How to Sing High Notes
Most singers desire to be able to be able to sing high notes but struggle to do this in the beginning stages when they are learning how to sing properly, however if you follow these tips you can increase your vocal range and never again will you feel the frustration of not being able to sing high notes.
It is important to understand registers when you wish to learn how to sing high notes. Beginning students often refer to registers as “low voice’’, “regular voice’’ or “high voice’’ this must not be confused with volume registers often referred to as “heavy voice’’ and “light voice’’.
The thing that you need to realize is that you need to reduce the awareness of registers. If you have breaks in your voice and are unable to sing high notes this is because you haven’t quite learned how to coordinate airflow with the actions of the laryngeal musculature and resonators.
There are three main registers: chest, middle and head in the female voice and chest, head and falsetto in the male voice. Once your voice is trained you will be able to sing high notes.
In the trained voice, each register is about an octave in length and certain notes will be able to be sung in either register at the points where the registers overlap. When you are only a beginner the chest register will be used predominantly over others. It is your responsibility to practice exercising your voice throughout the entire range (of the octave).
When registers overlap, the register that you should use is the one that makes the best musical sense and feels the best to you. After time you will be able to switch through the registers to sing high notes (and low notes as well).
One thing that you need to understand in your quest to be able to sing high notes is that the voice you have now is unlikely to change dramatically, either in type or range. However, you can improve it but you will not be able to change it dramatically.
This is not all bad news now you know what you have to work with and can work out how to sing high notes and work with your range. There are subtle ways to develop your voice.
To sing high notes you need to first warm up your vocal cords. The best way to do this is by doing scale exercises and other vocal exercises that strengthen your voice. My advice to you is that you should try to expand you range by one higher note each time that you practice.
Just as if you were an athlete, the voice has to be warmed up so that it can work at it’s best and to avoid damage. A rough sound will be produced by your voice if it is “cold’’ and has not been warmed up properly.
Ten minutes of warm up exercises before a practice or performance is the minimum that you would want to put in, more if you have time. Popular warm up exercises include that of humming, opening the throat, breath control exercises and sustained notes.
So next time you wish to find out how to sing high notes why not try warming up your vocal cords as well as exercising your voice through its entire range. In no time at all you will be able to sing high notes.