whole band. The second sounds muffled, as if singing from under a duvet – or thin and shrill enough that it’s hard to listen to. The difference between them is almost never in the vocal folds themselves. It’s in what happens to the sound after it leaves them: resonance.
“Sing in the mask”, “bring the sound forward”, “open your throat” – most singers have heard these phrases; few have been told what they mean. This guide takes the subject apart: what resonance is, the physics behind it, and which exercises genuinely change the colour of your voice. We wrote it for the students in our voice lessons in North Tel Aviv – teens from New Ramat Aviv and Green Ramat Aviv who sing pop and rock, students from Azorei Chen searching for “their sound”, and adults from Nofei Yam, Maoz Aviv and Revivim who want a richer, clearer voice, in songs and in everyday speech.
Source and filter: how your voice is really made
Voice science uses a simple, very useful model called source–filter. The source is the vocal folds: they vibrate and create a raw sound, rich in overtones (harmonics) but buzzy and colourless on its own. The filter is the tube above the larynx – the throat (pharynx), the mouth, the lips and sometimes the nasal cavity. That tube boosts some frequency regions and weakens others.
The boosted regions are called formants. The first two formants mostly decide which vowel we hear: “ee” and “ah” differ because your tongue, jaw and lips give the tube a different shape. Higher formants affect the “ring” and presence of the voice. That’s secret number one: vocal colour isn’t created only in the larynx. It’s created by the shape of the space above it – and that shape is something you can learn to change.
“Singing in the mask”: a sensation, not a location
When a teacher says “put the sound in the mask” (the area around the nose, cheekbones and lips), they’re describing a sensation. The sound doesn’t physically “sit” in your nose or forehead – it’s made in the larynx and shaped in the vocal tract. But when resonance is efficient, many singers feel a gentle buzz in the face, and that sensation is a useful marker. That’s why “mmm” and “ng” exercises work: they create a clear forward sensation, then teach you to keep it when you open into a vowel.
It’s important to tell forward resonance apart from nasality. On m, n and “ng”, the soft palate lowers and air flows through the nose as well – that’s normal. But if the soft palate stays low on vowels too, the voice sounds “nasal” and loses power. A simple check: sing a long “ee” and pinch your nose for a moment. If the sound barely changes, your soft palate is closed as it should be. If it changes a lot or gets choked, too much air is escaping through your nose.
The controls that shape your tone
There are a few “knobs” singers learn to adjust. None of them is right or wrong in itself – it all depends on the style and the song:
- Tongue. A tongue that pulls back crowds the throat and creates a muffled, “swallowed” sound. A relaxed tongue with its tip resting behind the lower teeth leaves room.
- Larynx height. A low, stable larynx lengthens the tube and gives a darker, deeper colour; a larynx that jumps up with every high note shortens it and makes the sound thin and tight. You don’t need to “push the larynx down” – just don’t let it climb.
- Soft palate. Lifting it slightly (like the start of a yawn) creates more space at the back of the mouth and reduces nasality.
- Lips and jaw. Rounded lips darken; lips spread wide brighten and sometimes narrow the sound. A free jaw matters more than a “very open” jaw.
- Twang. A narrowing of a small area just above the vocal folds (the aryepiglottic sphincter) that boosts the high frequencies our ears are especially sensitive to. The result: a bright, carrying voice without adding air pressure. It’s the tool that lets musical theatre, country and rock singers sit on top of a band.
Classical singing also talks about the “singer’s formant” – a cluster of energy in a high frequency region that lets an opera singer be heard over an orchestra without a microphone. In pop and rock the mic does part of that job, so the colour stays closer to speech, but the principle is the same: presence comes from efficient resonance, not from shouting.
Resonance exercises: a 12-minute routine
Do these after a basic warm-up (everything about the warm-up itself is in our guide to the vocal warm-up and cool-down). Medium volume, comfortable range.
1. “Mmm” opening into a vowel (2 minutes)
Hum “mmm” on a comfortable note until you feel a buzz in your lips. Open into “mmm-ah” without changing anything except your lips. Repeat five times, moving up a semitone each time. The goal: the vowel keeps the hum’s brightness.
2. “Ng” into a vowel (2 minutes)
Say “sing” and hold the “ng”. The back of your tongue touches the soft palate. Sing a five-note scale on “ng”, and on the top note open into “ng-ah”. This teaches the soft palate to lift gently without losing forward resonance.
3. “Nyeah” twang (2 minutes)
Say “nyeah, nyeah, nyeah” in a bratty, teasing tone, like a kid mimicking a younger sibling. Notice the voice getting bright and sharp without any extra air. Sing it on a scale, then “turn it down” – keep only about a third of the twang on the words of your song. It sounds ugly at first. That’s fine; in a real song you only use a little.
4. The vowel ladder (3 minutes)
On one note, sing “ee-eh-ah-oh-oo” in one connected line. Listen: does the colour jump between vowels? Does “ah” suddenly turn wide and flat, or “oo” disappear? You’re after an even line where every vowel sounds like the same voice. Record it on your phone – the ear catches the jumps far better on playback.
