How to Sing High Notes
Take slow, relaxed breaths to release tension., Massage your face and jaw muscles to release jaw tension., Do some neck and shoulder rolls to loosen up the muscles., Drink a glass of warm water to relax throat muscles., Trill with your lips to warm...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Take slow
Your breathing needs to be relaxed to hit high notes.
Otherwise, that tension goes right into your voice.
Take a normal breath in, then exhale.
Keep your breath slow and even.
Relax your shoulders, neck and chest as you continue to breathe in and out.
This helps release tension from those areas. -
Step 2: relaxed breaths to release tension.
Put the heels of your hands on either side of your face, right below your cheekbones.
Push them gently into your cheeks, then move them slowly down into your jaws.
Let your mouth hang open a little bit.
Repeat this several times., Slowly roll your neck from side to side.
Once your neck feels stretched out, roll your shoulders gently and slowly, backward and forward.
Then let your arms hang loosely at your sides.Try to keep your arms loose as you practice.
Avoid the urge to ball up your fists or strain your arm muscles when trying to hit high notes. , It also helps hydrate the vocal chords, allowing you to reach the higher registers.
Add honey to your water to decrease and/or prevent their throat from swelling.Don't drink ice water, caffeine or milk before warming up your voice.
These can have a negative effect on your singing voice. , Press your lips together loosely.
Release air through your mouth in a steady stream, so that your lips vibrate and make a raspberry sound.
Move on to doing this with “h” sounds, maintaining a steady voice as you move the air past your lips.
Once you’ve got that, try it on “b” sounds.
Then continue doing “b” sounds, but go up and down the scales., It helps to imagine you’re sucking down a spaghetti noodle! When you exhale, make a “woo” sound.
Keep your “woo” steady and repeat this 2-3 more times.
After that, start going up and down the scales as you “woo.”, Starting in a low pitch, sing a “me” sound as you go up the scale.
Reverse and go down the scale as you sing an “ee” sound.
Keep going, up and down, gently increasing your range each time.
Once you’re feeling pretty loose, switch to an “oo” sound and repeat.During warm up, don't push your voice to go higher than what’s comfortable for you.
This can actually decrease your range over time., As a singer, you’ve probably heard this advice countless times.
It’s important, though! It helps you hit and maintain high notes, and helps to relax your muscles.When you inhale, your stomach should rise first, followed by your chest.
If you have trouble with this, try putting your hand on your abdomen as you breathe.
It’ll remind you to focus on breathing from that area. , This can be a continuation of the “oo” and “ee” sounds you used in warm-up.
Once you get your voice up into the high register that you want, open up those vowel sounds to sound more like “oh” and “uh.”As you practice this over time, you’ll notice that the higher notes are getting easier and easier to reach. , Each voice has certain vowels that work best when singing high notes.
Others are harder to hit.
You should experiment to determine which vowels work and sound best for you.
Once you have an idea of which vowel works best, modify (gradually) towards that vowel as you ascend the scale.
For example, you might have a hard time hitting a long "e" (like in "meet"), but you can easily hit a short "i." You could modify the long "e" in "meet" by singing "mitt" and subtly adjusting the "i" into the long "e" as you get higher., Consonants, like a hard “g,” can help you get better at cord closure.
After practicing vowels for a while, put a hard “g” in front of them.
This helps you maintain a steady sound by keeping your vocal cords vibrating steadily.Also work on consonants like “m” and “n” in front of vowels.
Cord closure is when your vocal cords come together to create a sound.
If they aren’t “closed” all the way, it's difficult to maintain steady air flow., When rehearsing, never hesitate to sing the word "yawn" for one of those notes in your upper range.
When you sing that word, it positions your mouth and throat in exactly the right place to hit high notes.
This is a handy trick to help you get used to the proper mouth positioning; don't do this during a performance, though! , Steady airflow allows you to hit and maintain your high notes.
As you work on your range, keep your breath flowing in and out steadily.
Strive to make smooth, connected sounds.Think about the whole phrase that includes the high note, then support your voice continuously from the beginning.
This connects the high note to the notes before it.
Forcing out air on certain notes can strain your throat and voice. , Working on high notes is hard on your vocal cords.
To keep those muscles operating well, cool them down after you work them out.
To do this, hum gently while making an “m” sound.
Move up and down the scales as you make the “m” sound.Focus on how the sound feels coming out of your lips.
It will vibrate and tickle a little bit! -
Step 3: Massage your face and jaw muscles to release jaw tension.
-
Step 4: Do some neck and shoulder rolls to loosen up the muscles.
-
Step 5: Drink a glass of warm water to relax throat muscles.
-
Step 6: Trill with your lips to warm them up.
-
Step 7: Stretch out your vocal chords with “sirens.” Round your mouth into an “o” position and inhale.
