Trying to sing high notes

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GT

GT

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I wrote a new song, in which I have to sing pretty high, for me anyway.

My voice gets tired by the third verse and cracks. I don't want to change the song, because it is what it is.

Can anyone give me tips on singing high notes? Am starting to get frustrated.

Any advice appreciated!

GT
 
When I write something that's seems too high to sing at first, I work up to it. I'll usually lower the key either a tone and a half or two tones. As I get comfortable I raise it either a semitone or tone, and keep doing this until I get back to the pitch I want.

Also if your going into your falsetto, you might want to practice change where your transition is. I sing the scale the song's based on repeatedly. Then I start to raise the note on which I go to my falsetto.

Also, only drink room temp water for about 1/2 hour before singing something really high. Carbonation, cold, and citric acid can all tighten your throat, and heat or alcohol will cause loss of muscle control.

Hope this is of some help.
Jeff
 
sorry if this sound offensive
but 4-5months ago i also experienced this problem and found that the cause is my singing was wrong
to have your singing go on without tiredness
you have to learn how to sing with mouthtone
or you already know this?
 
Istyle,

What is mouthtone? I kind of figured that I just wasn't singing enough.

I figured I would just have to sing more, but to me it is kind of like a kid having to practice the piano.

Playing the guitar is much more fun.

I think I will just have to buckle down, and do it, you know practice, practice, practice. Another mountain to climb, and all the other cliches.

The worst part is I wrote a song that I really like, and can't do the vocals justice, yet, like I said frustrating.
 
Either transpose (I know, even if you can do it it loses some of the feel of the original key) or record a verse at a time. You say it's the third verse by the time you crack- well that's what a punch-in button is for. You only need one good take per verse.;)
 
mouthtone

That'd be a new one to me, and I've been teaching singers for 15+ years. Each school has their own quirky terminology.
 
mouthtone is what we here call the voice we sing with air from stomach and channel it into our mouths b4 let it out
if we don't channel it out of our mouth
it's chesttone
with hinotes it sure is headtone
good example of mouthtone can be witnessed by watching
VDO of christina aguilera singing turnto you
all those lips actions ( pursing,... )represent good practise in mouthtone
i suggest you go to http://www.voicelesson.com to start there
and don't go hear my mp3 at http://www.mp3.com/istyle
right now cos they were done b4 i knew how to sing
with mouth!!!
hehehe what a shameless way to promote a site
 
It sounds like mouthtone means "singing correctly".

I agree, GT, that practice is important, like for any instrument. Of course, it doesn't help much if you're practicing the wrong things.

Most of us doing our pop, rock, folk, blues, etc. things don't have trained voices like little Christina does, but we can still learn to sing correctly, "mouthtone" style like istyle describes. Do you breathe in from down deep and feel the air channeling through the top of your mouth? Do you try to relax your jaw and neck? Also, you should warm up, slowly, like by singing scales, which will relax your vocal muscles (or whatever they are)(ever notice that it's easier to sing high notes a night than in the morning? It's because you've been talking all day).

Brahmb, you've been teaching voice for years, can you give some advice on how to do this?

Just learning this kind of stuff will improve all your vocals and improve the high notes the most.

But you should still try to bring it down a tone or two! Or maybe Christina's available.........
 
All this advice warming up does seem good. Definitely drink lots of water, and don't sing full out until you've warmed up 10 minutes minimum. It is important to connect your voice with the support system. You can't get a good sound in any range without the proper support.

First support should come from the abdomen. You'll feel it properly if you try singing lying flat on the floor. Also taking deep breaths while pushing against a wall helps. The idea is to get the image of using your lungs for support out of your head. The lungs just sit there and fill up and deflate like a ballon. Once you feel those muscles, you will find ways to work them.

The mouthtone that they are talking about seems to me to be resonance. We called it mask at school. I don't know where you live, but if you've ever gone out on a freezing cold night and breathed through your mouth, that sensation is the spot you are aiming for to start the resonance in your mouth. Tightness of the throat is important- it should not exist!!! (I once saw Steve Perry in a Journey concert and was amazed to see that his vocal chords were totally relaxed while wailing those high notes). Many people constrict their throat and that causes the fatigue that closes off the sound and can make your voice crack.

A good way to try and relax your throat while singing is to get away from any instrument that tells you pitch and sing. I've found most of the students I teach have a fear of heights. When they know how high they are going, they choke. When I warm them up and sneak in by starting at e instead of c, they are amazed when I tell them how high they get. They say that it felt higher, but they thought they had started lower so they tried to get there differently.

