Week 1: Foundations and Setup
hard · 20-30 min/day
Build controllable larynx elevation for brighter resonance while minimizing neck and jaw tension.
Your next goal is to strengthen and learn to control the muscles that raise your larynx (voice box). Raising the larynx shortens the length of your vocal tract - from larynx to lips - to match the proportions of a typical female vocal tract. This is one of the biggest cues that listeners perceive as more feminine.
Building these muscles takes time, so we start here and let them develop in the background while you work on other skills in parallel.
Watch this video and try the swallow-and-hold exercise. Touch your larynx (Adam's apple) lightly with your finger, then yawn and feel it move down, then swallow and feel it move up.
Once you have felt this a few times, watch this video and try the "big dog, small dog" exercise. If the small dog is tricky, start by yawning to bring the larynx down, then begin to swallow to bring it up, then stick your tongue out like a panting dog and say "ahh" in a whisper - this makes sure you are not closing off your throat.
Watch this video and try the whisper siren exercise. You want to smoothly slide from a big dog "uhh" to a small dog "ehh" as your larynx glides upward. Place a finger or two lightly on your throat to feel your larynx move up and down.
Practice the whisper siren for a few minutes whenever you remember throughout the day - say, whenever you go to the bathroom. It is almost silent, so you can do it anywhere. Hold your muscles in place at the top (the high end of the siren, the small dog position) to build strength.
Control matters more than force. Eventually you want to lift your larynx easily, without straining the muscles in your jaw and neck. As you get more comfortable, try to relax your neck a little more each time, until you can do it without tension.
Hydration and recovery are non-negotiable. Drink water frequently and avoid extended strain when you feel hoarse.
Stop and rest if pain appears. Mild fatigue is normal when building new muscles; pain and persistent hoarseness are signs to back off and recover.
Day 1 of 4