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Step 8: Do two octave scales to warm up for higher notes.
-
Step 9: Breathe from your abdomen for a stronger sound.
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Step 10: Start in the middle of your range and sing higher and higher.
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Step 11: Experiment with your vowel sounds.
-
Step 12: Start putting a consonant in front of vowels.
-
Step 13: Sing the word "yawn" on the high notes to get your mouth in position.
-
Step 14: Keep your sounds smooth and connected.
-
Step 15: Cool down after each session to prevent injury.
Detailed Guide
Your breathing needs to be relaxed to hit high notes.
Otherwise, that tension goes right into your voice.
Take a normal breath in, then exhale.
Keep your breath slow and even.
Relax your shoulders, neck and chest as you continue to breathe in and out.
This helps release tension from those areas.
Put the heels of your hands on either side of your face, right below your cheekbones.
Push them gently into your cheeks, then move them slowly down into your jaws.
Let your mouth hang open a little bit.
Repeat this several times., Slowly roll your neck from side to side.
Once your neck feels stretched out, roll your shoulders gently and slowly, backward and forward.
Then let your arms hang loosely at your sides.Try to keep your arms loose as you practice.
Avoid the urge to ball up your fists or strain your arm muscles when trying to hit high notes. , It also helps hydrate the vocal chords, allowing you to reach the higher registers.
Add honey to your water to decrease and/or prevent their throat from swelling.Don't drink ice water, caffeine or milk before warming up your voice.
These can have a negative effect on your singing voice. , Press your lips together loosely.
Release air through your mouth in a steady stream, so that your lips vibrate and make a raspberry sound.
Move on to doing this with “h” sounds, maintaining a steady voice as you move the air past your lips.
Once you’ve got that, try it on “b” sounds.
Then continue doing “b” sounds, but go up and down the scales., It helps to imagine you’re sucking down a spaghetti noodle! When you exhale, make a “woo” sound.
Keep your “woo” steady and repeat this 2-3 more times.
After that, start going up and down the scales as you “woo.”, Starting in a low pitch, sing a “me” sound as you go up the scale.
Reverse and go down the scale as you sing an “ee” sound.
Keep going, up and down, gently increasing your range each time.
Once you’re feeling pretty loose, switch to an “oo” sound and repeat.During warm up, don't push your voice to go higher than what’s comfortable for you.
This can actually decrease your range over time., As a singer, you’ve probably heard this advice countless times.
It’s important, though! It helps you hit and maintain high notes, and helps to relax your muscles.When you inhale, your stomach should rise first, followed by your chest.
If you have trouble with this, try putting your hand on your abdomen as you breathe.
It’ll remind you to focus on breathing from that area. , This can be a continuation of the “oo” and “ee” sounds you used in warm-up.
Once you get your voice up into the high register that you want, open up those vowel sounds to sound more like “oh” and “uh.”As you practice this over time, you’ll notice that the higher notes are getting easier and easier to reach. , Each voice has certain vowels that work best when singing high notes.
Others are harder to hit.
You should experiment to determine which vowels work and sound best for you.
Once you have an idea of which vowel works best, modify (gradually) towards that vowel as you ascend the scale.
For example, you might have a hard time hitting a long "e" (like in "meet"), but you can easily hit a short "i." You could modify the long "e" in "meet" by singing "mitt" and subtly adjusting the "i" into the long "e" as you get higher., Consonants, like a hard “g,” can help you get better at cord closure.
After practicing vowels for a while, put a hard “g” in front of them.
This helps you maintain a steady sound by keeping your vocal cords vibrating steadily.Also work on consonants like “m” and “n” in front of vowels.
Cord closure is when your vocal cords come together to create a sound.
If they aren’t “closed” all the way, it's difficult to maintain steady air flow., When rehearsing, never hesitate to sing the word "yawn" for one of those notes in your upper range.
When you sing that word, it positions your mouth and throat in exactly the right place to hit high notes.
This is a handy trick to help you get used to the proper mouth positioning; don't do this during a performance, though! , Steady airflow allows you to hit and maintain your high notes.
As you work on your range, keep your breath flowing in and out steadily.
Strive to make smooth, connected sounds.Think about the whole phrase that includes the high note, then support your voice continuously from the beginning.
This connects the high note to the notes before it.
Forcing out air on certain notes can strain your throat and voice. , Working on high notes is hard on your vocal cords.
To keep those muscles operating well, cool them down after you work them out.
To do this, hum gently while making an “m” sound.
Move up and down the scales as you make the “m” sound.Focus on how the sound feels coming out of your lips.
It will vibrate and tickle a little bit!
About the Author
Martha Mitchell
Brings years of experience writing about lifestyle and related subjects.
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