5 Vocal Techniques to Sing Better High Notes With Ease and Consistency
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? 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.
5 Vocal Techniques to Sing Better High Notes With Ease and Consistency
Every singer wants to hit better high notes with more ease and consistency! By blending vocal techniques and tweaking some lifestyle and mindset aspects, you can get more consistent results over time!
Today’s article reveals a few of the most helpful techniques I use in my lessons from the past 38 years of teaching voice out of my studio in New York City that have turned around singers’ voices the fastest.
1. Keep your chin down to help with laryngeal resistance
Because high notes are placed higher in a singer’s instrument, the mistake is often made to reach up with your chin. This does the exact opposite of what you want. This motion closes off the back of the throat and pulls the soft palate down. You need the throat open and the soft palate in a raised position to reach your high notes. Keep your chin pointed down, and the spine of your neck long to help you reach high notes with more ease and power.
It is also common to close the jaw a bit to reach higher notes, but that is not helping you. Closing your jaw can cut off your high notes and pull your larynx up, closing your throat and making your voice unstable. To get more tone, power, and volume on high notes, keep your jaw open as you sing your vowels. The best way to do this is to practice voice-building exercises.
Start with my Singers Gift Vocal Warm-Ups – where I walk you through techniques to accomplish better and more consistent high notes! Use the coupon code 25off to save $25.00. Click here to learn more.
2. Keep your tongue down in the back
Singers often complain about their high notes sounding too thin or harsh. This is because as you sing higher your throat tends to close, and your vocal muscles get pushed upward making for a thinner, harsher sound.
One of several solutions is to press your tongue down in the back of your throat to “anchor” the note.
Try this:
- First, practice the feeling of the tongue dropping to use it during singing.
- Hold your jaw open, keep the tip of the tongue glued to the inside of the lower lip, and say “Kah” without moving or closing your jaw.
- The tongue will reach up to the roof of your mouth (soft palate area) on the “k” and drop down on the “ah”. Practice this to get better control of the tongue.
- Start with my Singers Gift Vocal Warm-Ups – where I walk you through the Kah scales and positions to execute them correctly. Use the coupon code 25off to save $25.00. Click here to learn more.
Then when singing high notes try using the technique! Don’t expect the tongue to cooperate instantly, it takes some practice, but some of you will notice an immediate improvement. The tighter the tongue is the more difficult this will be. But practicing this over time will result in stronger, more “anchored” high notes.
3. Think down for high notes
The next time you sing an ascending vocal scale or you sing a high note, try thinking of the way an elevator works. A heavy weight is attached to a pulley and as the weight pulls down, the elevator goes up to the higher floors. So, the highest floor is reached when the weight is the heaviest. Similarly, you should think down for your high notes or think of adding weight (resistance) to your highest notes. Click here for more information on how to sing better high notes.
4. Hydration is key!
Hydration is critical in hitting high notes. Being dehydrated can cause a dry voice, which can cause trouble with high notes and fatigue quickly.
Most vocal problems stem from dehydration. One of the ENTs I work with in NY once told me that if his patients drank more water he would lose 3/4 of them. Read that again. Hoarseness, loss of high notes, and losing your voice are a few of the many signs of dehydration.
Staying hydrated makes the difference in being able to have a strong and smooth voice in performance. Being hydrated gives you high notes with ease, smoothness between your notes, flexibility, and endurance, and reduces strain.
There are many ways to hydrate – scroll through to see how I keep myself and my clients hydrated! Hydration for the voice is not just water. It consists of moisture (humidity), and consuming foods with a high water content. We use steam, inhaling the steam from a cup of herbal tea, or just plain water. You can throw in a cup of broth to add to the hydration or any foods with a high water content.
In addition, raw foods have a high water content and a higher nutrient level, giving you additional energy for performance. The more raw food you consume, the less water you have to drink. Try adding green juice and vegetable salads to your diet each day!
Broths are a great way to increase hydration! Beef and vegetable broth-based soups are a popular way to stay nutritious and hydrated.
See my Ultimate Hydration Part I and Part II on Instagram:
Hydration Plan, Part I: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cfl2XzklGBr/
Hydration Plan, Part II: https://www.instagram.com/p/CgmM07AuOOH/
5. Mindset factors improve performance
Mindset is an important factor in singing high notes with ease and consistency. Sometimes it’s the way you are thinking in the days leading up to your performance or during performance that can throw things off.
One of the techniques I teach in my programs is to use the power of visualization to help you achieve your goals.
Visualization is the practice of mentally imagining yourself performing various tasks or actions the way you would like to perform them in real life.
It is used by Olympic athletes to improve performance by up to 33%.
- It’s a mental rehearsal of skills, specific gameday scenarios, racing in new venues, or performing at the top of your ability while under pressure.
- The idea is that if you consistently mentally rehearse sports scenarios or specific actions, the physical performance of those scenarios and actions will improve.
- The effects of visualization are real, but the greatest impact comes when visualization is used in conjunction with a disciplined, sport-specific training schedule.
Work on developing mental strength + resilience and visualize your performances exactly how you would like to experience them.
Developing mental strength is a three-pronged approach:
- Catch the negative thought in motion. That alone creates a dynamic to stop it.
- Replace negative thoughts with positive, more realistic thoughts. Control your emotions so your emotions don’t control you.
- Take positive action – no matter how small.
JOIN ME EVERY WEDNESDAY AT 12 pm Eastern: Join me on YouTube (and Instagram, Facebook)– where I discuss the Blog of the Week followed by a short Q&A where you can ask me questions.
The Cole Vocal Method – Click here to learn more.
At the upcoming FREE 4-Day Better Voice Challenge, you’ll flow through 4 one-hour workshop-style sessions to experience a transformative shift in your voice. Each session builds on the other in sequence to open up your voice, begin restoring your natural sound, and increase vocal power with simple and effective methods. Come join me and learn the methods Grammy winners and legends use to transform their voices and keep them performing at their peak!
Related Posts:
Voice:
Share this post
Categories
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.
INSTANT ACCESS
STEP UP TO THE SPOTLIGHT
6-Week Kickstart Artist Development Program
Win Awards, Gain
Notoriety, and Industry
Recognition.
101
IDEAS TO INSPIRE
YOUR NEXT SONG
Cari Cole’s FREE songwriting prompts to break writers block and free your inner songwriter voice!
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.