Improving vocal range..

[ArmoredSleep]

Is it possible to increase your vocal range dramatically?
Right now I'm unhappy with mine, I can only reach of some of the notes I want if I'm singing very loudly. Any tips or anything?

Thanks

[AgainstTheOcean]

There are several, several ways to increase your vocal range. Go on youtube and search some vocal exercises. Do them religiously. Watching them is much more useful than reading about them or just hearing them on mp3.

There is no magical formula to give you a higher/stronger/better voice. It'll be months/years of practice.

[miketrondson]

Check out warm up and range techniques by Brett Manning. He knows his shit.

[theguy77]

There are several, several ways to increase your vocal range. Go on youtube and search some vocal exercises. Do them religiously. Watching them is much more useful than reading about them or just hearing them on mp3.

There is no magical formula to give you a higher/stronger/better voice. It'll be months/years of practice.

i think it also may have to do with the maturing of your voice. a friend of mine could never hit higher than the G above middle C, until he turned 19. then he belted every note of taking back sunday's album TAYF in his car (which goes up to a full octave above middle C)

i myself have worked on my voice. i dont sing the totally correct way yet -- i dont sing thorugh my throat anymore and my voice doesnt hurt when i belt, but i dont sing from my gut either and my voice can get really cracky and volatile. i sing somewhere out of the top of my chest. so im thinking thats my problem, and why my range hasnt improved by even one note since i started belting out notes at age 13. but i did work it out where my singing voice sounds natural and not like im trying to swallow my own breath or something like i used to.

[theguy77]

Check out warm up and range techniques by Brett Manning. He knows his shit.

he also sings in a lot of voice compartments which very few people can find, let alone will use.

[AgainstTheOcean]

i think it also may have to do with the maturing of your voice. a friend of mine could never hit higher than the G above middle C, until he turned 19. then he belted every note of taking back sunday's album TAYF in his car (which goes up to a full octave above middle C)

I can't think of anywhere where Adam, John or Fred ever hit a high C until Louder Now. Enlighten me?

[Jesse!]

Something that has helped me has been singing along to songs that are challenging for me to sing because they fall out of my range - this is also a fun way to practice..

Pay very close attention to what you are doing, and when you find notes that you are having problems with, sing that part over and over until you are at least more comfortable with it. Learn where it makes sense to use your falsetto over where maybe with some practice you can hit the note w/o it.

It's a sure sign of achievement to be comfortable singing a song you used to sound silly singing =)

But yea, these guys said it... look up some vids or get some lessons.. and practice, practice, practice.

[remoteCONTROL]

keep your feet flat and evenly spaced. breathe with your gut, not your throat

[WordsAreFrail]

.. You could try wearing skinny jeans.

[theguy77]

I can't think of anywhere where Adam, John or Fred ever hit a high C until Louder Now. Enlighten me?

just checked and there's no C on TAYF but a lot of B's (only one half step difference :shrug:)

however, on WYWTB, adam hits a C# in number five with a bullet (in the end when he's wailing "just so you know when we get home we're through"), and a D in one-eighty by summer (why cant youuuu liiiiiiiiive)

[theguy77]

.. You could try wearing skinny jeans.

hahahaha.

[OveriseFan]

just checked and there's no C on TAYF but a lot of B's (only one half step difference :shrug:)

however, on WYWTB, adam hits a C# in number five with a bullet (in the end when he's wailing "just so you know when we get home we're through"), and a D in one-eighty by summer (why cant youuuu liiiiiiiiive)

A half step is a big difference, if you sing, you understand.

Also, to those recommending "video" lessons, don't. There's no substitute for a good teacher, and that's what I recommend. Get an instructor (if you can't afford one, find a choir or something to join very easy, if not, go to a Church or something]).

Learning to sing is like learning to swim, someone can tell you how to do it, but that doesn't really help you until they're right there with you.

Also, it's important to remember, most all of singing takes place INSIDE you, which means you can't "see" what someone else is doing necessarily.

Finally, if it hurts, STOP! It should never, ever hurt. Remember that and you'll stay healthy, and worse issues won't develop.

[theguy77]

A half step is a big difference, if you sing, you understand.

i do sing and understand that a half step is a giant difference when you're up near the top of your range. but in terms of how it sounds to the listener, as a guy being able to hit a B is just as good as being able to hit a C i'd say

[OveriseFan]

i do sing and understand that a half step is a giant difference when you're up near the top of your range. but in terms of how it sounds to the listener, as a guy being able to hit a B is just as good as being able to hit a C i'd say

Someone non-musical, yeah, you're right.

Most people don't even hear differences in keys, it's all the same. So you're right, hearing a song in B Major where they hit a high B, and hearing a song in C Major where they hit the high C, there's no difference to most listeners.

