I've got a mostly low voice, and a range of maybe 2 octaves before I have to "switch to girlie-voice mode" (sorry - don't know the technical term). I'm not aiming to be a professional vocalist or anything, but you know, being able to nail my favourite songs at karaoke without being so heavily constrained by my crappass range would be nice.

I've figured some things out, like the higher you go, the louder you have to yell to maintain it, but I find my throat dries up real quick when doing that (just one sustained "IIIII have become comfortably numb" is all it takes for it to dry up and I cough a bit). I also seem unable up to now to relax the muscles at the back of my neck while singing, so there's tension there too.

So, what's the best strategy for someone to progress in this? I'm considering taking lessons, or vocal coaching in the near future, but are there any general tips I may have missed out on, that could help as well?

While I do believe most of it is a matter of practice and repetition (I know my range is a bit higher than it was say 2 years ago), I also think there are some things I can do immediately to switch up technique and get some results.

So (and this goes especially to people who are NOT naturals, who had shitty voices and built them up over time), what were your biggest realizations in doing so?