Why People Struggle to Break Out of Their Register

The most One of the most common frustrations I hear from students is this:
"Mick, why can’t I get out of my chest voice?"
Or sometimes:
"Why does my voice crack every time I try to go higher?"

Trust me, you're not alone.
Today, I want to share the story of one of my students — let’s call her Samantha — because what she went through explains exactly why this happens, and more importantly, how to fix it.

Samantha's Struggle

Samantha came to me with a beautiful, strong chest voice.
Rich, full, confident — but the moment she tried to sing higher than her natural speaking range, her voice would either crack or tighten up completely.
She felt trapped in her lower register, like she was hitting a ceiling she just couldn't break through.

In fact, during one of her early lessons, she said, "It feels like there’s an invisible wall blocking me."
She wasn’t wrong.

What's Really Going On?

Here’s the truth:
Many singers, like Samantha, struggle to move out of their vocal register because they haven’t learned how to “hand over” the work from one set of muscles to another.

Chest voice uses thicker, heavier vocal fold coordination — perfect for speaking and belting lower notes.
But as you go higher, the vocal cords are supposed to thin out and stretch, with less muscle mass involved.
That transition — what we call the passaggio — is delicate. If you push chest voice too high, the cords stay thick and heavy, and the voice cracks or strains.

It's like trying to ride a bicycle uphill without shifting gears: you either muscle through and burn out or stall completely.

Why Some People Get Stuck

Some of the most common reasons singers stay trapped in one register include:

• Muscle Memory: You've been speaking in chest voice your whole life. Your body thinks that’s the "right" way to use your voice — even when it’s not.

• Fear of Sounding Weak: When you first transition into head voice, it often feels lighter, thinner, even "wobbly." Many singers panic and clamp back down into chest.

• Lack of Coordination: Smooth register transitions are a skill — like learning to balance on a bicycle. It takes focused practice to make the "hand-off" automatic.

• Bad Habits: Singing too loud, forcing air, or tightening the jaw/neck are all habits that lock you into chest voice and make the transition harder.

How We Fixed Samantha's Voice

We started with very gentle, low-pressure exercises — things like lip trills and soft sirens — to connect her breath support to her high notes without pushing.

We worked on building a "mix" voice — a middle place where chest and head voice blend together.
Instead of powering her way up, Samantha learned to release tension and shift gears smoothly.

It wasn’t overnight.
It took weeks of patience, careful listening, and learning to trust the lighter sensations instead of fighting them.
But when Samantha finally bridged her chest and head voice, her face lit up like she’d just discovered a superpower.

Today, her range is about an octave higher than it was when we first met — and it sounds effortless.