Screamin' High Notes?

The song “Blinding Lights” by The Weekend has the most streams at over four billion and just lightly touches a Bb as its highest note.  “Sunflower” (Post Malone) has over three billion and only rises to a G in the peak of its chorus. The melodies of the other highest streaming songs by Morgan Wallen, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, etc., all sit in comfortable ranges. Yet, we singers tend to fixate on range as if it’s the reason we’re not captivating listeners and racking up huge social media numbers.

True, there is an emotional lift when a melody soars upward, but the pitches should always be proportionate to the instrument.  Sing at the height of your voice’s potential and your audience will assume your abilities are limitless. Sing beyond your boundaries and you merely call attention to your limitations.  This does not mean you are stuck with the measly dozen or so pitches you sing well these days; rarely does a singer access their full genetic range without some training.  It does mean, though, that before you worry about expanding, it helps to embrace what you have.

Vocal range is a lot like the range of motion of your limbs.  Can you drop down into a split without warming up?  Even after warming up?  For most, the elasticity necessary for a move like that requires a long program of stretching.  The same is true for your voice.  The vocal folds are membranes (a little smaller then your eyelids) that close over the windpipe.  When air streams through the tiny opening they create, their edges vibrate.  The vibration is nothing more than a microscopic wiggle.  To sing high, your vocal folds have to vibrate fast. 

The action required to sing different notes is very much like tuning a guitar.  Muscles surrounding the larynx pull or release the folds to create high and low pitches.  The amount of movement required for your entire range is microscopic.  I suggest you reread that previous line about a thousand times until it is embedded in your subconscious.  The root of all vocal problems is that we perceive the activities involved with singing as big events.  They are not.  We ball our fists and load up enough air pressure to create an aneurysm just to get through the chorus of a song.  The automatic reaction to such force is resistance; the body braces for the assault.  Rigid muscles surrounding the larynx deny flexibility and lock up the vocal folds.  No flexibility, no range – it’s that simple.

The key to singing high notes is volume.  Reducing the volume of your voice removes the burden of excess air pressure so your folds can become more elastic.  Just as it takes a little stretching every day to get your legs into a split, vocalizing daily at a low volume will allow you to visit higher notes without stress.  It’s best to sing scales rather than songs at first; the memory of a song’s performance will lead you to pushing.  Allow your higher notes to venture into head resonance.  Only after you are completely comfortable with producing a note at a low volume should you attempt to raise the output.  Increasing the volume in very small increments will allow you to monitor muscle independence.  If facial or neck muscles join in to support a note, you’ve added too much air pressure.  Singing with comfort and control allows what is unique about your voice to shine through.  And that is what potential listeners are really waiting to hear!  No screaming necessary.