[lew_1987]

Sorry to state the obvious here: but just practise. My range has improved over a couple of years by just trying to push myself. Try and sing songs that are just out of your range, and keep trying, but make sure you don't strain your voice too much. I also agree with what Ryan says about your voice 'maturing', that may have an effect.

[Prestonxsmith]

Have a good instructor and practice practice practice. Trying to go as high as you can go when you practice as well. Find your range and try to go higher.

[dietoseeyoufail]

Check out warm up and range techniques by Brett Manning. He knows his shit.

he does
but you also have to pay
-----

You honestly have to work up to it without hurting your voice.

a much more important thing is being able to sing well in your natural range.

Not everyone can be Anthony Green or Adam Turla from Murder By Death (I wish I could sing that low)


Learning different intervals between notes helps too

[dietoseeyoufail]

i do sing and understand that a half step is a giant difference when you're up near the top of your range. but in terms of how it sounds to the listener, as a guy being able to hit a B is just as good as being able to hit a C i'd say

WELLLL
I could hit a high B, and it could sound ok
I could hit a high C and it doesn't sound as good as my B
but the highest note I'm comfortable hitting, and hitting well, is a B flat

so there COULD be a difference if the person can't hit it as well

[OveriseFan]

WELLLL
I could hit a high B, and it could sound ok
I could hit a high C and it doesn't sound as good as my B
but the highest note I'm comfortable hitting, and hitting well, is a B flat

so there COULD be a difference if the person can't hit it as well

I think what he's trying to say is that if you can sing a high Bb well, if you hit that in a song in the key of Bb major, then it will be just as impressive to most listeners as someone who hits a high B in a song in the key of B major.

I can't say I disagree, in that case.

However, a half-step can make a huge difference to a singer in terms of comfort/tone, as you said.

[dietoseeyoufail]

I think what he's trying to say is that if you can sing a high Bb well, if you hit that in a song in the key of Bb major, then it will be just as impressive to most listeners as someone who hits a high B in a song in the key of B major.

I can't say I disagree, in that case.

However, a half-step can make a huge difference to a singer in terms of comfort/tone, as you said.
oh yea, definately

[theguy77]

I think what he's trying to say is that if you can sing a high Bb well, if you hit that in a song in the key of Bb major, then it will be just as impressive to most listeners as someone who hits a high B in a song in the key of B major.

I can't say I disagree, in that case.

However, a half-step can make a huge difference to a singer in terms of comfort/tone, as you said.

i concur.

as far as the drastic differences in comfort its especially evident in the top of your range. i can hit several Gs comfortably any day, a few A flats here and there comfortably on most days, but only on my best days am i comfortable and stable hitting maybe more than one A, especially on syllables where your throat is closed like with the letter E in them or something.

[OveriseFan]

i concur.

as far as the drastic differences in comfort its especially evident in the top of your range. i can hit several Gs comfortably any day, a few A flats here and there comfortably on most days, but only on my best days am i comfortable and stable hitting maybe more than one A, especially on syllables where your throat is closed like with the letter E in them or something.

Hah.

I am blown away that this forum is made up of tenors and high baritones. I just don't understand it.

Aren't there any real men here? ;-)

[Mikey Spa]

.. You could try wearing skinny jeans.

Sorry, I just thought that was funny :X

[theguy77]

Hah.

I am blown away that this forum is made up of tenors and high baritones. I just don't understand it.

Aren't there any real men here? ;-)

hahaha speak for yourself man im pretty unsatisfied with my high baritone range, i wish i could hit a B or C and that A flats were more comfortable for me.

[Sargent Sausage]

i can hit an high a. but i just sounds too opera and formal. damn.

[theguy77]

sergeant* sausage

[Sargent Sausage]

err its a play on words.... :tophat:

[OveriseFan]

hahaha speak for yourself man im pretty unsatisfied with my high baritone range, i wish i could hit a B or C and that A flats were more comfortable for me.

Haha. No, no, I wish I could have your high notes, even. I can do like an F. After that it's day-to-day, and usually never good. Haha.

But I can sing really low, too. Like down to a low D or Eb, about. So my range is slightly more than two octaves.

So that's a 2+ octave range, and I'm just making do with what I have. I try to write in the middle of my range in most parts, and strain higher on more intense parts. I've also gotten into utilizing my falsetto a lot more, using it for full sections at times. (i.e. Sigur Ros or Bon Iver)

i can hit an high a. but i just sounds too opera and formal. damn.

"Too opera and formal."? Haha. It's funny how that's a bad thing to you (assuming you're not being sarcastic.) That's what I aim for in my singing at all times. I try to sound formal, making all my words very distinct and using high diction.

:shrug: Different strokes for different folks.

