How to Hit High Notes?

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Some singers areknown to be very goodat singing high notes.

Michael Jackson, FreddieMercury, Mariah Carrie or

Christina Aguilera areonly a few examples.

Do you ever wonderwhat they had to do toachieve such skills?

Have you ever wantedto sing like them?

I have good news foryou: everyone can learn

to sing high notes!

Actually, singing highnotes is a learned skill.

Your goal is to finda healthy technique

to produce high noteswith ease and power.

Inexperienced singerstend to push and squeezeresulting in a weak sound.

To produce a high note ina healthy way, you need to

learn to activate

the deep muscles of the larynxwithout the help of the

compensatory muscles that cause straining.

There is a lot ofinformation about techniques to

sing high notes.

Unfortunately someinformation is not helpful and

can even diminish your range.

Trust your instinctsand do not blindly

follow anyone’s advice.

Always reflect on yourfeelings when singing using

a particular technique.

Do I feel any pain?Is it working for me?

Does it make sense to me?

#1Set realistic goals.

Our voices have limitations.

Not everyone is WhitneyHuston or Placido Domingo.

If you are a bass singer, do not try to singthe highest notesin the tenor range.

Avoid disappointmentby recognizing your

limitations.

Figure out the widestrange you can sing.

Then find the rangein which you are most

comfortable (called tessitura).

Finally, locate the noteor notes where your voice

quality changes from

one register to another (called passaggio).

#2Overall range varies

between singers.

#3Your most comfortable range

and passaggio may change as you develop your vocal

technique.

Find the upper limit ofyour vocal range, which is the highest note that you can sing

without straining.

To increase your range,start working on the nextnote (a semitone higher).

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENSWHEN WE SING HIGH

NOTES?

Many beginner singers donot take the time to learn

about the vocal mechanismwhen singing high notes.

If you know thephysiology of voice,

then you can make changes.

In order to change pitchyou need to change the length,

elasticity and thickness of vocal folds.

A low pitch tone isachieved with short, thick

and loose vocal cords,

which vibrateat a slow rate.

A high pitch tone isproduced by long, thin and

tense vocal cords, whichvibrate at a fast rate.

The change in length,elasticity and thicknessof vocal cords has to be

accomplished by deepmuscles of the larynx,

while

the superficial muscles have tostay relaxed.

Easily said, right?

The trick is to learnto isolate the action

of the deep muscles.

This can be a challengebecause the compensatory

muscles are used to working

all day long – evenwhen we swallow or yawn.

THE ROLE OF BREATHING

Good breathingtechnique allows a

singer to project sound.

A good tone requiresthe right amount of air.

Some programs promote moreair, some advice less air.

You need the sameamount of air for bothlow and high notes.

However, you need the rightamount of air pressure

underneath the vocal cords.

High pitches require biggerair pressure underneath the

vocal cords

(as compared to low pitches) because

the cords are tense,long and thin.

Only practice willteach you how muchis the right amount.

If there is not enough airpressure, the vocal cords

will not vibrate and yourvoice will crack or be weak.

If there is too muchair pressure, your

vocal cords may strain.

Do breathing exerciseswith the focus on

exhalation (breathing out).

A good exercise is to letair out in a controlled way(not too fast or too much).

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

There is no quick fix orinstant magic that will

extend your rangewithout work.

Singing high notesis a learned skill.

To build a new skill, it isalways better to practice

every day for a short

period of time thanonce in a while for along period of time.

ACCESSING YOUR HEAD VOICE

There are two mainregisters – chest

and head registers.

Registers are distincttone ranges that are

made in a specific way.

Your speaking voiceis produced in the

chest register.

When you produce low notesyour vocal cords are short,

thick and relaxed, which

permits more vibrationover the entire length

of the vocal cords.

The produced soundis heavy and strong.

Put a hand on your chestand sing a low note.

You should feelvibrations in your chest.

When you sing a high note,the vibrations in your

chest lessen and vibrations

at the back of your headincrease.

The head register is notas “comfortable” because we

don’t use it in oureveryday speech.

Sometimes, singers producehigh notes in their chest

register

which isnot a good technique.

The problem is that thiscauses muscle strain.

The vocal cords cannotmaintain this position for

a long time and the larynxrises and voice breaks.

Some schools teach“blending” of the

two registers (smooth transition from one

register to another).

Other schools teach theproduction of so called

“mixed” voice, which allows

a singer to gradually movefrom the chest vibrations

into the head register.

To develop your mixedvoice, practice the notesaround your vocal break.

Work through thenotes progressively.

Focus on using less ofthe chest voice and

more of the head voice.

Lip trills aregreat exercises.

Sing slides – notesgoing from low to

high and back to low.

Carry the soundon your breath.

Focus on being relaxed andnot lifting the larynx.

To learn more about voice types, voice registers, vocal

exercises or

if you want more tips and advice about singing, go to

tips.how2improvesinging.com

See you there!

www.tips.how2improvesinging.-com