It happens to every singer. You’re about to sing that lovely high note when your voice cracks like a 12-year-old boy’s. A vocal break like this is common, especially on high notes, and it can occur anywhere, whether it’s in your home studio after too many vocals takes or on stage.
Anyone can learn to hit the high notes without straining. All it takes is practice and the right techniques.
The more you can reach those high notes without straining your voice, the greater your vocal range will be.
Here are a few ways you can hit those high notes without straining your voice.
The key takeaways are:
- Singing a high note requires stretching your vocal cords.
- As a singer, it is important to have a wide vocal range.
- Exercise can help you hit high notes without straining.
How Do High Notes Get Their Notes?
1. Singing high notes means reaching a particular pitch.
It is impossible to control how high or low we sing, but we can control how much air pressure pushes against our vocal cords.
Because the vocal cords vibrate faster when we sing high notes, we are able to reach higher pitches.
Our vocal cords aren’t elastic like rubber bands. They don’t stretch very far, and they don’t rebound as easily. So what happens when we sing high?
We make a lower tone by vibrating our vocal cords slowly.
The longer the cords are stretched, the faster they’ll vibrate, which makes it possible for us to sing a higher note.
Higher notes can be achieved by vibrating our vocal cords farther apart.
2. Singing High Notes in 3 Modes
Here are some ways to hit high notes.
High notes can be belted out in three different modes.
When you hit high notes, you use the:
- Voice in the chest
- Voice in the head
- Mixed voices, or a combination of head and chest voices
What is the importance of vocal range?
There is a vocal range that every singer has. Audiences are savvy and can tell if you are straining outside of that range.
The vocal range is the distance between your lowest and highest pitches.
Regardless of your voice type, almost any vocalist can hit high notes without straining.
What matters most is that those notes sound good.
Before you worry about whistle register or vibrato, let’s focus on making high notes comfortable.
In order to reach those high notes, many people believe they must push themselves harder.
If you experience any pain or strain during these exercises, you’re probably performing them incorrectly.
Here are a few tips for hitting high notes without straining.
- Let’s warm up with a song
- Warming up your vocal muscles is important.
- The voice is a muscle.
- As you stretch it, it will gradually become more flexible.
- Singing higher becomes easier and more comfortable if you consistently stretch your vocal muscles.
- Humming or singing low notes is a common way for singers to warm up their voices.
- You can prepare your vocal cords for high notes by doing this.
- You will be able to reach those high notes without straining your throat if you sing low notes first.
- You may want to start slow and gradually increase the speed to find the song that works best for you.
- Your singing voice will benefit from this daily practice.
3. Relaxation of the face
The best way to sing a high note is to widen your mouth and exhale more air while singing it.
No, that’s not it.
If your neck veins pop out every time you attempt a high note, you won’t achieve anything.
You can prevent injuries by relaxing your face and mouth before singing.
The muscles under your chin can be gently massaged by placing your thumbs on the fleshy area under your chin and your trigger fingers over it.
Keep your mouth and eyes as wide open and scrunched as you can while doing this.
Yawns and deep breaths are excellent for expanding the jaw and face.
If you carry a lot of stress in your neck and shoulders, it could interfere with your singing.
4. Lip Trills
A lip trill is one of the best exercises for expanding your vocal range.
With lip trills, you can sing without straining from the bottom to the top of your voice.
You can usually sing high notes with a lip trill, even if you have difficulty singing them.
Lip trills are performed as follows:
By blowing air through your lips, you’ll want them to bubble together uniformly as you place two fingers in the center of your cheeks.
- To create volume, say the vowel “uh” behind the lips.
- Sing a natural note at the bottom (try C3 for men and G3 for women if you have a piano) while holding the “uh” vowel behind your lips.
- Lip-trill from a low note to a high note, then back down again to perform a siren.
Sing the lip trill from the bottom to the top of your voice once you can smoothly transition from your lowest note to your highest note.
Even if you hear a break or crack in the middle of your voice, try to just let the trill extend to the top of your voice.
5. Be sure to keep your jaw open
What-you-need-to-know-to-hit-higher notes
Most vocalists tend to close their jaws slightly when hitting high notes.
The volume, force, and tone of your voice can be muted when you close them, however.
If you keep your jaw open until the end of the sentence, your voice will be more powerful and louder.
Exercises that build the voice are the best way to achieve this.
6. Breathe deeply through your diaphragm
In order to produce a clearer sound while releasing the tension, diaphragmatic breathing involves breathing deeply and slowly.
