Singing Coach

Before I had learned to sing properly, a really good friend of mine signed up for some singing classes. I was the first to admit that I was surprised to hear that she wanted to find a singing coach because I always thought she was a pretty good singer. After speaking to her about this, she told me that she wanted to learn how to sing better rather than just knowing the singing basics. In particular, she wanted a singing coach to show her how to hit the high notes. As somebody who had being singing in a church choir all my life, this was something that I had trouble with as well.

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Not long after my friend started her singing classes, she told me that her singing coach was helping her to get a lot better at hitting higher notes than she had ever been before. I asked her if she could compile a few tips that I could maybe use to see if I could do some singing exercises that would enable me to finally hit some of those higher notes that had always eluded me. My friend told me that she would see what she could do.

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A couple of weeks later my friend called me on the phone and told me that her singing coach had put together a little cheat sheet that might help me. If you are somebody who is interested in becoming a better singer and who wants to learn how to hit the high notes, then I highly encourage you to try what I’m about to share with you. I can tell you from personal experience that this works and in fact I still use many of these techniques in my vocal warm up exercises today.

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Let’s get started, but first, a quick warning. You’re probably aware of this if you’re an experienced singer, but it needs to be mentioned anyway. My singing coach always reminds me: never over-strain your voice! If you get to the point where the only sound you can sing sounds like a whisper, just take a break and rest your voice for a few minutes. The last thing you want is for scar tissue to develop over your vocal chords. Unless your idea of singing better involves melancholic grudge or punk songs, having scar tissue on your vocal chords will decrease the quality of your singing voice. Okay, with that out of the way, let’s dive right into the recommended steps to enable you to learn to sing the high notes.

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1) Take a few minutes to do a vocal warm up with some rudimentary singing basics. For example, you can try humming through ascending arpeggios. The point is to warm up and go as high as you can for your vocal range — but don’t strain yourself!

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2) Try to develop a clear sense of the high note you want to reach and make sure you’re setting a realistic initial goal. Ensure that this note is within the achievable range of your singing voice.

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3) Start by singing the note that is an octave below it. Then, breathe deeply into your diaphragm and back, simultaneously dropping your inner jaw. You will then want to raise your soft palette without also dropping your tongue or raising your larynx. Does this make sense? I know it might seem confusing and nearly impossible to pull off, but it gets easier with practice and this sort of thing definitely helps you to learn to sing better.

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4) Get your voice high up in your head (above your eye sockets, near your forehead). It helps to visualize the top of your head as being large and hollow. Sing the high note with gentle but solid support from your lower body. It might feel like you’re yelling, but this is a good way to improve your singing voice.

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5) Even though your voice feels like it’s up in your head, it actually starts its rise in your diaphragm. When you’re singing, your voice will reverberate in your skull first. Then it will be projected outwards.

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6) Spend the time practicing singing the two notes an octave apart. Proceed ahead when you manage to achieve a rich tone for your high note.

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There you have it! Keep practicing and before long you’ll be hitting the high notes too!

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Now, if you don’t have enough money to hire your own singing coach, don’t despair, because when I first started out I found some brilliant software called Singorama, which you can check out by clicking on the link below if you are interested.

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Singorama Vocal Trainging Program

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This will take you step by step though a series of singing exercises which will enable you to develop your natural singing voice and vocal stamina. I personally made some good progress with this package, and compared with the cost of a singing coach, i think that this is well worth the investment.

Singing is a favourite artistic pursuit of many men and women. People the world over are uplifted, energized, comforted and entertained every day by listening to songs on the radio, on CDs and on the internet. Even more magnificent and empowering is attending a vocal concert or choral concert, in which the audience members are treated to the sounds of beautiful voices accompanied by sweetly-tuned instruments.

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With the professional vocalists as your role models, you have decided that you want to invest time in singing training to improve your voice. Your knowledgeable singing coach advises you to practice your singing at home, beginning with a thorough vocal warm-up. Warming up your voice is important for your vocal health, to prevent damage to your vocal chords and build a strong voice for singing.

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Follow the steps below to properly warm up your voice.

When you begin your vocal warm up, especially if you are singing early in the morning, begin by singing lower notes first. Before singing the entire musical scale, sing through shorter scales first to ease your voice into singing. For example, sing “doh, re, mi, re, doh.” Before singing large intervals (skipping between 5 or more notes) singing small intervals, such as thirds, for example, “doh, mi, doh.”

