Strengthening Your Voice
Breathe from your diaphragm for the best breath control. The diaphragm is a muscle beneath the lungs that contracts whenever you breathe in, allowing your lungs to expand. To breathe from your diaphragm, focus on breathing so that you can see and feel your belly expanding as you breathe in. Keep your shoulders loose to get the most air. You’ll likely need to take more breaths when you’re singing high notes, making it important to practice proper breathing techniques.
Maintain good posture to help with your breathing. Sit or stand up straight when you’re singing, paying careful attention not to slouch. This will give your diaphragm more room to expand and contract correctly. It’s not necessary to point your chin upwards—instead, just look straight ahead for the best posture. Many people think that looking slightly upwards extends your voice and produces a louder sound, but really it just puts tension on the muscles in your throat.
Relax your body to avoid tensing up your muscles. Remind yourself to relax your shoulders and facial muscles before you begin singing. If the muscles in your face, neck, and shoulders are all tense, you won’t be able to produce your best sound. Move your neck to the left and right slowly, pausing a few seconds before switching, to release any tension in your neck. Most people hold tension in their upper body without even realizing it. Take a deep breath and release the air, helping your muscles relax automatically.
Practice daily to get the best results. Just like with most other things, you need to be consistent to truly see a difference in your high note ability. Your voice has to be trained before it can reach its full potential. Do vocal exercises each day, trying to get your voice to go a bit higher each time. Set small goals for yourself, such as trying a new vocal exercise every few days or trying to hold your high note a second or two longer each day. Be patient—don’t worry if you’re not developing a high singing voice as quickly as you’d like. It takes time!
Doing Exercises to Sing Higher
Stretch your facial and neck muscles to help your vocal cords. Get all of your stretching done first before you start singing. Move your neck in slow circles to stretch those muscles, or switch between a big smile and an open mouth in the shape of an ‘O’ to stretch your face. Do each exercise 5-10 times to stretch your muscles well. Bend your head back and flex your tongue outwards to stretch your throat. Do 5 big yawns to stretch the muscles around your mouth. Focus on one stretch if you don't have much time, or do 5 of each exercise to practice multiple stretches in one sitting. These exercises really work. "I had a thyroidectomy about 8 months ago and these exercises have given me hope that my voice can get back to where it was. I've already seen a serious impact over the last few weeks!" - Tamara J. Keep it consistent. "I really want to be like Jake Zyrus. He has such a powerful voice. I was trying my best but didn't make much improvement until I started doing the exercises in this article. I’ve been using them for 3 days now and they really have had a big impact on my voice!" - Jane P. Have a story our readers should hear? Share it with 1 billion+ annual wikiHow users. Tell us your story here.
Practice vocal sirens to strengthen your high notes. This is when you make your voice imitate the sound of an ambulance’s siren, moving up to the higher notes, back down to lower notes, and then back up again in one continuous sound. This will help you find out what your full range is while stretching your vocal cords. These help you reach your maximum high note by trying to imitate the high pitched noise of a siren. EXPERT TIP Amy Chapman, MA Amy Chapman, MA Voice & Speech Coach Amy Chapman MA, CCC-SLP is a vocal therapist and singing voice specialist. Amy is a licensed and board certified speech & language pathologist who has dedicated her career to helping professionals improve and optimize their voice. Amy has lectured on voice optimization, speech, vocal health, and voice rehabilitation at universities across California, including UCLA, USC, Chapman University, Cal Poly Pomona, CSUF, CSULA. Amy is trained in Lee Silverman Voice Therapy, Estill, LMRVT, and is a part of the American Speech and Hearing Association. Amy Chapman, MA Amy Chapman, MA Voice & Speech Coach Did You Know? As you're going higher in pitch, your vocal cords are stretched longer. As you go lower, they're shorter. If you sing high and low notes while you're warming up, you're stretching your vocal cords and getting them more pliable, so they're able to move more easily.
Try arpeggios to practice your different pitches. Arpeggios are useful exercises that help you transition from the different major and minor scales. Singing arpeggios to different vowels or other sounds is a great way to extend your vocal range. Go online to find videos of arpeggio scales for you to sing along with, helping you practice. You might sing "ee-ee-ee-ee-ee," with the first and last "ee" being the lowest and the middle one being the highest note. Instead of being a continuous sound, arpeggios have very small pauses between each note.
Use vocal slides to slowly move up to higher notes. Vocal slides are a great way for you to gently reach high notes before coming back down. Use your voice to slide from a low note to a high note, and then back down as if your voice was on a swing. Vocal slides are more controlled than vocal sirens, though they sometimes sound similar. Try humming your vocal slides or choosing a sound like “wooo” or “ahhh or "eeeeh". Vocal slides help relax your throat, making it easier for you to reach higher notes. Taylor Swift Taylor Swift, Singer & Businesswoman Embrace your passion for singing. "I have been singing randomly, obsessively, obnoxiously for as long as I can remember."
Draw out the high note once you reach it to practice holding it. While most of your early practicing should be focused on reaching the high notes briefly and then going back down, after you’ve mastered this skill, you can go even further. Once you reach your highest note, try to hold it for several seconds before going back down the scale.
Taking Care of Your Vocal Cords
Know your current vocal range. This will help you figure out what your limits are. Most people have a range of about 2 octaves, with more professional singers reaching a range of 3-4. Understand the range that’s comfortable for your voice so you know when to stop and rest. Some people’s voices don’t easily allow them to sing super high notes without straining their vocal cords. To find your vocal range, sing a full range of notes, noticing when your voice starts cracking or you're having difficulty reaching the note. This is the range that's comfortable for your voice.
Stay hydrated to keep your vocal cords healthy. Drinking lots of water is a great way to do this so that your vocal cords are nice and hydrated. Aim to drink 6-8 glasses of water each day. If you notice your throat starting to hurt or become raspy, drink some warm tea and use throat lozenges to help soothe it. Avoid drinking water that’s super cold and instead opt for room temperature water, adding lemon or honey to it if desired. If you’re not properly hydrated and healthy, it can be harder to reach the pitch you’re hoping for. You can purchase throat lozenges marketed specifically for singers, if desired.
Avoid straining your voice by stopping when you feel uncomfortable. If you notice your voice starting to hurt or get tired, stop practicing. Straining your voice can damage it, making it even harder for you to reach your singing goals. Always put your vocal cords’ health first and take a break when it’s needed. You don’t need to practice for long periods each day—even just a few minutes of vocal exercises will help strengthen your voice. Drink a warm drink, like tea with honey in it, to soothe your vocal cords if they start to hurt.
Warm up your voice before diving right into singing. Your voice is a muscle, and it needs to be stretched just like any other muscle in your body before it gets put to work. Stretch your neck muscles and do vocal exercises to warm up your voice while practicing your high notes. Warm up your voice for roughly 5-10 minutes, or longer if you have more experience.
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