The Secret to Clean Runs Isn’t More Practice It’s Smarter Cues

By Cheryl Porter

Let me tell you something that surprises almost every singer I coach. If your runs are sloppy or off time, the solution is not always more practice. It is smarter practice.

There is this myth that clean runs only come from repeating them over and over. But repetition without direction can actually lock in your mistakes. That is why I focus so much on cues. When your body helps guide your voice, your brain stops panicking and starts performing.

I do not just teach singers how to sing. I teach them how to listen, how to feel, and how to use physical cues to create structure. Because the truth is, clean runs are not about working harder. They are about working smarter.

Why Repeating the Same Run is Not Enough

When singers hit a wall with vocal runs, they often double down. More reps. More tries. But the problem is not always a lack of effort. It is a lack of feedback.

If your body does not know where the run starts, where it lands, and how it fits in rhythmically, then no amount of repetition will fix it. You will just memorize the wrong version.

That is why I teach my students to use their hands to break the cycle.

Your Hands Know More Than You Think

One of my favorite tools is a simple one. I ask my students to use their fingers to tap out the shape of the run. Left to right. Up and down. Each finger tap marks a note, or a rhythm hit, or a direction change.

That physical cue makes everything click. Suddenly the run is not just an idea. It becomes a pattern they can track.

I created a full series of finger twister exercises because this technique is that powerful. It helps singers feel the motion of the run instead of guessing.

Smarter Cues Make Runs Easier to Learn

When your fingers are moving with your voice, your brain builds a rhythm map. You begin to associate certain physical movements with sound. That tightens up your timing and pitch.

You start to know what the run feels like in your body. Not just how it sounds in your head.

This is where real confidence comes from. Once the run feels solid, your performance goes from hesitant to powerful. You stop holding back. You sing it with intention.

Train With Structure Not Tension

Let go of the idea that you have to push harder to sing better. What you need is structure. You need a framework that supports your voice. That is what physical cues give you.

They take something that feels loose and overwhelming and give it shape. You are no longer just trying to survive the run. You are driving it.

Final Thoughts from Cheryl

The next time a run gives you trouble, do not just sing it again and again hoping it clicks. Pause. Bring in your hands. Use finger taps. Mark out the rhythm. Let your body help your brain organize the music.

Because clean runs are not built through effort alone. They are built through understanding. And smarter cues are the key to that understanding.