Adult Voice Question: I’m an alto singer. Are there any tricks to reach at least SOME high notes?
I’ve been singing for years. I have a very very low voice, so I mostly sing jazz. But I find it hard to reach very easy high notes! Are there ANY tricks or tips to make me sing higher and better?!
Answer: Sing every day. You will lose what you have if you don’t use it regularly.
Allow yourself time to warm up vocally before you get into song literature. These warm ups should begin small and comfortably low and gradually work upwards and expand in range. Also, implement the principle that the higher the note, the more space (in the mouth and throat), the more energy (in the body and support system) and the more feeling of depth (vowels have) should take place. If you are not incrementally adding space and energy as pitch rises then start making that a regular part of your singing – watching yourself in the mirror.
Those top notes should not be “reached for” or “grabbed.” Keep your jaw loose and dropped open and “let” the tone happen both without blasting it or “clutching” it even though it takes a lot of energy. There is a sense that high notes are a coordinated “balancing act” and tone feels like it “floats.”
Bear in mind, however, that as an alto, the older you get (especially past middle age) notes at-the-top-of the treble clef or above it will tend to disappear, and the notes below the treble clef will tend to be increasingly more accessible.
Just one other thing. One of the hardest things for some of us low-voiced singers is to accept our lot as such. I’m not implying that you don’t accept that you’re an alto, but I do empathize with the yearning to be able to sing “those high notes” that seem to bring so much “glory” to other good singers. I’m a bass-baritone – and would love to be able to have the higher notes of a Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau or a Thomas Hampson.
Keep singing daily, and don’t fret. Best wishes.
Tags: high notes, more energy, more space, start slow and increase range gradually, vowels feel deeper