Why Does The Singing / Straw Make People Mad?
You may have noticed…
Some people have really strong feelings about the Singing / Straw (and even straw phonation) on the interwebs…
I’m talking: comment-section-meltdown, DM-novel, “HOW DARE YOU” kind of energy…
And not gonna lie?
I kinda respect it!
After all, your voice is (arguably) the most defining physical and psychological characteristic a person can have.
And that’s true for anyone: not just singers.
But when you depend on your voice to make a living…
It’s easy to get frustrated, especially if you’ve already worked your way through the checklist.
So before we address the elephant in the room… I want to clear one thing up first.
We aren’t going to be talking about the old-school “blow bubbles in a cup of water” exercise you might’ve seen for breathing.
We’re talking about a straw with a SUPER narrow diameter that does waaaaay more than just help encourage better breath support.
The Singing / Straw actually changes how your vocal folds vibrate, making them more efficient through back pressure, vocal tract energy, and inertive reactance.
And even though many singers who use our straws may refer to their Singing / Straw experience as “magic”... it’s really just science!
So How Is The Singing Straw Different From Basic SOVT
Traditional semi-occluded vocal tract exercises have been around forever.
The Singing / Straw takes it further.
The narrow diameter creates targeted resistance that helps your vocal folds come together more efficiently.
Less air wasting, less compensatory tension, more resonance and power with way less effort.
Whether you’re brand new to straw phonation or you already grabbed the Original and love how it feels, but sometimes wish you had a little more flexibility for different days or exercises.
The result is the same: a voice that shows up more consistently and feels less like it’s fighting itself.
The Comments, DMs, And “Gimmick” Accusations
Over the past seven years since launching the Singing / Straw, I’ve seen every flavor of passionate (sometimes straight-up wild) feedback in my DMs, YouTube comments, Instagram, and Facebook ads.
People calling it a gimmick.
A scam.
Saying it won’t help your voice and that nothing beats working with a “real” prestigious vocal coach.
God forbid you actually try something that helps you get better as a singer, right?
Because it does work.
And if you’re a vocal coach who hasn’t looked into the research on straw phonation yet (specifically how it goes beyond basic SOVT and can genuinely level up voices across styles and experience levels) maybe it’s time to dig in!
The science is there.
If the idea of a simple, accessible tool feels threatening to what you’ve always taught… I don’t know, maybe sit with that for a second.
Then try it yourself.
You’ll feel the difference immediately.
It’s Not About Replacing Your Vocal Coach… It’s About Helping Your Voice Get There FASTER
I’m not here to say the Singing / Straw replaces vocal coaches.
Good teachers are everything.
But when something this simple and research-backed can help singers feel more efficient, less strained, and more in control, especially if you’re already using the Original and noticing you want more options or resistance levels on certain days…
Why wouldn’t we use it?
The angry takes usually come from misunderstanding what it actually does.
It’s not “just blowing through a straw.”
It’s targeted resistance that retrains the vocal mechanism in real time.
Singers dealing with fatigue, inconsistency, or feeling like they’re pushing too hard often notice their voices start showing up more reliably… sometimes in ways that surprise even them.
If You’re Skeptical (or Already Own the Original and Wondering What’s Next), I Get It. Try It Anyway.
Look, I’ve had every version of “this won’t work” thrown at me.
And every time, the people who actually pick up a Singing / Straw and use it for a few minutes a day are the ones who come back saying, “Okay… I feel that.”
That’s the part the science explains and the haters can’t.
When you give the vocal tract the right kind of back pressure, everything downstream gets easier.
Less compensation.
Less tension.
More of the sound you actually want…
Whether you’re testing the waters for the first time or you already have the Original and want to see how much further you can take it.
So if you’ve been side-eyeing the Singing / Straw because of the noise online, I’m not mad.
I just want you to know:
The drama says more about people’s attachment to “the way we’ve always done it” than it does about whether this tool works.
It’s science.
And science doesn’t care about opinions…
It cares about results.
The results speak for themselves.
Ready to actually feel what I’m talking about instead of just reading about it?
Take our quick Perfect Straw Match Quiz.
It takes less than two minutes and shows you which straw can help get your voice back on track with just a few minutes of daily use!
Whether you’re brand new or you already have the Original and want to see how much further you can take it, the quiz will point you in the right direction.
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