Sing High Notes and Songs
Have you ever wanted to sing in a talent show but you can't seem to reach all the notes? Sure, you could hire an expensive voice coach, but you can also train your own voice at home. Using a few helpful exercises will have you hitting the high notes in no time.
Contents
Steps
Understanding Your Voice
- Recognize that all voices have limits. Most people have a natural range of 1 1/2 to 2 octaves, or about 16 notes. Therefore, the physicality of your voice might not allow you to sing very high notes without straining.
- Most professionally-trained vocalists have a range of no more than four octaves. Few singers can ever achieve a range of six octaves or more.
- Identify your own voice type to determine what notes you can likely reach. You can expand your vocal range with practice, but that doesn't mean you can change the natural tone of your voice. No matter what exercises and training you try, your voice may not be designed to hit certain notes.
- Women with higher, soprano voices can typically sing notes between middle C (C4) and “high” C.
- Mezzo, or second soprano voices can typically sing from A3 (the A below middle C) to A5 (the A two octaves above A3).
- Alto voices can usually sing from about G3 (the G below middle C) to F5 (the F in the second octave above middle C).
- Men with higher voices are typically tenors and can usually sing a range between the C one octave below middle C (C3) to the C one octave above middle C (C5).
- Baritone vocal ranges usually fall between the second F below middle C (F2) to the F above middle C (F4).
- Deeper bass voices can typically sing from the second E below middle C (E2) to the E above middle C (E4).
- Even if you're unfamiliar with the actual music notes, it's important to recognize that all voices have limits.
- Remember your vocal limits. As you begin the exercises to expand your range, you don't want fatigue or damage your vocal cords. Over time, your range will expand, but you should be mindful to protect your voice in the meantime.
- Choose appropriate repertoire and keys for your voice's current range. Doing so will enable you to be the best-possible singer at any given time.
Preparing Your Voice
- Drink plenty of warm water to hydrate your vocal cords. Don't drink ice water or milk before singing. Temperate water is best.
- Many singers drink water mixed with honey, lemon juice or both before singing to relax and lubricate their vocal cords.
- Relax your face in order to avoid injury and reach higher notes. Place your index fingers over your chin, with your thumbs placed on the fleshy section underneath your chin. Softly massage this area to loosen up the muscles.
- Open your mouth and eyes as far as you can, then scrunch your face up as much as possible. Repeat this exercise a few times.
- Yawn widely to stretch your face and jaw.
- Stretch your neck and shoulders to release tension that can discourage singing.
- Warm up your voice before singing. You need to warm up your vocal cords just as you would warm up your muscles before strenuous exercise. Warm ups can include humming along to your favorite tune or singing a simple song such as "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" or "Mary Had a Little Lamb."
- It is best to warm up the middle vocal range before moving to the high and low extremes.
- Repeat your warm-up exercises daily. Also remember to warm up before and after each time you sing. Think of expanding your vocal range just like touching your toes. The more often you repeat the stretch before and after exercise, the more flexible it will become.
- By stretching your vocal muscles every day, the muscles will become accustomed to being stretched, and you will find it easier and more comfortable to sing higher notes.
Training Your Voice for High Notes
- Hum a single note in the middle of your vocal range. Be aware of where in your head you are making the sound resonate. The sound should be projected forward and should resonate in your sinuses around your nose and forehead, not in the back of your throat.
- Sing a note at the bottom of your natural range with an, "mmm," sound. Next open your mouth to an, “ahhhh,” sound. Make sure to keep the same feeling of resonance in your head for both closed and open sounds.
- Move up the musical scale, alternating the "mmmm" and "aahhhh" with each note. When you reach your vocal break, switch to your falsetto voice tone and continue. Work on having a clean switch between the two tones.
- Move higher up the scale in your falsetto voice until you again hit the top of your range. Focus less on the actual note and instead on producing on a clean, crisp sound and resonance as you move up the scale.
- Sing your highest comfortable note, extending it as long as possible. Then try the next one. You’ll soon discover you can sing higher while practicing this exercise than you can while singing a song.
Singing a High-pitched Song
- Sing a song that is higher than your typical vocal range by beginning the tune in a lower octave. By starting the song in a lower key, you will be better able to reach the higher notes.
- Learn the song first, including the words and melody. Then sing the same melody but beginning at a note toward your lower vocal range. It may take some practice to remain in the new key.
- Sing using your stomach, not your throat. Singing high notes from your throat will only strain to your vocal cords. Use your stomach to push air through your throat as you sing the high notes. This will give them more power without straining you.
- Breathe with your diaphragm, while standing a straight as possible. As you inhale, your stomach should rise first followed by your chest. This is called "support" of the voice.
- Remember to switch to your falsetto voice as you sing notes at the top of your range. As notes get higher, the sound waves they create get shorter and closer together, requiring less power to generate them. Focus the most vocal power on the low notes and decrease it as you sing higher.
Tips
- If you feel any pain in your throat, stop!. You could could be straining or even damaging your voice.
- Practice makes perfect! Practice your exercises in the car, in the shower and anywhere convenient.
- Don't step out of your comfort range You could also damage your voice and it will sound unsupportable.
- Do not sing if you have a sore throat. You're more likely to decrease your range than increase it.
- Avoid voice strain by keeping your head in a normal position. Do not move your head and chin up or down for note purposes.
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