5 Secrets to Expand Your Vocal Range and Improve Tone

5 Secrets to Expand Your Vocal Range and Improve Tone

Every singer wants to expand their range and improve their tone. These are the foundational elements of a great voice that is able to express the true heart and soul of a singer. 

Expanding your vocal range and improving your tone requires a combination of proper technique, consistent practice, and the methods you use. 

Here are five key secrets to expand your range and improve your tone. 

To experience it for yourself, join my free Better Voice Challenge, where I will guide you through exactly how to do this in pre-recorded videos that you can watch from the comfort of your own home. No better way to elevate your voice than to experience it in real time from an expert. Click here to get access.

Here are the 5 secrets I will outline in today’s article: 

• Practice movements that open and free the voice. 
• Breathe diaphragmatically into the lower triangles of the lungs
• Mastering onset 
• Mastering alignment to improve range
• Develop a strong daily practice to improve your tone

Now let’s dive in… 

1. Practice movements that open and free the voice. 

The first thing is to get your voice out of your throat. When the voice is in the throat, it can sound thin, too breathy, strained, squeezed, pinched, throaty, raspy, hoarse, too tight, or too dark or heavy-sounding. 

Try this:  

• Say “KAH”. 
• Imagine the sound starting and being carried through the note at the position where the tongue hits the roof of the mouth on the “K” of “KAH”. 
• This lifts the sound up out of the throat taking pressure off of the voice allowing for more sound to resonate freely. 

Most singers’ voices are too tight and many sing from their throats. This left unattended will cause vocal problems, diminishment of range and tone over time. 

To practice techniques that will help you avoid all of that, start here with my Better Voice Challenge it’s free to you!) —or if you want your own warmup set designed to open and free your voice —grab a copy of my Singers Gift Vocal Warmups here.

2. Breathe diaphragmatically into the lower triangles of the lungs

Has anyone explained to you how to breathe diaphragmatically in a way. you’ve understood? If not, you’re not alone! It is often so misunderstood by singers and vocal coaches. 

If you’ve been doing my Singers Gift Vocal Warmups for a while, you’re probably a bit ahead of the curve — because we get you started breathing diaphragmatically — I’ll tell you the secret. 

It starts with moving the ribs. This is where it begins. 

Let’s do a quick exercise.  

Try this:  

• Put your hands on your ribs. Exhale. Now hold your ribs firmly with pressure and breathe slowly into your hands. 
• Do you feel the ribs slowly expand and swing outwards into your hands? The trick is to breathe slowly and not too fast and you’ll feel the ribs move.
• This is the beginning of breathing diaphragmatically. 

Like and save this post for future reference on a day you’re having trouble breathing.
See my post on Instagram where I guide you through this exercise:  https://www.instagram.com/p/DNTCIxEPHTY/

3. Mastering the onset 

“The way a singer initiates vocal sound is crucial to the subsequent phrase. A good beginning to the singing tone is of prime consideration regardless of the achievement level of the singer. Whether one has been an established performer for years or just beginning vocal study every singer should begin the daily vocalizing session with exercises in onset and release. Only if the onset of each phrase demonstrates the principle of nonstatis (that is dynamic) laryngeal muscle balance and elasticity is the singer assured of freedom.” Richard Quisling, The Structure of Singing

Try this to improve your onset 

• Cup one ear so you can hear your sound more clearly. 
• Sing AH on a comfortable note. 
• As you sing it again, notice how your voice executes the first moment of the note?
  • Do you hear any slight scooping to the note? 
  • Do you hear a strike at the vocal cords at the exact moment of the note?

Most people will experience a slight glottal at the beginning of the note. Many will scoop. The goal is to have a “balanced onset” where there is no “strike” and the note is hit cleanly without scooping. 

• If you scoop:
  • Practice going right to the note but without engaging compensatory muscles or using volume for momentum
• If you strike:
  • Practice adding a soft aspiration of an H – to the AH: “H-AHHHH” 
  • H-AHHHH
  • then feel the H and sing HAH without hearing the H much.
    • Practice pulling back on the audible sound of the “H” but keep the feel of a little aspirate or breath padding the Onset of the note:
      • “hAHHHHHH”

Many singers make the mistake of “pushing” air out on the onset of the phrase which makes you fall back into your throat. Over time this diminishes your range and tone and causes vocal problems.

Over time mastering the onset improves range and tone as you master your breath control. To learn how to master onset click here to learn more about the Cole Vocal Method.

4. Mastering alignment to improve range

When you improve your alignment, it helps to free your diaphragm, allowing you to get deeper breath to support your high notes.

We live in a “forward head” world! Because of modern devices and working on computers or cellular devices, most people’s heads sit slightly in front of their body. 

The head weighs 10-15 pounds, which puts inordinate strain on the neck and upper back muscles. This can inhibit the diaphragm’s movement and cause problems connecting with the deeper breath that supports the singing voice.

Improving your alignment will help you free the diaphragm and give you access to deeper breathing. 

Try this:  

• Stand against the wall with your feet about 1.5 to 2 feet away from the wall. In other words, lean your hips and torso against the wall with your feet in front of you.
• Tuck your pelvis to get your lower back flush against the wall as best as you can.
• Lengthen your neck and place your head against the wall.
• Now come away from the wall and try to maintain your posture.
• If you can’t get your lower back against the wall, this is an indication of shortened muscles in the spine that can result in a forward head.

If you can’t place your head against the wall without struggling in this position, it is also an indication of a forward head with excessive tension in the muscles of the upper back and neck.

Yoga and stretching daily will help to keep the spine lengthened and healthy. For more intervention, work with a masseuse and chiropractor (both) to lengthen these muscles and align your spine.

5. Develop a strong daily practice to improve your tone

There are some very simple and effective ways to improve your singing voice, your vocal tone, and overall sound and timbre.

Vocal tone is your unique sound quality. The sound, color, or timbre of your singing voice. Every voice has a specific color, described as warm, dark, strident, nasal, or throaty. Two singers singing the same song may sound different because of tone.

One of the biggest issues with singers who have not had training is the lack of correct vocal production and vocal fold closure.

When the vocal folds are too far apart this results in an overly breathy voice and a lack of overall control.

Try this:  

• To more accurately hear your voice first sing and “AH” without cupping the ears
• Then sing an “AH” while cupping your ears with your hands. This brings the sound from your mouth directly into your ears. You will hear your vocal tone more accurately— As if under a microscope. Cupping the ear is not a habit you want to establish when you sing, but it is useful in an exercise.
• Another tip is to stop spreading your voice wide on your vowels. Imagine a narrow tube in your throat that the sound is resonating in. This will help!
• I use a device called “Hearfones” worn during vocal technique exercises that allows the singer to hear the voice more accurately. As you hear the voice more accurately, you will automatically self-correct the tone of your voice.

Ultimately, tone is developed and improved correctly with specific vocal techniques taught in my Cole Vocal Method that includes The Singers Gift Vocal Warmups, The Vocal Rescue Kit and my Master Voice Building exercises taught inside my Vocal Freedom Circle.