"Why does my voice crack when I sing?"
"How can I stop my voice from cracking, Bro. Dave?"
The two main causes of voice crack are extreme tension on the vocal cords and too much air pressure over them.
When you try to push your voice to hit high notes, you create too much pressure on the vocal cords. It's like you trying to bench press 500lbs. How long will that last?
The larynx is surrounded by muscles and the harder they work the more you are going to crack.
The second cause of voice crack is too much air pressure over the vocal cords.
Have you ever seen a flag flapping in the wind? When the breeze is gentle it waves very slowly and calmly but when a huge gust comes along it gets very aggressive. It might even rip if it becomes too extreme.
Your vocal cords ARE JUST LIKE that flag! If you constantly pass too much air over them they will slam together and eventually deteriorate or even develop nodules. You will lose certain notes in your vocal range. You won't be able to sing a chromatic scale or jump to certain pitches.
Proper air flow is CRUCIAL for healthy vocal cords.
You also need to avoid excessive breathy singing. Yes, it sounds sexy and cool but too much will ruin your vocal cords.
I love salt on my food but I don't cover my plate with it. ;)
So, how do we fix these problems?
You need to develop good coordination in your vocal cords so you can smoothly negotiate your passagios (vocal transition points) if you want to avoid cracking. I am a vocal coach so I have to throw in some big words. :D
One of the best exercises for that is the lip trill. I have a video about that on my landing page. Just scroll about halfway down.
The lip trill will give you proper placement of your sound and keep you from trying to push to sing. You AREN'T singing. You are just making a repeated BRR sound.
DON'T push to get to the higher notes. Back off on your sound as you get higher. You will gain more range and vocal control when you reduce your volume at the top.
Proper breathing, which we call diaphragmatic (I HATE typing that word!) breathing or belly breathing is the best form of air support when singing. In fact, you should convert ALL of your breathing over to that. Raising your shoulders to breathe is bad technique. Roger Love calls it 'accessory breathing'. It will RUIN your tone, pitch and power.
When you breathe in, push your belly out and keep your shoulders down. Expand from the waist and ribcage first THEN expand your chest.
That's going to give you a ton of air. However, DON'T release it all at once. If you do your voice will start cracking and you will flap your vocal cords just like that flag in the gust of wind.
A good way to test your airflow is to sing in front of a lit candle. If you can sing and not put out the flame you are using your air efficiently.
If you knock the candle over you might want to try not forcing the air out so hard.
I hope these things will help you remove your vocal cracks.
I have been there. I KNOW what you are going through.
Try these ideas out and let us know how it goes.
Good vocal health!
Bro. Dave