My friend swears vocal range is a myth

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esull0585

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Let me explain: I've been playing guitar and attempting to write and sing songs for the last 9-10 years, for about a year really seriously. I'm still trying to find "my voice" when it comes to singing. I've always loved singers who could belt out some high notes, but it's never been easy for me to do so without straining - which has caused me to sing for the most part in my most comfortable range which goes from about A2-E4. So I've been working a lot on my head voice/falsetto, whatever you wanna call it.

Long story short: my friend comes over last night and he is a fellow artist and he turns on "Oh Girl" by the Chi-lites and starts singing it in his head voice and encouraged me to which I did. Whenever I go into falsetto though it sounds like a 3 year old kid whining, so I tend to bring it down to my comfortable range and my friend told me I was singing it "wrong" even though I'm hitting the right notes, just an octave lower. He then went on to lecture me about how vocal range is a myth and "true artists" can do anything they want and that it just takes practice. I tried explaining what knowledge I've come to gain over physical limitations when it comes to vocal range and he basically told me I was wrong and that with enough practice anyone can basically turn themselves into a tenor. What do you all think?
 
I'm sure with practice you can expand your range, but it's not easy. I'm trying to practice my head voice too. We're pretty much in the same situation. :rolleyes:
 
With proper singing techniques and practice, you can get more range out of your voice. But that doesn't mean you will turn yourself from a bass into a high tenor.

You can get your head voice to be more powerful and more usable with practice, but there are limits.
 
Everyone has there own natural vocal range and it can be expanded somewhat through vocal training. There is an art to singing. Opera singers for instance learn how to uses their vocal chords to hit high notes without straining. You can cause damage if you strain your vocal chords too much.
 
I don't know if someone will answer me on that, but does Jon Anderson from Yes sings in falsetto mode or sings very very high? Is it his normal voice or what? He seems so comfortable singing so high, it must be a falsetto or something...

A little bit off-topic, but I still don't have an answer to this question...
 
I wouldn't say your friend is an idiot. But I do think they're not appreciating limitations. I do believe that people can expand the range they are currently accepting may be their only one. Some easier than others, some further than others.....and few, not at all. I thiink (with two i's, even !) that desire and persistence plays a huge part. Singing can be painful and knackering - improvement even more so !
 
oceanflame said:
I don't know if someone will answer me on that, but does Jon Anderson from Yes sings in falsetto mode or sings very very high? Is it his normal voice or what? He seems so comfortable singing so high, it must be a falsetto or something...

A little bit off-topic, but I still don't have an answer to this question...
Click to expand...

Both. He's done it that way for so long, he's 'comfortable' and it's normal for him, although as you get older, it gets harder as your voice gets more in need of maintainance.
 
Here's a funny thing. I have a friend who is a very respected pro singer. He also teaches. I put out 2 cd's with him in the 90's and I remember one time I couldn't hit a certain high note and he said "sure you can you're just getting all scrinched up and you think you can't". So I relaxed and thought "this ain't nothin'" and I actually could hit the note.

So your friend saying "vocal range is a myth" is so out that I'm not going to even respond to that.

But what I think he means is: a lot of it is psychological... you can convince yourself that you can't do all kinds of things that you actually can.
 
There's a limit to everyone's range, so find yours and come to the self-realization that it's what God gave you to work with. Then write and sing songs within that range and get on with enjoying what you've got, instead of worrying about what can never be. Not everyone can be Geddy Lee....
 
First - thanks for all of your opinions. So what I gather is that most individuals have a set vocal range genetically which in some cases can be slightly expanded with more experience and better overall technique. And with practice you can develop your head voice in such a manner that it actually sounds like an extension of the lower registers, and not like a whiny three year old, heh.

I especially like what ido1957 said; which is exactly what I was trying to explain to my friend. He just wasn't having it though for some reason.

And I have one other question: my voice tends to have the same tone or texture of many singers who can actually hit higher notes than I can. Is this strange? How much can smoking take off of your high end?
 
Smoking sure screws up the high end.

Philip Bailey sure blows me away. I've heard him in the last few years, and he's in his late 50's now and his falsetto is purer and sweeter sounding than it was when he was in his 20's when he originally sang songs like "Reasons" and "Fantasy". That, to me, is amazing.

Another guy who sure hasn't lost it is Paul Rogers.

I think Tony Bennett's advice - "drink lots of water" is so simple people don't take it seriously.
 
esull0585 said:
How much can smoking take off of your high end?
Click to expand...
When you quit you can hit your highest notes longer and stronger with minimal effort. No wind issues, no strain, way better pitch, more comfortable. It will increase your ability to hit your top notes, but doesn't give you more range. You just may not have ever hit it before so it seems like you're singing higher.

Quit smoking and see for yourself.....:D
 
Then there's Little Jimmy Scott. His voice never changed, he never reached puberty. He grew to 4' 8" and then at age 37 grew another 8". He was a big band singer, retired and remade it when he was near 70 when Lou Reed hired him and he was on "Twin Peaks". Strangest career of any singer I know of. Still recording and doing gigs in his 80's.