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Now you are prepared to sing the entire musical scale. Sing a major scale using the solfege note names – doh, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, doh – as you play your piano or keyboard. Sing through the ascending (upwards) scale and descending (downwards) scale several times. Sing the scale in different keys if you are comfortable with playing the piano or keyboard.

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Another singing exercise involves singing a “major arpeggio” scale. This scale is made up of the dominant chord notes from the major scale: “doh, mi, sol, (high doh), sol, mi doh.”

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An alternate singing exercise involves singing both the major scale and major arpeggio scale, beginning with the highest note and finishing with the lowest note (doh).

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You can also do a humming warm up. Learning to hum notes takes practice, so start with a simple exercise such as humming little scales of 3 notes within a range of 5 notes, for example, hum “doh, mi, sol, mi, doh” several times, starting with lower notes, then repeat with slightly higher notes. Humming notes with proper pitch will help to warm  up your “singing muscles” – your vocal chords.

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It is important to warm up your facial muscles, which are all used in singing and in proper articulation and pronunciation of the lyrics. The muscles used to sing and speak include the jaw, lips, tongue and soft palate. Warm up these muscles by reciting tongue twisters, as these can help you to warm up your voice and practice proper breathing. One example is, “Suzie sells seashells by the seashore. The shells Suzie sells are surely seashells. So if Suzie sells shells on the seashore, I’m sure Suzie sells seashore shells.”

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Make sure that throughout your vocal warm up and singing lesson or practice that you keep your body and your vocal chords properly hydrated.

Singers, both amateur and professional, experience a series of common problems regarding proper singing exercises, breathing technique and overall health. Listed below are some of the most common problems that singers experience.

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Singing with Improper Posture

Most people have problems maintaining a healthy posture. Vocal students need to learn how to achieve and maintain a proper posture in order to improve their singing voice. Common postural problems include singers slumping their shoulders forward, caving in their chests, slumping their head and neck forward and maintaining a hyper-extended, tense posture that leads to muscular tension through the body. Correcting these problems alone can be one of the quickest ways to put you on the right track towards singing better.

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The best singing coaches and many singing books will tell you to think about building proper singing posture from your feet up to your head. To do this you must stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and make sure that your feet are flat on the floor. Ensure that your legs are relatively straight, but avoid locking your knees. Stand with your back straight, but remember not to tense up your back and chest muscles, giving the “tin soldier” effect. Breathe deeply and comfortably. Relax your shoulders and make sure that they are not pulled forward. Hold your head up comfortably, making sure that your chin is parallel with the floor. Avoid looking down to the floor or looking up to the ceiling, as both positions will create muscle tension in your head, neck, and shoulders and will block your sound from projecting nicely. In order to develop better posture, consider participating in yoga or Pilates classes.

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Singing with Improper Breathing and Insubstantial Breath Support

As with developing ideal singing posture, mastering proper breathing technique takes time and effort. Many people, singers and non-singers alike, have unhealthy breathing habits and use what is referred to as “chest breathing,” only filling up to top one-third of their lungs with air and raising their shoulders when they try to take in a deep breath.

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Imagine your lungs as two big balloons. Imagine slowly inflating the balloons as you inhale in a deep and controlled manner. You fill up the balloons with air, beginning at your stomach and filling your lower and upper lung cavities with air. Proper vocal breathing, called “diaphragmatic breathing” involves using your diaphragm, an important muscle below your stomach, to support and control your breathing. Be patient as you work both independently and with your qualified vocal instructor on learning diaphragmatic breathing techniques. Over time, your deeper breathing and improved breath support will translate into singing better.

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Problems with Vocal Abuse

Avoid smoking cigarettes. Smoking is very unhealthy for your lungs, heart and throat. Smoking irritates your vocal tract and negatively affects both your singing voice and your speaking voice.

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Avoid yelling and screaming, as this places unnecessary strain on your vocal chords. If you need to get someone’s attention, walk toward them instead of yelling across the house or room.

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Limit the time that you spend in noisy environments, such as restaurants, rock concerts, clubs and loud parties, as you will end up having to talk louder just to be heard by others.

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Problems with Dehydration

It is very important to keep your body and your throat hydrated. Singing and speaking both dehydrate your throat and body. Drink six to eight glasses of water per day and drink water throughout your singing classes.

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Avoid consuming alcoholic beverages and drinks containing caffeine, including coffee, tea and soda. Alcohol and caffeine deplete your vocal chords of necessary lubrication.

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