Whether you’re a casual or an experienced singer, you can always work on improving your vocal range. Hitting those notes can make or break your confidence or performance, but the most important thing is not to hurt yourself in the process and acknowledge the constant improvement.
How do I expand my vocal range?
Learning and understanding how to expand the vocal range works to learn which voice type you are. Knowing what voice you are will help you understand what your general range is. But to generalize on how we do this, we just need to understand that there are 4 voice types. Most singers are some kind of tenor (for males) or a type of soprano (for females). But what about the Basses and the Altos? Those vocal ranges for males and females are rare. The misconception is that once you are told what voice you are, people believe that is how far their voice goes forever. When you are identified with a particular voice, they are only telling you that your voice is comfortable in that particular vocal range area. You are not limited to only that voice. So if you are identified as Mezzo-Soprano, that doesn’t mean you can sing Alto or Tenor. The fact is that most singers can expand their vocal range to some extent. So don’t worry.
How Does Range Work?
Who is ready for some science? Ok, you may have a lower or higher voice than others, but some of the principles of the range are true for everyone regardless of your voice type. How we sing is the same exact process as speaking. Let’s go ahead and check out the diagram below.
The voice expands the vocal range by thinning out and lengthening the vocal folds.
This is similar to the strings on your guitar. As the size of the string gets smaller, the speed of the vibrations increase. This increases the vibrations per second,also known as hertz. The faster the vibrations result in a higher pitch. The thicker the string, the slower the vibrations and the lower pitch you hear. Your voice works in the same exact way. In the larynx (or voice box), the vocal folds stretch out and become thin. This makes them vibrate faster so the pitch will become higher. As the vocal cords can shorten and thicken it would create a lower pitch.
Hitting High Notes
When singing high, the trick is to allow the cords to stretch in a safe and gradual way so they don’t thin too quickly.
If the vocal cords thin too fast, they lose the ability to resist airflow and you may flip or disconnect to falsetto. This is the flutey, breathy sound we hear when someone has not built up their ability to hit high notes without too much airflow.
How to Improve Voice Range
Maintaining a constant airflow that will help you carry your voice to both the higher and lower parts of the voice. This is the best way to increase your vocal range. It is by working with exercises that allow the vocal folds to stretch while still maintaining their ability to maintain a constant flow of air. You need this same strength in order to hit higher notes. The vocal folds resist air like a door that opens and closes. To build this strength, you need to focus on breathing exercises. Ask your voice coach for exercise tips that you can practice.
Before you can move up the range, you must first master the notes in the lower range of your singing voice. So, don’t rush. Take your time. A lot of singers become frustrated when they don’t see immediate results. Remember, you are both learning new skill sets and strengthening your voice and coordination. Don’t quit just yet. Who knows, you might be quitting right before you reach your goal.
You can and you will expand your vocal range. But, the process will require focus, dedication, practice, and persistence.
Before the exercises take a look at how we need to prepare.
- Posture. Shoulders back and down.
- Use your mouth to inhale and exhale.
- “Sing with an open throat”. You want to feel that the back of your throat is open and not closed off. Approach it as if you were yawning.
- Stand straight and make full use of your breath support.
- Breathe from your diaphragm, rather than your neck and shoulders. Try not to lift up your shoulders and chest when taking in a breath.
- Rest your tongue at the top of your bottom teeth and relax your jaw.
So here are several vocal range exercises to help you expand your range. I took three warm-ups that can apply to all people of all levels! Also, this is great right before you perform!
3 Exercises to Expand Vocal Range
1. The Lip Trill
The lip trill is one of my favorite and one of the most beneficial exercises. There is a reason that many vocal trainers use this exercise. The lip trill will not only help you expand your vocal range but it will help you with articulation, pitch, and breath.
This exercise is the vocal equivalent of lifting weights. The lip trill also helps with the resistance and stretching of the vocal folds. This way, you can sing to the very top of your range without straining.
Here’s how you do it:
- Blow some air out to make your lips vibrate against each other.