To get the sound out, you will have to strain your tongue, throat, jaw, and other oral muscles.
- As you sing higher, you’ll feel more tension.
- Higher notes require more breath support.
- Exercises that involve humming
- An additional vocal range-improvement exercise is humming.
- By humming, you can easily strengthen a weak voice.
It might seem absurd or unusual at first, but it’s one of the best and simplest ways to improve your vocal abilities.
You should keep your mouth closed and your tongue and jaw relaxed when practicing by placing the tip of your tongue below your bottom teeth.
Spend five to ten minutes a day practicing the “nnnn” or “mmmm” sound, focusing on the one that produces a broader, deeper, and warmer tone.
Vocal Siren “ooh”
Now that you’ve warmed up with the lip trill, let’s sing a vowel you might hear in a song.
You can reach the highest notes in your voice without exertion by using the “ooh” vowel.
If your vocal cords are tense on those upper notes, using the vowel “ooh” might help.
This is how the “ooh” vocal siren should sound:
- As if you were going to say “Oops,” utter the vowel “ooh.”
- If you have a piano, try C3 for males and G3 for females) and sing the note with an “ooh” sound, as if you were saying “oops.”
- Sing the “ooh” vowel on your highest note, your lowest note, and then your highest note again.
- Lastly, try to sing the “ooh” siren smoothly without breaking or straining your voice.
Vocal Siren “ee”
Once you’ve identified your highest notes on the “ooh” vowel, we’ll focus on finding the appropriate vocal tone.
Unlike the “ooh,” the “ee” vowel has a little more edge, which makes it sound cleaner.
The vocal siren with an “ee.”
As you would with the word “eat,” start by articulating the vowel “ee.”
On this note, sing the “ee” vowel as if you were saying “eeeeeeeeat,” finding a comfortable beginning pitch.
On the vowel “ee,” sing a vocal siren by going from your lowest note to your highest note.
When you feel comfortable performing this vocal siren, try to reach the peak without straining.
If you feel any pain, do not continue.
Where-can-I-find-out-how-to-train-my-voice-to-hit-high-notes
7. Tongue tension should be eliminated
Most of the time, singers don’t realize they’re tensing up their voices.
Now that you’ve warmed up on the oohs and ees, let’s ensure you’re not straining to reach those high notes.
The tongue is frequently raised or lowered by singers when singing various notes.
The pressure might make you sound highly compressed and constricted if the tongue is positioned incorrectly for what you’re singing.
This muscular tension can be detected by your tongue.
Follow these steps:
- Feel your thumb under your chin softly.
- Under your tongue, place your thumb.
- Hold your thumb in place while swallowing.
The following practice will help you sing without clenching your tongue:
- If you’re having trouble coming up with a song, do the “ooh” or “ee” vocal siren.
- Now place your thumb under your chin.
- Hold your thumb in place while singing the line, checking to see if your tongue is tight.
- If the tongue muscles are pressing against your thumb, try singing the sentence again without tensing the muscles beneath your chin.
- Imagine that a block of ice paralyzes all your facial muscles if you’re still feeling tense.
Keep your body frozen while repeating the phrase.
“Nay”
Singing lyrics is much more difficult than singing exercises.
The reason for this is so that you can handle a variety of notes, vowels, consonants, and dynamics when singing lyrics. In order to reach those high notes, your voice sometimes needs a little more support.
Singing exercises are one of the best ways to improve your voice.
My favorite exercise for powerfully singing those challenging notes is this one.
Here’s how to say the sassy “Nay”:
- Sing a song that has been challenging for you.
- Say “Nay” (as in “neighbor”) now in a “bratty” way.
As you sing the melody, substitute a brattish “Nay” for each word.
Become a member of an accredited music college
Now that you’ve mastered new vocal techniques and can sing high notes without straining, what’s next?
This knowledge can help you establish a lucrative singing career in the music industry if you’re passionate about your craft.
What’s the best way to get started?
The Atlanta Institute of Music and Media is an accredited music college that can help you become a professional and well-paid singer.
The AIMM offers two vocal concentration programs that will help you expand your range, improve your pitch, and master your singing technique.
If you want to improve your singing and performance abilities, the Performance Certificate in Vocals is the right choice for you.
Alternatively, our Music and Technology Associate Degree: Vocal Concentration teaches you how to track, mix, and master music like the pros.
Combined with the best music production techniques, this degree offers everything you need to become a professional singer.
Now is the time for you to put yourself in the best position to become a professional singer!
