by Mark JW Graham – Vocal Coach in Nottingham, UK | Book Now
Hard-to-Sing Songs & Helpful vs Unhelpful Songs
If you’re here, you’ve noticed a painful truth – some songs seem utterly impossible! You keep flinging your voice at some songs, but they keep fighting back.
Why some songs fight you, which ones accelerate progress, and how pros choose material that actually builds skill.
Hard-to-Sing: what makes songs difficult
Why is singing so hard?
Large intervals, awkward vowels, and fast register shifts make some melodies inherently tough. This explainer outlines the main booby-traps and why “hard” often means “coordination + vowel shaping under pressure,” not talent deficits.
Unsingable songs
When a song demands the original singer’s range, tonal profile, intensity and instrument-like efficiency, it’s effectively unsingable for most people. Know the red flags before you waste months chasing a mirage.
Sounding your best: optimising songs for your voice
Often the fix isn’t more effort — it’s a smarter key choice. Even a semitone can flip a song from “strangled” to “flows,” especially in bands where keys get imposed on singers.
Vowel substitution in singing
A practical tool to stabilise splatty notes and uneven vowels. Use it as a temporary aid to improve interaction between folds and tract — but don’t let the workaround become the master.
Helpful vs Unhelpful: smart song choices
Three great songs to figure out your voice
Starter repertoire that builds from the ground up: modest ranges, clean vowels, and repeatable coordinations so early reps compound into real technique.
The least helpful songs for working on your voice
Wide-range holiday belters, hyper-stylised originals, and stamina hogs lure singers into brute-force habits. Swap them out (or adjust keys/sections) until your fundamentals are banked.
How pros learn songs fast
How singers learn songs: beginner vs pro
Beginners “sing along & hope.” Pros chunk, map vowels, plan breath/registration, and iterate quickly. This walkthrough shows the practice blueprint that turns hard songs into do-able ones.
Suggested Reading
- Songs That Sound Similar – 2000s
- How Your Voice Changes Over Time: A Singer’s Guide by Age and Stage
- Vowel Substitution in Singing: How to Fix Tricky Notes
- The Colours of the Voice: How and why different registers have their own sound and feel (part 3 of 3)
- The Colours of the Voice: How and why different registers have their own sound and feel (part 2 of 3)
Mark JW Graham - Mark is a high-end vocal coach and singing teacher based in Nottingham, UK.
Certified in Speech Level Singing, and with over 20 years of musical experience, he is known as the "go-to vocal coach" for singers wanting dramatic improvements in their singing voice in a short space of time.
Trusted by singers worldwide, Mark’s expertise as a coach, singer and musician helps clients transform their voices and raise their musicianship to new levels.