It is the goal of every singer to be able to reach high notes. However, this can prove to be a frustrating endeavor especially during the beginner phase when you are still learning the basics of proper singing.
Let us take a look at some tips that will help you to increase your vocal range. Through patience, hard work and constant practice, you will be capable of singing high notes in no time.
The knowledge of voice registers is vital to learning how to sing high notes. The most commonly used terms for voice registers by beginners are "low voice", "regular voice" and "high voice". These should not be confused with the volume registers of "heavy voice" and "light voice".
The trick to singing high notes is to reduce your consciousness or awareness of voice registers. If your voice breaks or cracks when you attempt to reach high notes, this is because there is a lack of coordination between your laryngeal muscles and resonators and air flow.
The three main registers consist of the following: for males, you have the chest, head and falsetto and for females, you have chest, middle and head. Training you voice in these three registers will enable you to reach those high notes.
In trained voices, each of these registers are an octave (or 8 notes) in length. Certain notes will need to be sung in a specific register or at points wherein these registers overlap. Most beginners will tend to use the chest register more often than the others. To counteract this tendency, you need to exercise your voice by singing through the entire octave.
When there is an overlapping of registers, you should use the register that is the best for you and the one that makes the best sense musically. By doing so, you will be able to glide through registers effortlessly to sing both low and high notes.
This should not be a cause of frustration for you, however. By knowing what you need to work on and how to do it, you can gradually but surely develop your voice so that you can reach the higher range.
To be able to sing high notes, warm up exercises for your vocal cords are a must. The best exercises are ascending and descending scales and other voice strengthening exercises. Gradually expand your range by moving up one note at a time during each practice.
Just like in athletes, a good warm up keeps your laryngeal muscles flexible and well-oxygenated so that damage to the vocal cords can be minimized. If you don't warm up properly, the sound you will produce sounds raw, rough or "cold". It is ideal to do warm-up exercises, like humming, opening the throat, breath control exercises, and sustained notes, 10 to 30 minutes before a practice session or performance.
If you want to learn how to sing high notes, the best way to do it is by warming up your vocal cords and by exercising your voice through the various scales. With time, hard work and patience, you will soon find yourself singing those high notes.