Just relax, and gently blow some air to make the lips gently vibrate against each other.
- While your lips are flopping together, make sure there is a constant flow of air.
- Now find a comfortable starting pitch and allow the lips to flop.
- Sing the following scale.
But if you can’t read music, don’t worry. You can download a piano app that will have the note names on the keys and press C-E-G C-E-G F-E-D G-F-D-C
2. Sing “Gee”
Let’s open things up a bit.
Open your mouth and sing the bright, forward “Gee”.
By opening your mouth to sing, we lose the advantage of the lower threshold we got from the lip trill.
But we’ve got two things going for us.
- The “ee” vowel promotes a vocal stretch.
- The “G” consonant brings the vocal folds together and helps with connecting the voice. Just try saying “Guh Guh Guh” and you’ll see what I mean.
This combo of the “G” consonant with the “ee” vowel will allow you to hit some very high notes in your voice without disconnecting to falsetto.
Here’s how you do it:
- Begin by saying the word “Gee” as in “Geese” at a comfortable volume.
- While saying the word “Gee”, make sure that you are enunciating the “G” consonant.
- Now find a comfortable starting pitch and begin to sing the word “Gee”.
- Sing the following scale.
Here’s the scale:
3. The “NayNayNay”
Now to sound like a horse. “Nay” is even wider than the “Gee” we just did. This can also help you to be introduced to forward placement. We will need to channel a bright, bratty sound in order to help thin the vocal folds while keeping them together. With this exercise, the “ay” vowel is narrow enough to discourage flipping in the passage. And the “N” consonant is excellent for keeping your vocal placement forward.
Here’s how it’s done:
- Begin by saying the word “Nay” in a bratty, obnoxious way. The tone should be ringing and nasal-sounding. We’re actually looking for that bright and bratty tone.
- Now find a comfortable starting pitch and begin to sing the bratty “Nay” on this pitch.
- Sing the following scale.
Don’t forget when expanding your range is to always be safe! Don’t overdo it in your warming up, practicing, or performing. If your voice begins to feel tired, try simpler “low impact” warm-ups like humming to avoid irritation. However, “if it hurts, stop,” are words to live by when it comes to protecting your voice. If you still have questions about warming up correctly try out our warm-up classes on Takelessons Live so we can help guide you in how to warm up correctly.
Pushing through strain or not allowing yourself to rest when needed can end up damaging your vocal cords and setting you back much further than if you had just decided to take a break. You should never sing through pain, so don’t feel guilty about needing to skip a day or two in your practice. Protect yourself and your vocal cords first. We, unfortunately, cannot buy another pair at the music shop.
Now for the last and the most important tip. It’s important to know that you aren’t going to magically add an entire octave immediately. Just like an athlete, it’s a major accomplishment for a runner to shave off a second off of their mile, increasing your vocal range by even just a half-step is huge! It’s something to be proud of.
When you’re setting goals for yourself, it is important to be realistic and patient. Which is easier said than done. But I encourage you all to start small. For example, try aiming to expand your voice by a half-step both at the bottom and top of your range. If you try to increase your range by a large interval, you’ll risk damaging your vocal cords and cause yourself to be frustrated quicker. Be careful In the attempt at stretching them too much too quickly and/or by overdoing it. It’s important that you don’t set a new goal until you’ve reached your previous one.
It is ok, that it may take you a month or a year to reach your goal. It is not about how fast you are able to accomplish your goal. The most important thing is that you are constantly improving. Just like any other muscle in your body, your vocal cords can’t be retrained overnight, and the key to truly expanding your range is going to be very gradual. So, aim to be consistent.
With consistent exercise, you’re doing much more than just trying to add a few notes to your range. You will quickly begin to notice your voice becoming stronger and lasting longer than when you started training. You’ll also notice that the notes you can typically only hit on a “good day” will start coming out much clearer and confidently. So if you begin to feel discouraged from time to time, focus on all the good things you are doing for your voice in the process of expanding your range.
Happy Singing everyone!
Maria Kusior