During the last six episodes, I've covered problems singers face learning how to sing
higher. Inside this video I'll summarize the major causes for these problems and the simple
solutions for fixing these. So you can immediately begin to improve your singing. Hi, I'm Chuck
Gilmore with Power to Sing. Every singer I know wants to know how to sing higher and
better than ever before. Here are the most common reasons for struggling when trying
to sing higher. How to sing higher problem #1. We go into Swallowing Mode. Two things
happen immediately. The larynx begins to rise and the external neck muscles surrounding
the vocal cords tighten. The consequence is the vocal cords can't function ideally because
they are being squeezed by the external muscles. This sounds like the voice is reaching and
straining and tight. The singer looks like they are struggling. Often the chin and neck
are stretching upward. This is characteristic of a singer who is pulling chest and has a
high larynx. That's a Vocal Type: Pulled Chest/High Larynx. So what's the solution? Keep the vowel
pure. This means that as you sing high, you don't let the vowel change and open wider.
To prevent this from happening you can slightly narrow the vowel so that it keeps it shape
as you sing higher. For example, if you're singing the word 'love' the vowel often wants
to spread wider to 'lav'. If you think of the word 'look' as you sing 'love' and add
a hint of the 'oo' in the word 'love', it helps keep the vowel pure and 'love' sounds
like 'love'. For example: Lav - going wide. Look - loove - see what I mean? Why does this
work? The wider vowel raises the larynx putting you into swallowing mode. The narrow vowel
keeps the larynx resting at the level where you speak. Try this: put your hand on your
adam's apple and say 'ae' as in 'cat'. Did you feel the larynx move upwards? Now say
'uh' as in 'mud'. Did you feel the larynx move? Probably not much. Maybe it moved slightly
downward. Open, wide vowels tend to raise the larynx. Closed, narrow vowels tend to
lower the larynx. If you don't go into swallowing mode, you eliminate the squeezing effect of
the external neck muscles. This allows the vocal cords to work with ease and comfort.
How to sing higher problem #2. We often sing louder as we approach the high notes. The
consequence is we blast more air and the vocal cords tighten and thicken as they resist the
added air pressure coming from the lungs. This is opposite of what the vocal cords need
to do as we sing higher. This causes squeezing from the external muscles of the neck, often
resulting in pitch being flat or sharp. So what's the solution? Don't push so much air.
You need less air as you sing higher, not more. By decreasing the volume you can reduce
the amount of air you are pushing against vocal cords. Why does this work? The vocal
cords thin, tense and stretch as the pitch ascends. There's less mass in the cords and
it takes less air to make them work optimally. The cords will get enough air to vibrate easily
and the external muscles don't interfere. This frees up the vocal cords to adjust as
the pitch goes up and helps the transition into head voice. How to sing higher problem
#3. Resonance shifting upward causes us to tense up. We feel the vibration moving upward
from the lower regions of our chest toward our heads and we panic. We tense up. We fight
it! The consequence is we do both of the above problems already mentioned. We go into swallowing
mode and we sing louder. We spread our vowels and push harder to reach the note. It sounds
strident, strained, pitchy and labored. What's the solution? Allow the resonance to shift
from the head - or rather from chest to head without trying to help it. Resist the urge
to assist the pitch. Well, how do you do this? The fast way is to practice allowing the resonance
to shift into your head using vocal exercises that make it easier. The lip trill or the
tongue trill are two great exercises to do this. Also you can use the word 'goo', as
long as you keep the vowel pure. 'oo' Let me show you on a 5-tone scale. First the Lip
Trill. - demo - Just that exercise there begins to allow you to relax so you can feel and
sense that resonance shifting from chest up into head. The next - the same exercise - the
similar exercise would be the Tongue Trill. - demo - And the 'goo'. - demo - Notice, I
didn't let the vowel change. goo goo goo guh - You can hear it. It loses the 'oo' sound.
When you can do this without cracking then substitute these in place of the words into
the song. When you can do that with the Lip Trill or the Tongue Trill or the 'goo' without
tensing and panicking, then put the words back into the song. Do this until you eliminate
any tension that used to be there. What are the consequences if we keep doing these problems?
Put very simply, the ultimate consequence of singing with a pulled chest and the high
larynx is damage to the vocal cords. Hoarseness - vocal nodules - vocal cord hemorrhaging
- surgery - all resulting in a shortened singing career. At best, when you begin to get just
a little older, you'll lose your ability to sing to your satisfaction. On the other hand,
do it right and you'll have a long career with a healthy voice, even into your senior
years. I faced all of these problems. I haven't had surgery, but I certainly have fought the
pull chest/high larynx because that's what I tend to do when I sing.There was a time
when I could not sing into my head voice. Following these solutions have made all the
difference for me. And it will for you, too. If I can do it, so can you! Do you know your
vocal type? I'm not referring to whether you're a bass, or a tenor, an alto or soprano. Your
vocal type is what you tend to do when you sing. Visit my website, PowerToSing.com and
take the vocal test which I call the Power Test. Take the quiz and immediately learn
your vocal type. Then go to the Knowledge Center and watch the videos and download the
free exercises for your vocal type. These exercises are designed to help you begin to
improve immediately. I'm Chuck Gilmore with Power To Sing. In coming episodes I'll discuss
more challenges singers face including flipping or breaking into falsetto, breathiness, lack
of power in the voice and many others as well as the solutions to all of these. You can
sing higher with beauty, confidence and power! I'll see you inside the next video.