 
:spank:

I don't contribute often, but it is good to hear that most opinions don't agree with your friends, but in his defense...well the "POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING" needs to be considered!!...... Something that should be obvious though to everyone are music instruments....IE...Bass fiddle compared to a violin....can you make either one mimic the other....if you can then I guess your friend is right:rolleyes: The fundamental of singing is breath control..That is the basis and energy that creates the human voice ...its range...its timbre??..or is it tambere...LOL... what houses or directs that energy determines its range...Bass verses violin...Just my thoughts..and $5.00 today might get you a cup of coffee....:laughings:
 
:spank: this time its for me..........

Something I forgot to to add to my analogy...If you poor boiling water into either instrument what happens?????..The same holds true for the human body and voice...To paraphrase something from another discipline..."Garbage in means GARBAGE out".....and that is what causes all of us to eventually self destruct...:drunk:
 
GOOD lessons with a GOOD teacher, will increase your range.. perhaps some, perhaps a lot... that depends on your genetics for voice AND your dedication.

how much dedication? How much is genetic... *shrugs*

You CAN learn to "push" your range, perhaps to the extent even that you CAN hit a certain high note... yet, if you tried to hit that note every NIGHT, you would strain your voice...

You ever see meatloaf sing? God help me, he looks like he's about to burst blood vessels and his head explode... perhaps he's "pushing it" a bit? LMAO... on the other hand, you watch a famous "big range" singer, and its like its no big deal to them...

You can physically "shred" your vocal cords, and sound the rest of your life like Kim "Bette Davis eyes" Carnes... (which would be sort of cool, but, prolly not what yer lookin for, LMAO)

You MIGHT have another octave of natural sounding range you dont know you have, with the right teacher and a lot of work. WHo knows?

There is a lot more to singing than merely range and hitting notes on demand. You have different "voices". In college, I dated a girl studying opera singing and taking vocal lessons to that end. I asked her about Axl Rose (this was back in his prime, LMAO, I'm that old)

she said SHE asked about him too... the guy said he wasn't any gifted singer, per se... B-U-T... what he DID have was many different "voices" that he could use very well...

A really good singer with many voices, very expressive... and able to do great "gravelization" without hurting themselves night after night... could potentially be much better than someone with a few etra octaves, but, only one "voice" and no expressiveness...

find your range. dedicate yourself to lessons and working on it constantly... but, when you hit the wall, the one that you will hurt your vocal cords if you go beyond it night after night... stop there...

... but dont STOP working. at that point, work even more on how well you do voices and gravelization within that range.

Have you never heard a singer that can hit several octaves, but, its STILL kind of boring? How can this be? Wellll... I can program a midi piano or a midi electric guitar on my computer... it will hit ALL the notes I program in. B-U-T... its "weak" and "thin" and "boring" because my software doesnt do "slides" and "bends" that give all the "feel/sound/soul" to a guitar lick. The piano clearly "lacks" something too...

if what USE would hitting all these notes BE if you didnt have expressive voices? Sure, one or two songs would be cool... but it would get boring for the audience halfway thru a set...

Look at BBking... his guitar playing is famous, but, he's not exactly eating an apple and shitting a fruit salad is he? Not really... but, what he does sounds AWESOME. His singing is nothing special... but, he does it so WELL...

find your absolute edges of range, and stay in them, then WORK within that effective range all the MORE harder to have different voices. Be expressive...
 
Your friend, while not an idiot, is no genius but he is blessed.
As a young man, my voice knew no bounds, high or low.
I never knew what a gift that was until a choirmaster tried to place me when I was about 26.
I sang the piece she had chosen, in every key, effortlessly and never needed falsetto.
The years, lack of exercise and smoking have taken there toll however.
Your friend has a gift and should appreciate that.
 
Try looking up Seth Riggs (orig) or Brett Manning(branched off of Seth's techniques) they do some really cool exercises that force you into transitioning properly(without strain). One of the exercises Seth calls bubbles..with your lips clothes make a Buh or Puh sound(like put) but roll it like your giving someone a rasberry(bellyfart) it sounds really stupid but warms up the vocal chords take it up and down major triads(A major chord C-E-G) in chromatics( C,C#,D,D#etc) from your lowest note all the way up. Take note that it will sound like falsetto but it isn't the configuration of your vocal chords/soft pallete etc. are diff.

Also try do (Also sounds really stupid) doing the same thing on MEOW. This brings out the Pheringial tone( More of a brassy sound think of the Bird Call on the Immigrant Song by Led Zep AH-aHHHH-ah AH!) You will feel this help develop particularly in the Middle C and above range. You probably wouldnt use that placement for Johnny Cash but ACDC Led Zep definetly. The exercises are designed to force you into proper placement and development.

Hope it helps
 
Just to add to the confusion...

I know, first hand, that a vocalist can expand his/her range- when I was a member of the school board in "Music Man," I sang the baritone part ('natch, as I am a bari.) It was way high in my range, an there was nowhere to hide. By showtime, I had it, down cold. When I returned to choral singing shortly thereafter, I realized I had expanded my range considerably.

But "no limitations?" I don't think so. A contra soprano I will never be.
 
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