Most beginner vocalists come across the same types of issues – such as struggling to learn how to sing higher and stay on pitch during practice and performances. Read on as Grand Rapids, MI teacher Kelsey P. explains why, plus three simple fixes!
If you’ve ever found yourself struggling to sing in tune, you’re not alone. Many singers experience pitch problems at some point in their careers. Luckily, there are several techniques that can help you sing higher, clearer, and on pitch.
In this blog post, we’ll discuss three of the most effective methods for improving your vocal accuracy. So whether you’re a beginner or an experienced singer, read on to learn how to improve your singing skills!
How Can I Train My Voice to Sing Higher?
As any singer knows, the key to a good performance is a strong voice.However, many singers struggle to find their true vocal range. If you’re one of them, don’t despair – there are some simple techniques you can use to train your voice to sing higher:
- First, make sure you’re using proper breath support. The diaphragm is a muscle that helps to control the flow of air into the lungs, and it’s essential for singing. To engage your diaphragm, place one hand on your stomach and take a deep breath. You should feel your stomach expand as you inhale.
- Next, focus on vowel sounds. When you make vowel sounds, the shape of your mouth helps to determine the quality of your tone.
- To produce a clear sound, try to keep your mouth as open as possible while you’re singing.
- Finally, relax your body. Tension can constrict the vocal cords and make it difficult to produce a clear sound. So when you’re practicing, take time to warm up your muscles and relieve any tension in your body.
With some practice and patience, you’ll be singing higher than ever before – and impressing everyone with your powerful voice.
Ready to take your voice to the next level – literally? If so, you need to sign up for singing lessons! You’ll learn everything you need to know, in addition to what’s covered in the video below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQyFZ6Lh-mc
Why Can’t I Sing High?
If you’ve ever wondered why you can’t sing as high as your favorite pop singer, you’re not alone. While some people seem to be born with perfect pitch, most of us have to work a little bit harder to hit those high notes. There are a few reasons why some people have difficulty singing high notes.
One reason is simply because of the anatomy of the human vocal cords. The vocal cords are two bands of muscle that vibrate when air passes through them, and the pitch of the sound produced is determined by the length and tension of the cords. When we sing higher notes, the vocal cords vibrate faster, which can make it difficult to produce a clear sound.
Another reason why some people have trouble singing high notes is because they are not using their breath correctly. Breathing from your diaphragm will help to support your voice and give you the power you need to hit those high notes.
Finally, practice makes perfect. If you want to improve your ability to sing high notes, it’s important to warm up properly and to practice regularly. With a little bit of effort, you’ll be hitting those highs in no time.
How to Train Your Voice to Sing Higher
Having trouble hitting those high notes while staying on pitch and producing a clear tone? Do you ever feel like singing is really hard work, and notice your voice feels and sounds tired after just a short amount of singing?
In most cases, all of these problems can be traced back to posture, tension, and breath.
Posture
First things first. Are you standing up straight? A lot of the time we think we are when we actually stand with a slight slouch. Proper posture frees up the space in our chest for our lungs to expand effortlessly. When we slouch, breathing is a lot harder. Pretend that you’re one of those old marionette puppets with a string attached to the top of your head pulling your head up and elongating your spine.
Feet should be shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent to avoid locking (locking your knees on stage can lead to passing out!), tailbone tucked in, chest out, and shoulders relaxed. Avoid standing like a tin soldier with raised shoulders, or lifting/shrugging the shoulders when you breathe.
Tension
It can be a lot to think about when you start, but eventually proper posture will feel more comfortable. The key is to relax! There should not be any tension in the shoulders or neck. These muscles are supporting your vocal cords and tension can encourage you to strain your voice, leading to all sorts of nasty damage.
Before you warm up, do some stretches. Reach your hands up over your head. Then bend over and touch your toes. Roll your shoulders back and stretch the neck by leaning the head to one side and then the other.
Pretend to yawn and you’ll start yawning for real. This actually helps relax your voice, since it’s stretching out the soft palate in the back of the mouth. It also trains your throat to relax when you sing. You can hum lightly and pretend you have an egg in your mouth, which will also stretch the soft palate and relax the voice before singing.
SEE ALSO: Baritones Can Sing High Notes
Breath
And last but not least: BREATHE! A lot of students don’t realize that the voice is a WIND INSTRUMENT! Think of any other wind instrument. A flute, clarinet, saxophone… there’s no sound without wind. That’s just how the voice works.
We only use about a third of our lung capacity when we speak, so when we sing, we’re not used to breathing as much as we need to in order to produce a fuller, longer tone. But this is where the problems start. You aren’t breathing enough. The solution? Do some breathing exercises, which will help you sing higher and stay on pitch.
Start by laying on your back on a flat surface. Place a shoe or a book on your stomach while you breathe. Notice that the object rises and falls with your stomach, and your shoulders don’t really move at all because they don’t need to!
Stand up straight with proper posture. Inhale for four counts and hiss on an “s” sound for eight counts. The next time, hiss for 10 counts. Keep adding more and more counts and see how long you can hiss.
How Can I Sing Higher and Louder?
Anyone who has ever tried to sing along with their favorite song on the radio knows that it can be frustrating when your voice isn’t able to reach the same high notes as the singer on the recording.
While some people are naturally gifted with powerful vocal cords, there are a few tips that everyone can follow to help them sing higher and louder.
First, it’s important to make sure that you’re using proper breath support. exhaling all of the air from your lungs before you take a breath will give you more power when you start to sing.
Second, focus on producing a clear tone by placing your tongue in the right position and using good mouth posture.
Finally, relax your vocal cords by yawning or humming before you start singing. By following these simple tips, you can improve your vocal range and volume, making it easier to hit those high notes.
How to Sing High Notes Without Straining – Easy!
These tips should help you when it comes to how to sing high notes without cracking.
With these three points in mind, and some practice, singing should become much easier! You’ll learn how to sing higher, at the top of your range, and how to sing fuller longer. Keep working at it and you will definitely see improvement!
If you’re looking to improve your vocal technique, we have a few simple exercises for you to try. Sign up for our singing lessons and we can help you correct any pitch problems, increase your range, and learn how to sing with power and clarity. With just a little bit of practice, you can be on your way to becoming a better singer!
Kelsey P. teaches singing, songwriting, and guitar lessons in Grand Rapids, MI. She has a Bachelor’s in Music and has been a full time musician for three years. Learn more about Kelsey here!
Photo by Tracy Byrns
Suzy S.