Singing high notes can be challenging even for established singers, mostly because a lot of singers do not know how to do it correctly and they end up injuring themselves. If you are a beginner singer, then do not worry, singing high notes might be difficult but you will see that with just a couple of steps you will also be able to sing high notes.
In order to sing high notes, you have to strengthen your voice, as singing high notes needs a lot of power. In addition to this the more you will open your mouth the better you will be able to sing high notes, as long as you keep your chin down and your voice is strong enough to hold the high notes. Everybody can learn how to sing high notes, although a singer’s ability to sing high notes is determined by their singing technique and their vocal cords as well.
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There are two main problems why you can not sing high notes, either you do not know how to correctly sing them or you simply do not have the support to do so. By support, I mean correct breathing technique, and even posture, how you stand while you are singing will either make you better at singing high notes or worse. A lot of beginner singers will force themselves to sing high notes by using their chest voice, the problem is that for singing high notes you will need to use your head voice and not your chest voice. If you force yourself to sing high notes with your chest voice without knowing how to belt correctly then you will never be able to correctly sing high notes.
Belting is simply your ability to sing in the vocal range of your head voice, but by using your chest voice. On the other hand, there are some singers who use falsetto instead of their head voice, for some singers, this gives them the ability to sing high notes. The problem with singing falsetto is that it is extremely punishing on your vocal cords and a lot of singers like Adele had to get surgery to remove vocal nodules that have formed due to her falsetto voice.
To sing high notes correctly it is vital that you understand and know how to use the basic singing and breathing techniques, without them you will have nothing to support the higher notes. Your main goal as a singer is to keep your vocal cords as healthy as possible, so do not force your vocal cords while singing high notes, especially if you are a beginner singer. If you have a problem with cracking up when you sing high notes then check out my recent article Voice cracks when singing high notes? ( How to fix it? ).
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Sing high notes by strengthening your voice
In order to be able to sing high notes, you will need to have a fairly strong voice. The main problem with why you can not sing or you can not hold high notes for long periods of time is because your voice is simply not strong enough. Strengthening your voice will not happen overnight, it will take months or even years, although do not get discouraged as every time you practice to sing higher notes you will get better.
Just keep in mind that you have to strengthen your core muscles for breathing also, like your abs and neck muscles. While you are singing higher notes, your throat will be under serious pressure, and in order to be able to use this pressure for singing your muscles have to be fairly strong. If you have a weak voice, but you still want to sing higher notes then my recommendation is to check out my recent article My singing voice is weak! ( What to do? ).
Eliminate tension while singing high notes
Tension can be a big voice changer, even the best singers struggle to sing high notes if they are tense. If you got angry and started to yell you probably noticed how your voice suddenly changed and you are in a whole other pitch than you normally would be, and this is because of tension. Before singing high notes you should simply relax for 15-20 minutes, do some breathing exercises, or simply stretch out.
I know that relaxing and eliminating tension might seem like a fairly negligible problem, but trust me it will improve your ability to sing in general. If you are a beginner singer you have probably noticed that while you are singing in front of different people that your voice somehow changes and in front of some people you can sing without a problem, while in front of other people you simply crack up, this is because of tension mostly caused by nervousness, for more information check out my recent article How to not be nervous when singing a solo? ( Top 13 Easy Ways ).
Warm-up before singing high notes
Do not ever attempt to sing high notes without warming up first, as you will do more harm than good. If you follow some singers on social media then you have probably noticed that some of them simply skip warming up even if they are singing high notes. The big difference between you and them is that they have experience in singing for at least a decade if not more, which allows them to sing even without warming up, although I do not recommend anybody to do it no matter if you are a beginner or an advanced singer.
You do not even have to do some fancy or long warm-up exercises, all warm-up exercises are meant to warm up your vocal cords, and they will work no matter if you are singing high notes or not. One of my favorite warm-up exercises is humming, it’s extremely easy to do and you can do it virtually anywhere.
Sing high notes with diaphragmatic support
If you are a singer then you probably heard how important is diaphragmatic breathing for singing, this is also true for singing higher notes. Your diaphragm and the muscles which allow your diaphragm to expand and contract have to be powerful enough to be able to sing high notes. Developing a strong diaphragm will take you around a couple of months if you are a beginner singer, and you can do several exercises to strengthen it, just search for them on my site.
