Onsets: How the First Sound You Sing Sets Up the Whole Phrase

When we think about singing well, most of us focus on the middle of the phrase: breath control, resonance, vowels, or hitting that high note. But there’s something even earlier that quietly decides how the rest of the phrase will feel and sound.

The very first moment you start a note — the onset — can set you up for success… or make everything feel harder than it needs to be.

What is a vocal onset?

A vocal onset is simply how sound begins. It’s the coordination between airflow and your vocal folds at the moment singing starts.

If that coordination is balanced, the tone feels easy, clear, and stable. If it isn’t, you might experience breathiness, tension, or a feeling that you’re constantly “fixing” the sound as you go.

The important thing to know is this: the onset of the first note often carries into the rest of the phrase.

So if the phrase starts off unstable, breathy, or pressed, your voice will usually try to maintain that setup — even if the rest of the phrase doesn’t need it.

Why the first note matters so much

Your voice loves efficiency. Once it finds a coordination that works (even if it’s not ideal), it tends to stick with it.

That means:

• A tense or pressed start can make the whole phrase feel effortful

• A breathy start can make it hard to build clarity or power later

• A clean, balanced start often makes everything else feel easier

This is why two phrases with the same notes can feel completely different depending on how they begin.

Different types of onsets (and when they show up)

Most singers use different onsets naturally in speech and singing. None of them are “bad” — but each one creates a different result.

• Breathy onset
  Air flows before the sound fully connects. This can feel gentle or intimate, but may lack clarity or stability if overused.

• Firm (glottal) onset
  The sound starts very cleanly and clearly, with the vocal folds coming together before airflow. A classic spoken example is the break in the middle of “uh-oh.” This onset can feel precise and strong, but too much can feel tight or aggressive. Glottal onsets sometimes get a bad rep, and some people say that they can be harmful for the voice. But it’s important to remember that we’re not talking about a violent glottal attack. Glottal onsets are used all the time in everyday speech without harming voices.

• Balanced (simultaneous) onset
  Airflow and sound begin together. This often feels efficient, flexible, and easy to sustain.

• Creak onset
  The sound begins with a creaky, fry-like quality before moving into the pitch. This can sometimes appear unintentionally, especially at low volumes or low pitches, but it can also be a stylistic choice.

Being able to choose your onset — instead of falling into one automatically — gives you far more control over tone and effort.

How consonants influence your onset (often without you noticing)

Here’s where things get really interesting.

Some consonants pre-shape your onset before you even sing the vowel.

For example:

• Words starting with H (“hello”, “heart”, “home”) naturally let air escape first
  → this often creates a breathier onset, which can carry into the rest of the phrase

• Softer consonants like W, Y, M, N often encourage smoother coordination

• Hard consonants like B, D, G can trigger a firmer onset if you’re not careful

This means the lyrics themselves can influence how easy or difficult a phrase feels — especially on the first note.

If your intention is a clear, stable tone, starting with an “h” might quietly work against you. If your intention is softness or intimacy, that same “h” might be exactly what you want.

The goal isn’t one “correct” onset — it’s choice

Great singers aren’t using one onset all the time. They’re adjusting depending on:

• Style

• Emotion

• Lyrics

• Range

• Vocal demand

When you become aware of how the phrase begins, you gain control over how it unfolds.

And often, fixing the first moment fixes far more than you expect.

👉 At the Singable Toolbox, we work a lot with subtle coordination like this — because small adjustments create big freedom.

An exercise to feel how onset shapes a phrase

You don’t need to change your range or sing loudly for this. The goal is just awareness.

1. Choose a simple short phrase you know well
   (or just sing a comfortable note and hold it for a few seconds).

2. Sing it three times, changing only the beginning:

   • First time, start with a gentle “h”
     (for example: “haaa” or “hello”)
     Notice how breathy or soft the rest of the phrase feels.

   • Second time, start it very cleanly, like the middle of “uh-oh”
     (clear, immediate sound — no extra air).
     Notice how stable or firm the phrase feels now.

   • Third time, aim for a balanced start
     No extra air, no punch — just let sound and airflow begin together.

3. Ask yourself:

   • Which version felt easiest to sustain?

   • Which one made you want to “fix” the sound later?

   • Which setup would best serve the song or lyric?

You haven’t changed the notes, only the onset. And yet, the whole phrase likely felt different each time.

That’s the power of how you begin.