To sing high notes, do we need to use more air or less?
Watch this video to find out how the answer can make a huge difference in your ability
to sing high notes successfully.
Hi, I'm Chuck Gilmore with Power To Sing.
When you sing high notes, do you tend to sing louder as you sing higher and higher?
I used to do the same thing.
Unfortunately that means we're also creating excessive air pressure which causes us to
strain and pinch the high notes.
Here's what happens.
When we sing higher the vocal cords thin, stretch and increase in tension.
Because of the thinning, there's less tissue mass.
I compare it to the stretching of a rubber band.
On the low notes, the vocal cords start out thicker and heavier.
As the pitch goes up, the vocal cords stretch longer, which also helps reduce the overall
mass or weight of the vocal cords, similar to this rubber band.
With less weight or mass in the vocal cords, we don't need as much air to get them to work.
But because we tend to sing louder as we sing higher, we press more air against the vocal
cords.
The vocal cords tighten and tense in order to hold the increased amount of air back so
they can create more volume.
The tight vocal cords, under increased breath pressure, tends to cause the external muscles
to tighten, which causes the vocal cords to feel squeezed.
So we sing louder, hoping to keep the vocal cords working, which causes more breath pressure,
more squeeze and ---you see the problem.
Let me demonstrate singing with too much volume- too much air pressure.
At the end of the song, "Why, God?" from Miss Saigon, it goes something like this.
Why God, why this face?
Why such beauty in this place?
I liked my memories as they were.
But now I leave remembering her.
Just her!
I admit I was also pulling my chest voice as I was singing louder, but you could hear
the increased volume increasing tension.
Let me try it with less volume and as a result, less air pressure.
Why, God, why this face?
Why such beauty in this place.
I liked my memories as they were.
But now I leave remembering her.
Just her!
That's the high C. I'm not pushing- and I'm not driving it hard.
I backed off a little on the volume and on how much air I'm pushing and because of the
condition of the vocal cords, there was plenty of penetrating volume in that sound.
What's the solution?
Use less air, not more.
Sing the higher notes with less push of air and volume.
When you sing the high notes, the high pitch causes your voice to soar up and over into
the listener's ear.
This is why a singer singing high notes without a microphone can be heard over the orchestra.
Decreased loudness will decrease the amount of air pressure against the vocal cords.
This will improve your ability to sing the high notes without straining or reaching.
This is part of good breath control.
Over time, you can increase volume as your skill increases.
This takes time and correct technique.
Singing too loud with too much breath pressure on high notes is often characteristic of the
pulled chest-high larynx vocal type.
Do you know your vocal type?
I'm not talking about whether you are soprano, alto, tenor or bass.
Your vocal type is what you tend to do when you sing.
Now visit PowerToSing.com and take the vocal test which I call the Power Test.
Take the quiz and discover your vocal type.
Then visit the Knowledge Center and learn about your vocal type.
Download the free exercises for your vocal type and begin improving your voice today.
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.