Sing high notes by opening your mouth and pointing your chin down
Just take a close look at any singer who can sing high notes, the one thing they have in common is that they open up their mouth fairly wide and that they point their chin down. You also might have noticed that some singers will point their chin up, like opera singers, although they are doing this to enhance their resonance and not for the actual higher notes. Go in front of a mirror and start singing a song with high notes, now try to open your mouth a bit more and lower your chin, if done correctly you should be able to sing the higher notes a lot easier.
Don’t look up while singing high notes
As I have previously mentioned you might have seen singers who look up and raise their chin while singing higher notes. In fact, most people when they imagine someone singing higher notes, they imagine them looking up towards the sky. This mistake is not only made by a beginner but also by a lot of established singers, the problem is that while looking up you do not allow your voice to compress enough and have enough power for the high notes.
Sing high notes by enhancing your vocal range
One problem which a lot of singers seem to face is that they do not have the necessary vocal range to sing high notes. If you have a wide enough vocal range to sing high notes then you should focus on enhancing the range, start by singing lower notes, and then gradually go up towards the higher notes. After you have mastered this, then you should start doing this in reverse as well, this way you will be able to correctly switch from your head to your chest voice and the other way around which is fairly important for singing high notes.
Know your limits for singing high notes
Although everybody can sing high notes to a certain degree, but the truth is that everybody is limited by their vocal cords on how high they can sing. The thing is that other than surgery you do not have any other way to change your vocal cords. If you have been struggling to sing higher notes for years than this might be your problem, now this doesn’t mean that you are not a good singer, as there are plenty of singers who can not sing high notes and who are still extremely successful.
Monitor your progress of singing high notes
I am a big fan of monitoring my progress, and so should you, this way you will know what you are doing wrong and what you are doing correctly. There is a thin line between singing high notes correctly and incorrectly, so you have to always keep a certain balance in terms of airflow, and singing technique. My suggestion is to start recording yourself, and once a month compare the recordings if you have done everything correctly then you should be able to sing a lot better.
Sing high notes by using your tongue correctly
Not a lot of singers actually pay attention to what their tongue is doing while they are singing. The truth is that your tongue will directly impact what kind of sound you produce, no matter if you are singing higher or lower notes. I have seen a lot of beginner singers who place their tongue above their lower teeth, this is not the correct tongue position for singing high notes. High notes need a lot of air, and you have to open your mouth as wide as possible if you place your tongue on your lower teeth than you are just limiting the airflow which will drastically alter how you sound.
The correct tongue position for singing higher notes is in the bottom, bellow your teeth. Try this tongue position while you are singing higher notes experiment with pushing your tongue back or in front, but whit the same tongue posture, this way you will find your sweet spot for your tongue.
Hydrate yourself to sing high notes
While you are singing higher notes, a lot of air will go trough your throat, which means that you will lose a lot of water while breathing and singing. If you have ever felt like your throat starts to itch while you are singing, then this is because your throat is dry and your body didn’t have time to rehydrate your vocal cords as it isn’t a priority. Take small sips of water once in a while, just do not drink cold water as this constricts your vocal cords and alters your sound.
Sing high notes by belting
If you are a beginner singer then you probably will not be able to belt your voice as it takes a lot of control. On the other hand, if you are an advanced singer then you should learn how to belt, especially for singing higher notes. Belting is singing higher notes with your chest voice, I know that this can be somewhat confusing for beginner singers but once you learn more about singing you will become more familiar with belting.
Don’t force your vocal cords while singing high notes
A lot of singers will strain their voice while they are singing higher notes. Their main problem is not that they can not sing higher notes, but they simply force their voice way too much, which could lead to some serious health complications down the line. Your vocal cords are not muscles, you can not simply force them till they are hurting and then expect that this makes them stronger. You have to take singing with baby steps, as it will take a fairly long time to develop a good singing voice.
Your diet does impact your ability to sing high notes
If you know that you are a talented singer, but for some reason, you still can’t sing high notes then you might be hindering yourself with your diet. Most singers do know to stay far away from smoking, drinking and even vaping, although there are some everyday foods and drinks that you should still avoid like coffee, milk, sodas, and of course alcohol.
Keep practicing singing high notes
You will not be able to sing high notes overnight, it will take a couple of months, but with hard work and dedication, you should be able to sing high notes without any problem. Keep on practicing and closely monitor your progress, it will take some time but with each practice, you will only get better as a singer.
In conclusion
If you are a beginner singer than do not get discouraged if you can not sing high notes, look at the bright side, now you have all the information that you need and with enough practice, as it is only a matter of time till you will succeed. I know that you are probably overwhelmed by all this information, but this is just one part of a bigger puzzle, which you will eventually complete as time goes by.
