Sep 16, 2025

Smooth Your Vocal Break in Less Than 10 Minutes With The Singing / Straw™

Sooooo apparently the other night, Brandi Carlile, popped into a Nashville dive bar and started doing karaoke with the locals.

Now imagine you were there.

You’ve got a mic in your hand, she’s cheering you on, and… BAM.

Right on the big note, your voice betrays you in the worst way imaginable…

Crack.

Squeak.

The kind of break that makes even the bartender wince mid–beer pour.

Yep.

That’s: THE break.

The traitor of your vocal folds.

The Bermuda Triangle of your range.

The place where good intentions go to squeak, crack, or straight-up ghost you… minus Claudia Winkleman dramatically pointing it out in a velvet cloak.

But here’s the thing: your break doesn’t have to betray you.

You can actually smooth it out in less than 10 minutes.

No overthinking.

No vocal acrobatics.

Just grab your Singing / Straw™ and follow along!

What’s Inside This Warm-Up

This is the “no talking” version: just me, your straw, and the exercises.

No chatter, no TED Talk, no “quick story” about my kids.

You push play, and you sing. DONE.

Here’s what we’ll do together:

Slides (like stretching before you run… without the running part).
Octave + a Half Arpeggio (fancy way of saying “let’s test-drive that break”).
5th + Octave (strength without turning into Shrek).
Minor Octave Sustain (because vocal control is POWER).
Downward Pentatonic (smooth AF).
Mini Cool Down (your voice deserves a nightcap).