Extending Vocal Range

Singing Range is generally top of the list with most singers, likewise vocal students. Who wouldn't love to have a wider vocal range in order to be able to hit all the notes in the songs that we sing? Even the really high ones? If you are interested in extending vocal range you probably already enjoy singing and perhaps can hold a tune. You may have some singing experience or you may be a complete beginner who only feels comfortable singing in the shower, or with friends, or maybe your family. Whatever your current level and however you like to perform, if you want to learn how to sing well or improve your standard of singing then adding some notes to your repertoire will be extremely beneficial and satisfying.

photo by superfantastic

With the right vocal training tips you can train your voice to increase the range of notes you can sing but there are limits. To understand your vocal potential and limits your speaking voice is generally a good pointer. As an example think about a man who has a deep speaking voice. The chances are he will also possess a deep singing voice, probably a bass. Even with all the vocal training tips in the world it's very unlikely he will ever become a good high tenor. It's like asking the cello to play the violin part or trying to play lead guitar on a bass guitar. The strings are just too long and thick. This singer just doesn't have the right equipment to comfortably reach those high notes. His vocal cords are too long and thick. So there are limits, but here's the good news! Most of us haven't even come close to discovering and using our full vocal range and yes, extending vocal range really is possible.

photo by Bengt Nyman

The chest register or chest voice or is associated with lower tones and is felt both mentally and physically in the chest and lower face. The chest voice is typically has strong resonance and also has a confident sound.
In contrast, the head voice is higher and softer, often with a lilting gentle quality. This is the higher of your two main registers. The notes of your upper middle and upper range of your voice are your head voice. The best singers have developed the ability to seamlessly move from chest to head voice. This can take many years to achieve but there are training methods anyone can use to sing through the break and indeed expand singing range.

photo by Bengt Nyman

To understand your chest and head voice better try singing a scale. As you go up through the notes you will notice the vibration of your voice starts in your chest (you can feel this if you put your hand on your breast bone). When you feel the vibration move from your chest up into your head that is your break. In untrained voices the break can be clearly heard. To sing well and to effectively use your vocal range you will need to learn to blend the chest and head voices, to bridge the two registers.

To do this you will need to use the mix or middle voice. When singing with the chest voice your vocal cords are more or less wide open and they vibrate along their full length and produce long sound waves of a low pitch. When you produce sounds that resonate in your head, the ends of the vocal cords close off until only one-third their length is free to open and close. As a result they move much more rapidly, producing short sound waves of a high pitch. You also have a middle voice. This is when about half the length of your vocal cords is free to vibrate. The best singers can move seamlessly between their chest voice, middle voice, and head voice. When you can do this, your voice is said to be connected.

As your new range becomes more comfotable:
You will be able to sing not only more songs but more styles
expanding your range will make you a healthier more confident and flexible singer


How long will it take?


With a few pointers you can learn to sing better instantly but to discover your full vocal range very much depends on you. How long it takes depends on how focused and diligent you are and how good your singing foundations are. By this I mean having good posture, breathing tone and diction. All of these things will make the process go much faster. You can be working on a number of those areas at the same time using singorama, which will also help you expand your vocal range.

When doing this exercise it helps a lot if you can follow true notes on pitch this way you are learning to hit notes correctly each time. So it works as ear training to. I've included another video for you. Try doing the lip roll using scales here. The piano notes might end up too high for a lot of people but you might be surprised just how well you do.

Claim your absolutely free 5 part mini course from this link

• Learn what the concepts of vocal pitch and tone actually mean, and how they affect the way you sing.
• Everything you need to know about correct breathing techniques that will enable you to reach your full singing potential.
• How to connect your voice.
• Professional vocal warmups and exercises.
• How to stretch your vocal chords.
• How to strengthen your vocal cords.
• Learn good singing habits & how to avoid forming bad singing habits.