Sing Higher


You probably watch Mariah Carey on TV and wonder, where does this woman get her powerful voice? The truth is, there are people who can sing higher than others. Some are just born with strong vocal chords and have further practiced and tuned them to perfection. And the rest of us? Well, let’s just say, they have “average” vocal chords.

You can’t help but be in awe when you hear someone singing at the top of their lungs and hitting those right notes.

However, just because not all people are born with the best vocal chords, or the best singing skills doesn’t mean we cant use the same exercises and techniques the professionals use… In fact, that’s exactly what you need to do to condition your voice properly.

Even some professional singers are not born with a naturally great singing voice, some are just pretty faces that have persevered with practice and hard work to make their dreams come true.

Thanks to new techniques, even developing a voice capable of singing higher notes is possible. There are so many proven ways you can try to learn how to sing high. Never ending practice and continued lessons, will eventually lead you where you dream of going… even if you want to be able to sing like an opera singer. So what are some methods you can try?



Proper posture while singing

Posture is just a very simple aspect of singing, but it affects the quality of your voice in a very big way. Bad posture such as slouching or being too rigid when standing will cause tension in the muscles and affect singing directly. The diaphragm is a major organ used when singing. It needs to expand freely during breathing, so when you’re slouching just think of how cramped your diaphragm is.

Proper breathing is fundamental if you want to learn how to hit high notes and the only way you can achieve this is to relax, stand straight, stretch your neck, arms and back and stand with the legs slightly apart. Once you start singing with this posture, you will feel the difference. Plus, having good posture will increase blood flow to your larynx and vocal cords, enabling these accessory organs to singing function better.


Timing is everything: breathing must-knows

One of the most common problems why most people find it difficult to increase their voice range is because of the inability to breathe in the proper way while singing. The way you breathe when you’re doing regular activities and while you’re singing is completely different. You have to be able to determine the right time to inhale and exhale.

The art of proper breathing in singing is very essential. The first thing that you have to learn is proper inhalation. The right timing of your inhalation gives you the power to bring out the best voice quality. When you sing songs with high tunes, you will usually feel a bit of a heavy feeling when the highest note is about to come. A last minute inhalation is no good in this kind of situation. The best time to inhale is in song parts where the lines still have a subtle tune. Rather than deep, long inhalations, you have to do shallow, quick breaths. Also, never breathe in using the nose as this will only make it more difficult to sing higher notes.

Sudden exhalations on the other hand, must be controlled at all times. You don’t want people to hear a sigh-like sound when you sing right? In the same way that you have to inhale when the tune is not as high yet, exhalation should also be done in this way – in a very smooth way. Once you are able to master this breathing pattern, there is no doubt that you’ll be able to sing higher notes.


Train your body how to hit the high notes

In order to learn how to sing  high notes, you have to condition your body for the task. But how do you specifically do this? There are so many techniques and voice exercises that you can do to start training your body. Whichever you choose, make sure not to strain your voice as much as possible. Take a rest whenever you feel tired and never drink cold water as it constricts the oesophagus. To learn correctly, follow the  list below:

  • Sing songs with lower tunes first before proceeding with songs that have much higher pitch. Everything starts from the basics, so you have to work your way up. The vocal chords are very sensitive organs and you don’t want to ruin them before you can even start singing higher.
  • Once done with the basics, you can gradually practice singing high notes. While you sing, try to press your lower belly in and stick out the upper part. This technique is usually done by beginners and is called the lower belly boost. As for mouth position, drop your lower jaw, while keeping the opening as narrow as possible. With proper posture, start singing while keeping the height of the larynx at a minimum. Raising your larynx too much will cause strains and this will hinder you from reaching a high note. To monitor this, touch your throat while singing to be cautious of the position of your larynx.
  • While you may have seen singers tilting their head backwards or looking up while they hit high notes, this is because of long years of experience and practice. For beginners like you, who are still learning, this is not a practice that you should imitate. Tilting your head backwards and looking up when the pitch is about to go up is not a good thing because it will only compress your larynx and cause overstretching, resulting in your voice cracking up.


Practice makes perfect

This statement is so true when you’re practicing singing. Practicing once or twice, here and there will not seal the deal. You have to repeat your voice exercise routines constantly to be able to improve your vocal range.