[theguy77]

Haha. No, no, I wish I could have your high notes, even. I can do like an F. After that it's day-to-day, and usually never good. Haha.

But I can sing really low, too. Like down to a low D or Eb, about. So my range is slightly more than two octaves.

So that's a 2+ octave range, and I'm just making do with what I have. I try to write in the middle of my range in most parts, and strain higher on more intense parts. I've also gotten into utilizing my falsetto a lot more, using it for full sections at times. (i.e. Sigur Ros or Bon Iver)

thats weird my range is wider than yours haha, cause i can hit the same low notes you hit but i can sing higher, i have a 2.5 octave range. but meh as far as falsetto goes i find mine to be practically useless, i have learned to make it light and soft by mixing breath with the notes but it still doesnt sound so great recorded. in my opinion it is useless for the most part, only a select few people have nice falsettos. my favorite is sufjan stevens.

[OveriseFan]

thats weird my range is wider than yours haha, cause i can hit the same low notes you hit but i can sing higher, i have a 2.5 octave range. but meh as far as falsetto goes i find mine to be practically useless, i have learned to make it light and soft by mixing breath with the notes but it still doesnt sound so great recorded. in my opinion it is useless for the most part, only a select few people have nice falsettos. my favorite is sufjan stevens.

Haha. Why's that weird?

How long have you been singing, by the way? Any training?

I've been working on my falsetto to achieve the best tone from it, and it's developing nicely. You just practice with that as much as you'd practice singing, you know? It should develop.

[theguy77]

How long have you been singing, by the way? Any training?

i havent had any actual training, i was just recently given that general advice of breathing to fill your gut and ive been working with that. but ive been doing self-training on my voice since i was 15 and ive got it to sound good, ive seriously come a LOOOOONG way from those early adolescent years. i dont sing out of my throat anymore, its more like in my chest now, and like i said it sounds more natural that way. but for one thing i have sinus problems that run in my family, and that along with the fact i dont sing from my gut causes me not to get as much air through my vocal chords as i should so my voice is really unstable sometimes and tends to crack out of higher notes on some days.

I've been working on my falsetto to achieve the best tone from it, and it's developing nicely. You just practice with that as much as you'd practice singing, you know? It should develop.

yeah i'll work at it if i ever feel the need to use it but right now with the kind of music im making belting is typically the better option.

[Sargent Sausage]

well i can hit some notes and stuff but i am not a good singer by any means

www.purevolume.com/mattkurkjian "fork" I sang a couple lines. note i had strep throat while recording that,but still, I cant really sing haha (that was the only time when the house was clear ) its not really a song but just something i put together so i can sing to.

You guys seem pretty knowledgeable on singing and can give me some much needed pointers...

[gibsonman246]

this is more about the actual voice and im sure other people have had this problem, but the first music i listened to religiously was blink-182 so naturally i wanted to sing like tom delonge. but now as i'm becoming more of musician, no matter how hard i try, i have that annoying, whiney tone and i really wanna get rid of it. any advice?

[OveriseFan]

this is more about the actual voice and im sure other people have had this problem, but the first music i listened to religiously was blink-182 so naturally i wanted to sing like tom delonge. but now as i'm becoming more of musician, no matter how hard i try, i have that annoying, whiney tone and i really wanna get rid of it. any advice?

Everything in this thread has been about the "actual voice". Haha. Upsettingly, I have to get into what actually MAKES the sound, even in your case.

That probably has to do with you not raising your soft palette. It's often called "singing through your nose."

Yawn. Feel that "openness" in the back of your throat? Good. Your soft palette is raised. With practice you won't have yawn to have it happen, but that's a good starting point. Now sing. You should notice a difference. Try to keep your mouth very open, and relaxed, and keep your vowels VERTICAL. You should start sounding a lot more mature.

[chipdip18]

I don't think i even have a 2 octave range.

[ShineClock]

Everything in this thread has been about the "actual voice". Haha. Upsettingly, I have to get into what actually MAKES the sound, even in your case.

That probably has to do with you not raising your soft palette. It's often called "singing through your nose."

Yawn. Feel that "openness" in the back of your throat? Good. Your soft palette is raised. With practice you won't have yawn to have it happen, but that's a good starting point. Now sing. You should notice a difference. Try to keep your mouth very open, and relaxed, and keep your vowels VERTICAL. You should start sounding a lot more mature.

Also the use of consonants and sounds - like making a 'Guh' sound, will help with practicing raising and strengthening your soft palette. In simple terms raising your soft palette shuts off the air to your nose so that all the sound you make is exiting via your mouth.

[Kerplunk_23]

I say the best way to do it is listen to your fav albums and sing along to them cause with time it will improve your vocal abilities,also remember dont push your voice past what you think your capable of,too many try to hit notes they cant and it always sounds bad and could damage your voice.