Do You Sing Within Your Range?

by Cari Cole

A great singer is one who knows their range and sings within it. Too many singers try to sing out of their range and it makes them sing off pitch and hurt their voices. Each of us has an individual instrument — learn it, accept it, strengthen it, improve it and it will serve you well.

Try to sing outside of your natural range and you’re tampering with nature.

Singing within your range means “singing the notes that sound and feel good.”

If you want to expand your range, do it the right way, with vocal technique. When you study technique, your range will improve considerably and the comfort zone will shift and improve as you become stronger and more flexible.

Tips on What NOT to Do

• Don’t strain or push your voice too hard ~ Try to sing with less pressure at your throat while getting a deeper breath and using more resonance.
• Stop reaching UP for high notes – don’t lift up your chin – point your chin down instead while lengthening the back of the neck – long and tall.
• Don’t push your breath out – Try the “candle in front of your mouth” trick – try not to blow out the flame when you sing.

Note: If you are a baritone (Jim Morrison) don’t try to sing like Sting (first tenor) — you can end up hurting your voice. Not only might you end up losing range, but you will also lose tone, volume and control.

What about you, do you sing within your range?