Ep.19: How You Sing High Notes is Determined by Your Vocal Type
How you sing high notes is determined by your vocal type. Inside this video watch examples of singers singing high notes. Do you sound like any of these famous singers?
Singing high notes is not everything thing there is to singing. But the majority of singers say that’s their #1 challenge. Singing from low to high. Increasing their upper range. Singing great high notes, and so it goes.
How you sing high notes is determined by your vocal type and your vocal type determines how you sing high notes.
Pulled Chest-High Larynx
Let’s begin with the vocal type pulled chest-high larynx. As this vocal type sings high notes, they tend to begin reaching up for the pitch, both physically and mentally. You can see the chin start to raise up and out.
You hear tension and reaching in the voice. The vowel begins to widen, changing the way it normally sounds.
Watch some examples of famous singers pulling their chest voice too high or singing with a high larynx. This is not the ideal. Vocal damage may occur. [Watch examples]
Light Chest- No Chest
This vocal type sings high notes airy, breathy and light.
Here are some examples. [Watch examples]
Flip-Falsetto
As this vocal type sings higher notes they tend to flip or crack or break. If they stay disconnected, they sing higher using falsetto. This means the vocal cords have disconnected or separated and they will not be able to blend into the lower voice without reconnecting.
Here are some examples of the flip-falsetto vocal type. [Watch examples]
Mix
This is the vocal type that we strive for because we sing high notes without straining or reaching, with a strong, consistent tone quality, free from breaks or cracks, with the vocal cords staying together from the bottom to top and down again. There is just the right balance of air and vocal cord. This produces a free and easy, natural tone quality. Mix can be powerful and healthy for the voice at the same time.
Here’s some examples of singers with the vocal type mix. [Watch examples]
Do you know your vocal type? I’m not talking about whether you’re soprano, alto tenor or bass. Your vocal type is what you tend to do when you sing as we’ve discussed above.
It is especially apparent as you sing higher into the first bridge…the bridge of the voice.
If you tend to pull chest up or if the larynx rises as you sing higher notes, then that’s your vocal type.
If you tend to sing higher with a very light, airy and breathy sound your vocal type is Light Chest-No Chest.
If you tend to flip or go into falsetto as you sing higher, that’s your vocal type.
If you can sing higher without any of these problems, it’s likely your vocal type is Mix, which is the ideal.
Visit PowerToSing.com and take the Vocal Test, which I call the Powertest and determine your vocal type. Then learn all about it in the Knowledge Center inside PowerToSing. Watch the videos and download the free exercises.
These are designed to counteract what you tend to do that causes problems with your singing and develops your voice to accomplish the ideal which is Mix. If you are mix, focus on those exercises designed for the Mix Vocal type.
I’m Chuck Gilmore with Power To Sing. You can sing higher with beauty, confidence and power.
I’ll see you inside the next video.
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