Increase Vocal Range

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Become A More Versatile Singer and Increase Vocal Range

You will find a lot of emphasis placed on developing high notes when learning how to sing with lessons to increase vocal range, while the focus on basses or altos is totally absent or missing. This article is a conscientious effort to explore with you some practical methods of manipulating your chest voice to produce low notes. Let's get started with some singing lessons that count.

 

Using chest voice

A valuable point to note is that people use their chest voice to speak normally. As a matter of fact, the way you speak can actually tell you a great deal about how you can sing. Being able to control the way you speak will actually benefit your singing voice.

Speech level singing

We first start by trying to regulate the way you speak. Different non-speech sounds can be tried. For example, try to cry, laugh, sigh, or yawn. Use a pitch pipe or piano to reach the pitch of the sounds made during the trial. Go one step ahead and speak some monosyllables such as aha, uh-huh, and mm-hmm, and repeat the exercise of finding pitches that match.

Pitch

It is time to speak some easy sentences like “I live in _____“ or “I play the piano.” The exercise of finding the matching pitch is repeated. Preferably, the same pitch used for non-speech sounds or monosyllables should match the way you speak. Unfortunately, several individuals make an effort to use a vocal pitch that does not suit their natural voice quality, which is an unhealthy practice to adopt.

Singing on key

Explore a bit more by trying out monosyllables using a piano to establish the pitch. At some stage, you will reach a low pitch beyond which your voice will crack or become hoarse. The sound produced at this low pitch is called “vocal fry.” Sustaining it is not healthy at all. Ideally, you should speak at a pitch that is at least 4 to 5 steps higher than your “vocal fry” limit. If you do not understand this fully, a few singing voice lessons might help at least to point you in the right direction.

Follow it up by speaking whole sentences or reading a paragraph loudly. Explore and find out the highest speaking pitch you can sustain. As you do this, try to establish the most comfortable level for your voice and also find the level at which you start feeling the strain when you hear your voice. This is a sound technique to increase your vocal range.

Vocal yawning

While you produce tones in a particular pitch range, your chest will emit vibrations or will resonate according to your “chest voice.” Your hand is comfortably rested on your upper chest in a position that enables you to touch the collarbone with your thumb and fingers. Perform a yawn-slide wherein you slide to the bottom of your range starting from the top exhaling on the “hoo” or “hee” syllable to help increase vocal range without straining your vocal cords. The vibration transferred onto your hand will indicate your “chest voice” as you slide down your range.

The resonance is actually taking place in your mouth and throat, though you may feel it taking place in your chest. What is actually happening is that air moves across the vocal cards from your lungs thereby creating vibration in the chest.

Hitting low notes

When singers think of how to increase vocal range, many times they are considering high notes but what about singing the low ones? Make use of the fifth slide in order to begin an easy low-range exercise. The buzz or vibrating puckered lips due to expelled air is implemented at your midrange, or you could use the “vaw” syllable at your comfortable starting pitch and then drop five steps lower. It would appear so-do, G-C in the “C” major key. A smooth transition is required during the slide without sounding hoarse or bumpy by beginning every repetition a half step lower than the earlier repetition.

Don't strain your voice

You are probably retaining some tension in your voice, if the sensations you feel are rusty or bumpy when you come down the scale. Take a break and relax your neck and face muscles with some relaxation exercise techniques. Massage your throat and face with smooth and gentle motions, and then continue the singing exercise. Make sure your mouth closes slightly as compared to the starting position when you drop down the scale.

Increase vocal range

Now, move to a higher octave scale to increase vocal range, and sing as you come down the slide using the “vaw” or “buzz.” Let your jaw drop and open your mouth wider, as you move on to a higher scale. The position reverses as you come back to the lower scale. Just imagine your tone to be moving away from you, with the high notes away the farthest as compared to the low notes. You can also use your hand and move it away from your body as you climb up the scale and back when you sing using a lower note.

Another exercise of use is the arpeggio. Produce a vowel sound such as “ee,” “oo,” or “ah” when you sing do-mi-so-do-so-mi-do. Go a step lower than the previous one as you begin a new arpeggio.

Practice is essential in singing

You will have to devote some quality time and make efforts to add to your lower range, but this is true with all singing techniques. Persistence and patience is the key to realize positive results, as you learn how to increase your vocal range.

Brett Manning