5. Nasality check (1 minute)
Sing a phrase from your song with no m or n in it, and pinch your nose halfway through. If the sound changes a lot, go back to “ng-ah” and look for that lifted-palate feeling.
6. Owl “hoo” for space and depth (2 minutes)
Sing a soft, deep “hoo”, like an owl, on a descending glide. Notice the sense of space at the back of your mouth. Then combine: start on “hoo” and move to “nyeah” on the same note. That’s the balance classical teachers call chiaroscuro – light and shade in one sound.
What’s wrong with my tone? A diagnostic table
| What you hear | Common cause | What to practise |
|---|---|---|
| Muffled, “swallowed”, behind a curtain | Retracted tongue, larynx forced down | “Mmm-ah”, tongue tip on lower teeth, a little twang |
| Thin, shrill, shouty | Rising larynx, lips spread wide, pushing air | Owl “hoo”, rounder vowels, less volume |
| Nasal | Soft palate low on vowels | “Ng-ah”, pinch test, start-of-a-yawn feeling |
| Breathy and weak | Incomplete closure of the vocal folds | Humming, light “nyeah”, clean onsets on “ah” |
| Voice “disappears” in the band | Not enough high-frequency energy, compensating with volume | A small dose of twang, working with the mic |
Recognised yourself in more than one row? That’s normal. This is where a teacher makes a big difference: in our singing lessons for teens and adults, the teacher hears whether the muffled sound is coming from your tongue or your larynx, and gives you one focused exercise instead of ten generic ones. Resonance also ties directly into range: a free tongue and a stable larynx are a big part of the secret to singing high notes without strain.
Resonance by style
- Pop: close to speech, bright, with lots of subtle low-volume work near the mic. Think Ed Sheeran or Dua Lipa.
- Rock: more twang and energy, sometimes with a deliberate grit. Learn it gradually and with guidance.
- Musical theatre: clear twang, and text you can understand from the back row.
- Indie and folk: often a softer, airier colour that works thanks to the mic.
- Classical: low, stable larynx, lots of space, and a dark-bright balance that carries without amplification.
In pop and indie especially, a large part of your tone is decided by your distance from the microphone. We’ve covered that in a separate guide: mic technique for singers. And anyone who sings in a band quickly learns that the right dose of twang beats any knob on the amp – which is exactly what we practise in our band and ensemble programme.
Common mistakes
- Forcing an “open throat”. Pressing the larynx down and exaggerating the yawn makes a heavy, artificial sound. Space comes from freedom, not from pushing.
- Aiming the sound “into the nose”. A forward sensation is a result, not an action. Aim for the nose and you usually get nasality.
- Overdoing twang. Twang is seasoning. Full strength for a whole song tires both listener and singer.
- Changing colour on every vowel. An uneven line sounds unpolished. Work on the vowel ladder.
- Copying another singer’s tone. You can learn from them, but your anatomy is different. The goal is the best version of your own voice.
When to get your voice checked
A change in vocal colour that isn’t connected to practice – persistent hoarseness, a “double” voice, new breathiness that doesn’t go away, or a constantly nasal sound without a cold – is a reason to see an ENT, ideally one who works with singers. If hoarseness lasts more than two weeks, don’t wait. A speech-language pathologist who specialises in voice can help with rehab and habits; a voice teacher is never a substitute for a diagnosis.
Resonance and tone in North Tel Aviv: how we work on it at Rockstar
At Rockstar – the music school in Ramat Aviv Gimel – work on tone starts with recording and listening together: you and your teacher hear how your voice sounds now, agree where you want it to go, and build exercises around your songs. Students come from all over North Tel Aviv, and you can start with a free intro voice lesson in Ramat Aviv, no commitment.
FAQ
Can you change your vocal tone, or is it just what you were born with?
Your anatomy – the length of your vocal folds and the size of your vocal tract – sets the frame. Within that frame there’s a lot of room: the same person can sound muffled or clear, shrill or rich, depending on what they do with their tongue, larynx and soft palate. Most of the change students hear in their first year comes from here.
Is twang bad for your voice?
Twang done well isn’t a squeeze of the throat but a small narrowing above the vocal folds, which is why it gives you brightness for less effort. If you feel burning or pressure in your neck, that’s no longer twang – it’s pushing. It’s worth learning with a teacher.
How long until I hear a difference?
A first change often shows up in the very first lesson. For the new colour to appear in your songs automatically, expect a few months of consistent practice.
Do you offer voice lessons near Green Ramat Aviv, Azorei Chen or New Ramat Aviv?
Lessons take place at the Rockstar music school in Ramat Aviv Gimel, a short drive from Green Ramat Aviv, New Ramat Aviv, Azorei Chen, Nofei Yam, Maoz Aviv and Revivim. You can also ask about Rockstar Home lessons – subject to teacher availability in your area. Read more about the neighbourhood on our page about music lessons in Azorei Chen.
Read also: How to Sing in Tune · How to Sing with Vibrato · Breath Support for Singers
Vocal lessons · All lessons · Contact us · Book a free intro lesson