Another good way to do this is to distract yourself. Pretend your playing basketball while you sing, or sit (again if you've found the abdomnal muscles it won't matter what position you're in) and read a book while you sing. Alot of not being able to sing high is psychological.

Hope some of this advice helps.:)
 
Brahmb-

Thanks so much for so generously sharing that. It's really well explained. You must be a good teacher.
 
GT:

I find after 3 or four takes of the same chorus in a particuliar range, my voice cracks, and no matter how hard I try, after, I can't get it. If your not into the voice lessons and all that stuff, just keep hacking away at it. At worst, peice all the good takes/sections with the wonders of multitrack.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions, all very viable.

Emeric,

I think you and I are from the same singing school. I think there is a lot to be said for, "Just keep hacking away at it". As crazy as it sounds this often works.

I'm thinking that maybe nasil spray might help, but I've heard its addictive, and I'm allready addicted to coffee. But I might try it anyway.

Unfortunately, my recording gear does not allow for punching in, sad ain't it. I am waiting for something to break before I will let myself get an eight track. Some kind of self denial thing going on. What an undeserving soul am I.

So I will just have to hack a little harder.

GT
 
Ok,

vocalise at least 15 minutes before trying to hit those high notes.

Secondly, sing the high notes voce pienna in testa.
If you have not yet learned how to do that, then simply do what many pop musicians do: Introduce a slight amount of nasality into the notes. you can feel nasality by singing the word "honk". nasality usually helps people to sing either very high notes or very low notes.

peace.
 
If your recording the song try slowing down the speed of the recorder. This helps. but don't slow it down too much as you'll sound like the chipmunks, or Geddy Lee whichever is worse. ( That is a joke Rush fans)

Another technique is to think of your self standing high on a ladder looking down at the note. Don't think of it as high. Think of it as a note that is pushed at not reached for.

If all else fails. admit your weakness and find a good voalist to sing the song for you. That is what I have to do at times.

Hope this helps.
 
Sounds like we need a physiologist. This will cure all our high note fears.

BTW GT... don't use that spray shit. It is addictive for some, I use to play in a band with a nasal spray addict. As a result, he ended up getting an operation.
 
After trying all of Brahmb's excellent suggestions may I suggest Port!!

cheers
john :)
 
A note from a voice professional

Hi Guys,
I was very dismayed by all the well meaning but not very helpful answers to this guys question.

Would you guys offer medical advice to someone who was sick? Would you offer advice to an injured athlete that you just made up or guessed ? Of course not! So please don't offer advice about singing if you are not qualified. This is much more serious than telling someone how to use some gear wrong!

If you have written a song that is too high for you to sing comfortably, pounding away at it will not help things. Voices are just like musical instruments they have specific ranges. No matter how much a cello wants to be a violin it can not become one. If the song only works in a key that is too high for you to sing get another singer that is can sing the notes. The fastest way to do severe vocal damage is singing something too high over a sustained period of time. Your vocal cords are two tiny muscles that have to stretch very tight to produce high sounds. If the pressure is excessive due to incorrect technique or that the note you are trying to reach is too high they will become raw and then form callus like bumps which are vocal nodes. These nodes form where the cords have pressed on each other making it impossible to bring them together and make a solid sound without even more tension setting off a vicious cycle which will ruin your voice. Singers are left with breathy sounding voices, because air escapes between the vocal cords because they can not approximate(meet together). The escaping air also keeps singer with nodes from holding notes very long along with many other problems. I often work with singers after they have operations to remove the nodes and it is a long difficult road to recovery.

If you care about your voice, never force it. If you are feeling frustration seek help from a teacher, preferably once associated with a university. It is possible to learn to do things with your voice that you can not do naturally such as sing higher notes, with proper instruction. If you don't want to study singing now, be smart and don't abuse you voice. You may need it in the future. If singing something feels difficult, you are doing something wrong and possibly dangerous. Be mellow with your voice so you can continue to do the things that you can do naturally well. You can go out and buy a new guitar but vocal cords are only one pair to a customer.
I have seen too many talented people as vocal rehab cases and want to prevent this kind of abuse.

Happy and healthy singing everyone.
 
Post script

Just looked over my last post. And some of it came off not at all the way I meant it!

Obviously there were some very good suggestions(especially Bramb), but also many that could be misinterpreted if not done under supervision.

Peace.
 
Is there a technical reason why some notes singers sing are called "bum" notes? :D
 
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