5 Vocal Techniques to Expand Your Vocal Range to Sing Higher and Lower Notes
This post helps you get started, but that’s only the beginning. What would it feel like to sing your heart out with a transformed voice performing to thousands of people by the end of the year? Come join the tens of thousands of singers who have already transformed their voices with my Singers Gift Warmups. Set your voice free in just 20 minutes a day with these revolutionary techniques found only here! Click here to find out how.
Vocal range is the extent of notes you can sing.
Everyone is born with a potential range determined by the length of your vocal cords. Like strings of an instrument, longer vocal cords produce a lower pitch and shorter cords produce a higher pitch.
You can expand your vocal range with the help of vocal technique. As you train, your range will naturally expand higher and lower.
Singers are athletes of the small muscles of the voice and the breathing. Developing the strength of the voice through vocal techniques that build the voice (like my Cole Vocal Method) will extend your range naturally.
Vocal range is also a function of vocal health and vitality and since your instrument resides inside your body, your voice is affected by the energy and strength of your physical body as well.
Here are my Top 5 Vocal Techniques to Expand Your Vocal Range to Sing Higher and Lower Notes
1. Stretch your jaw
Your jaw is a very important part of freeing your range. Tension in the jaw will constrict your voice and create limits in accessing your full vocal range.
Often times singers have extra tension in their jaw muscles that limits their range of movement. When the jaw is free of tension it has more mobility and can open more to create more room to access high notes in particular. But even low notes are affected by a tight jaw.
Releasing tension in the jaw can be tricky because it is a very dense, small muscle and some singers experience clicking in the joint which is called TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint Disorder). This happens when the jaw is misaligned or overly contracted. If you struggle with TMJ I highly recommend that you go to physical therapy to release tensions and get your voice back on track. TMJ causes a lot of problems and strain with the singing voice as well as limits your range and tone.
In the vocal technique I teach called The Cole Vocal Method, the movements we use naturally decrease tension in the jaw. It’s best to practice a technique like this that addressed the jaw mobility. Start with my Singers Gift Vocal Warmups here. Use the coupon code SG 25off to save $25.00.
Try this:
Note: *the jaw releases when you move it slowly, not when it is yanked or pulled with force.
- Close your mouth.
- Gently grip your jaw with your hand and open the jaw to where it naturally sits open.
- Gently pull the jaw down another half inch. If you have TMJ open the jaw just before it clicks.
- Inhale and exhale in this position, while feeling a heaviness in your jaw muscles. Let the jaw relax in this position will help to stretch it out and release tension deep inside the muscle.
Practice this daily to release tension in your jaw over time. The freer your jaw the more range you can access.
2. Lift the soft palate
The soft palate plays an important role in accessing your full vocal range.
Try this:
- Trace the roof of your mouth with your tongue starting behind the top teeth. Notice when you come to the place where the hard palate stops and the soft palate starts.
- To access your full range the soft palate needs to lift. This is a gentle motion that needs to be rehearsed to get control over the movement.
- Look in the mirror to monitor the soft palate movement.
- Notice the uvula (piece of skin hanging down that is attached to the soft palate).
- Keeping your mouth open, begin a yawn.
- At the start of the yawn did you notice your uvula (soft palate) lift?
This is a motion that singers rehearse into their voices to help keep the throat from closing and the palate lowering upon phonation. This motion is particularly important for high notes.
10 Steps to Building a Powerful and Professional Singing Voice
3. Reduce tension in your throat and vocal muscles which inhibits vocal range
Tension in the muscles of the voice, throat, jaw, tongue, laryngeal muscles, neck and breathing muscles can constrict the range limiting access to your full vocal range.
A muscle in it’s longest position is in it’s most relaxed and tension free state. A muscle that is shortened is contracted and tense. Vocal problems or limitations are always accompanied by tense muscles surrounding and within the vocal instrument.
Ways to reduce tension in the muscles are: stretching, yoga, massage, acupuncture, ball work, baths with epsom salts and magnesium etc.
In addition I have created specific vocal massages and stretches inside my Singers Gift Vocal Warmup series that decrease tension in the voice and open up the voice to sing more freely and access more range.
Try this:
- Stretch your neck:
- Stretch your jaw: Practice the jaw stretch in #1 above.
- Stretch your neck muscles:
- Neck stretch 1:
- Let your head slump forward.
- Take a deep breath and fall further forward.
- Soften any tense muscles.
- Do this once a day to release neck tension.
- Neck stretch 2:
- Hold your right arm straight up to the ceiling.
- Place your ear on your arm.
- Grab your opposite ear with the hand of your raised arm.
- Let your head fall into your arm and gently pull the head to the right.
- Repeat with the other arm.
- Do this once a day to release neck tension.
- Neck stretch 1:
- Stretch your body:
- Forward bend:
- In a standing position, let your head fall forward.
- Slowly let your head fall toward your knees.
- Relax your body over your legs and you slump forward.
- Breathe into your back to release tension.
- Slowing round upwards to a normal position (Note: **keep your knees soft and not locked to protect the lower back as you roll upwards).
- Do this once a day to release neck and back tension.
- Forward bend:
- Go for massage once a month. A regular monthly overall body massage will help to decrease tensions in the body and voice. Massage is not a luxury for singers, it is a necessity to keep the voice free of tension and early fatigue.
4. Moving downward to access high notes
Most of the time singers make the mistake of lifting upwards for high notes with their chin. This closes the back of the neck and lowers the soft palate which gives access to high notes.
Think of your voice like an elevator. As it rises a heavy chain pulls it down (that’s your high notes). As it lowers, the chain lifts. Think of your voice like a pulley. Reach down for high notes, lifts for
low notes. You’ll notice really good singers don’t lift their chins for high notes.
Try this:
- Sing on “ah” moving note by note up an octave (from A to A or C to C).
- Keep your chin level or tipped slightly downward (don’t let it lift).
As you keep your chin level or pointed slightly down you’ll be able to access higher notes.
5. Develop the overtone series in your singing voice
One of the key factors to improving your vocal range is building the voice and developing the overtone series. This is really only accomplished by executing a vocal technique that develops the overtone series. The technique needs to address the mechanics of the vocal instrument. My Cole Vocal Method develops the overtone series. Start with my Singers Gift Vocal Warmups and then join my Vocal Freedom Circle to get the full vocal method to develop the overtone series.
The freer and stronger your voice becomes through training, the more the overtones show up in your voice.
Try this:
- Stretch your vocal muscles once a day
- Do vocal massages once a day
- Practice vocal technique exercises for 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Access my method here.
To get started on your journey – start with my Singers Gift Vocal Warmups. We address all of these techniques inside the series. Use the coupon code SG25off at checkout for an additional $25.00 in savings!
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Hi, I’m Cari Cole.
You’ve got talent, but you want to become great at it. You’re in the right place! My mission is to help you refine your unique artist vision to bring to the world.
About Cari Cole
Cari Cole is the CEO / Founder of caricole.com and CCVM: Label Without Walls. She is a Holistic Vocal Coach, Artist Development Expert, A&R Director, and Songwriter based in New York City helping artists for the past 38 years. She is a mentor for Women in Music and The Association of Independent Music Publishers.
Her latest venture, CCVM a label services company, provides artists with a seamless path from creation to completion. After 30+ years of observing the overwhelm and challenges that artists face, Cari pulled together the best top creative professionals and designed a new approach to supporting our artists.
Disclaimer:
The information provided on Cari Cole's website is informational only and should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease. Those seeking personal medical advice should consult with a licensed physician. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health provider regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on Cari Cole's website. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room immediately.
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