How loud should I be singing? The Ideal Volume for Singing
This week I’ve had some VERY different singers in for back-to-back sessions. Some have lighter voices with an abundance of range and ease, while others are weightier voices that operate well at much higher intensity levels. All need to know how loud they should be singing.
It struck me that I’ve not often talked about the ideal volume for singing and practicing singing. So let’s cover it.
Pssst… This article forms part of our “Beginner Singing Technique” collection of lessons. Click here to dive deeper.
Short Version
Singing around the volume of your natural speaking voice is about right. It’s the Goldilocks zone — not too loud, not too quiet.
The key word is around the volume of your natural speaking voice, because…
Long Version
We don’t sing at just one volume. Variation is essential for dynamics, emotional expression, and storytelling in a song.
That said, your natural speaking voice reflects the optimal volume and weight calibration for your singing voice. Prolonged use of excessive or insufficient volume can negatively impact both tone and vocal health.
Too Loud
If we try to be substantially louder than our natural speaking level for extended periods, we risk vocal fatigue or even damage. It’s like hammering a piano or guitar — you’re unlikely to get the best tone from it that way.
Too Quiet
On the flip side, singing too quietly for long periods can create physical tension and may dry out the voice due to excess air flow over the vocal folds. Again, it’s not ideal.
This is one of the reasons why Seth Riggs developed ‘Speech Level Singing’, the technique I teach. Singing with the same instrument and coordination that we use to speak gives us a grounded starting point for vocal development. From there, we can expand both our range and dynamic expression.
Over time, singers become capable of both greater loudness and greater softness — but it all starts with speech level singing.
Some Caveats
Perception is a funny thing. Many beginners perceive themselves as singing louder than they actually are — often 20–50% quieter than true speech level.
Conversely, some experienced performers who come to me for help may think they’re singing at speech level, when in fact they’re full-on belting everything out.
It takes time and training to accurately recognize the true weight and calibration of your voice. But once you find your optimal range, you’ll notice you can sing longer without strain — and may even feel better after singing than when you started.
If this is something you’d like to explore in your own voice, you can book your initial consultation right here.