Quote Of The Day:
“Am I afraid of high notes? Of course I am afraid. What sane man is not?”
Wow, if Luciano was afraid of hitting high notes, the rest of us mere musical mortals may never even attempt it. Take heart, I truly believe that there is a foolproof method to hitting the high notes in your full voice with precision and effortlessness. You too can be a Diva or Rock Star. (Before you comment, I am aware that Luciano sang opera : 0).
In my years of singing and coaching pop vocal technique, it has become very clear to me, that in following a particular sequence of actions, you can make the big notes without straining or cracking your voice.
The first part of this equation is breathing. In my world, breathing correctly is the foundation of great singing. The first thing you will need to check is the direction of your breathing. A proper singer’s breath is “air in/tummy out”. Also in regards to breathing, you need to take in the right amount of air for the phrase. If you are singing in your Diva or Rock Star placement, which is the upper end of your full voice, you will need to fill up your air tank substantially to support the big note. Place your hand on your abdomen to be sure that your tummy comes out and presses against it when you take in your breath. Be aware of not raising your shoulders up and sucking your tummy inwards when taking in air which is something I call “backwards breathing” and is highly detrimental to hitting the big notes with ease.
Another little rule of thumb I like to share with my students is to get in a big breath as close to the big note as possible. If the phrase is 8 words long and the big note happens on word 5, you would want to create an opportunity for a breath, maybe after word 3 or just before word 5, for example. Having enough air in your “tank” to support the big note is imperative. If you don’t get a chance to take in more air, you may have already used 70% of your breath and what is left may not be enough to get under the note to sing it with correct pitch, power and emotion. If there is absolutely no place to breathe close to the big note, then be sure to get a “super big mondo” breath at the beginning of the phrase. However, I am a big advocate of breathing often for mechanical and emotional reasons and creating spaces to breathe in order to deliver the goods in perfect pitch and with power. This is my modus operandi and has never failed me.
Stay tuned for Part 2 next week. Until then, practice your singer’s breath. Check out this video from my 5 Point Singing System program to show you how. http://youtu.be/bPwq_3idxlQ
Happy Singing,
Angela
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