Hello fellow singers and singmates!

   If you are male and the lowest note you can comfortably sing is for example an E [or Mi] or an F [or Fa] below middle C [Do] on the piano then you are probably a baritone or a contralto if you are female. This is an indication that you have a lower range voice compared to other singers. When voices start typically 4 or 5 notes higher on the scale then they are female sopranos and male tenors. I know this is too formal an indicator but for those of you who don’t want to bother to find out, you can easily get hold of any recording artists in different genres and compare your voices to theirs. That should be a faster indicator – short cuts for all of us busy multi-tasking karaoke fanatics!

It’s urgent for you to understand where you’re at vocally because this is the clue as to what songs will sound good for your voice. No need to worry too much about music theories if all this seems confusing. Every person is unique, thus, so are our voices as you already know. However, there are still many karaoke singers who love a certain song so much, they would just go ahead and sing it, even if the result is shrill or dull. However, it is all in the spirit of fun. I am only here to help you enhance what you already have.

FAQ: Can I improve my vocal range – higher or lower?

I’m happy to say that YES you certainly can! Some people enroll for formal voice lessons – great if they have the time and the budget. But you can do it on your own as long as you understand the instructions on how all of this is done. I am not an accredited singing teacher so I can only give you hints and tips and tricks. Our voices are naturally divided into 2 registers called head voice and chest voice. To find these voices start by singing the lowest note you can and progress up the scale until you find that you are naturally singing into a more "head" based tone as the notes get higher. If you have never tried it, it’s a weird discovery but nonetheless thrilling! It is important that you know the what/when/where/whys of why you want to learn chest and head tones because this is when you can control your voice and avoid damaging your vocal cords.

This is the exercise: Start the scale at your lowest note – this would be your chest voice. Keep progressing higher until you can no longer sing higher using your chest voice and your voice naturally breaks into your head voice. This is a natural occurrence, you need not help it. You’ll find that the high register (your head voice) will sound lighter and more “treble” than your chest voice. Usually you’ll find the higher registers hard to control, until you’ve practiced well in that range. If you do this exercise, you will ultimately improve your range because you are not conscious of the registers and will learn to control your vocals. Of course the more you sing the better you will get at it.

Here are ways to improve your vocal range:

·          One of the best and most obvious examples of head register or falsetto as it is sometimes called is the Bee Gees. They actually deliberately developed their head voices to create a new sound for their songs. Try singing songs that have a wide melodic range. Be careful not to strain to reach the high notes in your chest voice. Use this exercise to place part of the melody into your head register.

·          To improve your vocal range downward [chest voice] you have to relax. Don’t sing a song in a key that is too much lower than your usual songs. Just drop the key 2 or 3 tones where you would usually sing it. Keep your chin up and head centered and relaxed at all times.  As you make use of your lower range more often you’ll happily discover that it will develop

·          If affordable, get some singing lessons. A vocal teacher will assist you and provide you with the necessary tools to improve your own unique sound.

We were all born with a chest voice that would range about 8 to 12 notes naturally. Even if you don’t try, you are already equipped to sing a lot of songs anyway. Your actual range high and low on the scale however would be unique only to you.

Hope I am of help.

Love, Poppy

poppy.mariawoodward.com