Trying to sing even higher octaves.

[Kwerty]

Hi,

Is there a way to raise your 'level in singing'? I'm pretty much stuck at a certain key and sometimes, when theres a need for certain notes to go higher, i simply can't. I tend to shift to falsetto(which i try not to) and if I don't, I'll be then straining my voice so very often.

I understand that increasing lung capacity allows me to control my voice better, but does it also increase your vocal range? If yes, what else or methods can I actually try doing?

I'm trying to go level by level but sometimes when I'm stuck at somewhere, I'm pretty worried that it may hurt my vocal cords or something, hence I am not progressing or what so ever. Hope to get some advice, thanks in advance!

Rgds,
K

 

[visa]

try going up by one semitone at a time?

 

[stollenkisses]

i'm no expert but i went for a class by some japanese singer/producer a while back.. he told us that if we wanted to go higher, we had to build our lower range up first.. like do more low range exerises and stuff like that..

yap.. i'm not sure how true that is but i usually do siren exercises.. u know that one that makes u sound like an ambulance.. i find it really effective if i want to open up my vocal cords...

hope this helps
peace

 

[sage]

Two things that worked for me:

1 - Practice on songs that has a range slightly higher than yours, nothing too high all the way. That way you'll sing along your favourite songs, relaxed and subconsciously unaware that you're training your range on a further notch. Give each song about a month or so, constant daily practice, until you choose a next song that's slightly higher / harder, and so on.

or, a more difficult alternative:

2 - Speech-level singing practices. Make this sound effect: "Brrrr", where your lips vibrate. Go up and down the scale in legato. You'd realise that when you "Brrr" at higher parts, you're already using a higher range. To maintain that range, you'd need to be aware of the sensation in your throat / cavity / face / head where it's easiest for that high note to resonate, and slowly replace them with singing regular notes. Lots of experimenting here.

 

[sage]

Btw, stolenkisses has a point in working on your lower ranges first. Not to say lower ranges, but the comfortable, default range -before- you hit the high parts. It helps support the tone and makes air support more stable and stronger, and that in turns minimizes strains when you reach your higher notes.

 

[Kwerty]

2 - Speech-level singing practices. Make this sound effect: "Brrrr", where your lips vibrate. Go up and down the scale in legato. You'd realise that when you "Brrr" at higher parts, you're already using a higher range. To maintain that range, you'd need to be aware of the sensation in your throat / cavity / face / head where it's easiest for that high note to resonate, and slowly replace them with singing regular notes. Lots of experimenting here.

Sorry, I don't quite get this part. Can you elaborate more?

Alright, I will work on my lower/mid range stuffs first for better control etc.

 

[stollenkisses]

pout your lips and blow! and go up scale as u do that
c=

 

[iqbal]

i agree with sage. Train yourself slowly by singing songs of lover vocal tones. I started out as a baritone, and i'm almost at the tenor stage.

 

[sage]

Kwerty: I donno how to explain :S but stolenkisses got it right, like
pout your lips and blow, and you'll get the "brrr" sound effect

 

[stollenkisses]

*stollen. its a bread

anyway, its more like a buuu.. sound

 

[sage]

Oooh. Like how I'm a herb

 

[stollenkisses]

actually, bread herbs and olive oil is really nice..

anyhoe, anyone know how to cure a sore throat quick?

 

[sage]

One tablespoon honey in warm water. Warm, not boiling k?
Must not be too diluted or thick either so agak2 ah.
Can add a squeeze of lemon also.

If no honey, dap a cloth in warm water and put it over your throat. Drink sips of room temperature water.

And try not to talk / talk loudly... for self-explanatory reasons..

 

[PinkSpider]

even though i play the guitar as my so called " main " instrument. but i love singing too. my brrr usually dont last for 10 secs especially when i try to increase my tone...

 

[btherl]

I find it easier to start with an open mouth, adjust my vocal chords and then brr. Mainly because I find it harder to recognize the right sounds when brr-ing. I expect it to improve with time.

 

[flunked]

brrr

hi all, actually wat you are referring to is a lip trill... where you let your lips vibrate while you're warming up your vocals. it works because you take the air pressure off your vocal cords, and place it on your lips. This frees up your vocal cords to warm up properly with a lower risk of damage.

hehe.. learnt in during my vocal lessons with Harbridge.. haha.. www.creatune.com to find out more k? ;-p

 

[sage]

Thanks for the info Lip trill... makes sense :}