How to Sing High Notes

​There’s a reason people love high notes! High notes are often climactic, exciting, even thrilling to hear and sing. Unfortunately, they can also be a real challenge to sing. Many people start looking for a singing teacher online or in person specifically to master high notes.
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I’ve been teaching singing lessons in Fort Wayne Indiana and elsewhere since 2011, and students are constantly asking me for help with high notes and range extension. The good news is that there’s a lot you can do to improve your high notes right now! Here are my top four tips for nailing that high note.
 
1.Breathe
 Breathing is the fuel of singing. If you think of singing like a car, it doesn’t matter how amazing the car is if there’s no gas in the car or the fuel injector is broken—the car won’t run. That’s why the best online singing lessons (and in-person singing lessons) often start with breathing and breath support technique. So take a deep breath before you sing that high note!
 
2.Open Your Mouth
If you ever see a great singer singing a high note, they probably have their mouth wide open. You’ve got to make space for those high notes! Allow your lower jaw to come down and relax into a tall “ah” shape before you sing a high note, and make sure you don’t automatically close your mouth as you sing. It might feel strange, but your high notes will likely become much easier if you just make some space.
 
3.Don’t “Reach” for the Note
Excuse me for changing metaphors here, but now I’d like you to think of your body as a fountain, with the water in the fountain acting as air. A pump in a fountain moves the water up and out, but the pipe through which the water moves doesn’t do anything—it’s just there.

Lots of singers make the mistake of trying to sing with the pipe instead of with the pump. When you sing, the air leaves your body and vibrates your vocal folds on the way out, but your airway and the body parts that surround it (such as your throat and mouth) don’t actually need to do any muscular work to produce sound.

If this concept seems weird to you, this is because it’s very counterintuitive. Any singing teacher online can tell you that most people try to do the work of singing with their neck, jaw, tongue, even the shoulders—anything but the breath. Some people even “reach” for high notes by literally craning their neck up to sing (does that sound familiar?).

That’s why my singing lessons in Fort Wayne Indiana focus so heavily on learning to relax these body parts and use breath support instead. Not sure how to do this? I’ll drop some tips for all three of the preceding sections in the conclusion of this post.
 
4.Pick Appropriate Music
This might be the hardest thing for singers to accept. After all, songs with high notes can be so much fun to sing! But if your voice simply doesn’t go that high or you’ve not yet developed the proper technique by singing up for the best online singing lessons you can get, some songs are best left alone. Straining to reach high notes not only sounds iffy; it can actually hurt your voice and cause serious internal damage.

If you simply must sing “Let It Go” or “The Girl in 14G” but you feel like your vocal cords are going to burst, consider singing the piece in a lower key. Many karaoke apps now allow you to change background tracks to any key you wish. Sheet music can also often be transposed to a variety of keys. The only caveat is that if you’re entering a classical competition, at times transposed music is not accepted. In that case, you’re better off picking a piece more appropriate for you right now. Don’t sing music that doesn’t fit your voice; instead, set yourself up for success by picking something that isn’t a literal pain to sing.
 
Nailing Your High Notes with Singing Lessons in Fort Wayne Indiana
The most effective fix is to find the best online singing lessons or in-person lessons you can, but there’s also plenty you can do on your own. The best way to start doing this is to sing in front of a mirror. You can make sure your torso expands when you breathe, your mouth opens all the way (and stays open), and your neck, jaw, and tongue are relaxed as you sing. You’ll probably find that your high notes are suddenly much easier!
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If you’re ready to take the plunge and sign up with a singing teacher online or for singing lessons in Fort Wayne Indiana, shoot me a message here. I’d be happy to help you learn to let those high notes soar!