How to Break a Glass with Your Voice

The cassette tape company Memorex seared the image of Ella Fitzgerald shattering a glass with her voice into many people’s collective memory in a television commercial that ran in the 1980s. With the right tools, good pitch, and a strong voice (or an amplifier), you can do this at home.

1. Put on Safety Goggles to protect your eyes when the glass shatters. Use ear protection to protect your ears.
2. Plug your microphone into an amplifier.
3. Turn on your microphone and turn the volume on your amplifier to a high level.
4. Place a crystal glass (see Tips) right in front of the speaker of the amplifier.
5. Tap the glass and listen carefully to the ringing sound. You can also moisten your finger and rub the tip along the rim until the glass hums. Make note of this pitch and use it as a starting point in the next step.
6. Sing several different high notes into the microphone until you hit the right one for that specific glass. At that point, the glass will shatter.
7. Make sure to carefully dispose of the glass. Wear gloves when cleaning up to minimize cuts and scrapes.