How To Sing High Notes
Without Straining

Would you like to know how to sing high notes without straining? (and getting a sore throat in the process!)

Being able to sing easily in your higher vocal registers is a crucial skill as a singer.

It will help you become much more dynamic, exciting, and flexible.

And the good news is anyone can improve their vocal range. In many cases quite dramatically.

First, watch this video to get all the most important concepts.

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The Key To Sing Higher Without Straining

When it comes down to it, there is just one thing you must do to sing high notes easily, and with great tone quality.

And if you don’t do this thing you will forever struggle with your voice.

Ready for it?

Here it is…

You must learn to use your body correctly to produce your high notes.

It sounds simple right?

Here’s the thing: There is a correct and an incorrect way to sing. If you are using your body correctly, high notes will become easy. If you are singing incorrectly, it will be impossible to hit your high notes with ease.

There Is Always More Vocal Range To Be Experienced

In almost every case there is more range you have within you.

With 99.999% of singers, there are things happening that prevents you from reaching your highest notes.

Unless your singing technique is literally perfect right now, you have much more vocal range to tap into.

Learn To Shorten Your Vocal Cords

As mentioned, when you use your body correctly, you will be able to access much higher notes with rich tone quality.

Now what singing “correctly” means when it comes to singing higher, is to allow your vocal cords to shorten as you sing higher.

Think of it like playing a guitar. If you want to play a higher note, you “fret” the note which makes the string shorter.

In the same way, when you sing up through your range, your chords can actually “zip up” and become shorter in length. When this happens they can vibrate faster and produce higher notes.

Letting Go Is Crucial

A lot of singers will really “push” their voice as they go into their upper range.

You can hit higher notes this way, but you loose the quality of your voice and you’ll wear it out quickly as well!

To reach high notes without straining you need to shorten your vocal chords as you sing higher.  Do do this you must “let go” as you sing higher.

A technique you can use to do this is to think about letting go when you go for your higher notes. Your brain is so powerful that it has the ability to follow this instruction.

Remember that you don’t need to “try” to shorten your vocal chords. When you “let go” or “release” into your higher notes, your brain will automatically shorten your chords to the exact length needed to hit the note.

Pushing The Limits Of Your Vocal Range

Let’s now look at an example of a singer who is really pushing the limits of their range and how he can learn how to sing higher notes without straining. 

One of my clients David has a wonderfully deep voice, but he also wants to develop a higher range that has power, so he can sing modern pop and rock. 

One of the issues that is holding him back from having access to those higher notes, is his sound is falling back in his throat. 

When this happens, it cuts off his air and causes the sound to become strained. 

Watch below as he sings through a song, and then my reaction to it.

Where You Position The Start Of The Note Will Determine How Cleanly You Hit It

The exercise that will help David to hit the notes in a balanced and clean way is to focus on beginning each note with the sound above his cheeks. 

Watch David practice below:

You’re Not Going To Get All Of It!

This song is particularly challenging for David as it is very high in his vocal range. But you can hear that he’s getting some of the notes still, while others aren’t quite there.

You’ll find the same when you sing more challenging songs. 

Some of it will come quite easily. Other parts will require you to practice it over and over again, using the tips on this page. 

And then the really tricky parts might come to you months down the line. 

You just need to keep going over it and focussing on keeping the sound above your cheeks and finding that sweet spot where your sound is nice and balanced. 

It takes practice but it’s so worth it! 

So don’t get discouraged if you take on a song and there are certain phrases that fall apart. 

Keep at it and as your technique improves you’ll be able to do more and more with your voice. 

A Fun Way To Sing High Notes Without Straining 

As you can see in the video David and I are having fun and enjoying the challenge of trying to hit those really high notes. This is the best attitude to take! 

The side benefit of attempting songs that are really challenging for you is when you go back to more comfortable songs, you will find them so much easier! 

The Lip Trill

An excellent vocal exercise that will help you practice singing high notes without straining, is the lip trill.

In the video below, there is a demonstration of this exercise. If you practice along with it you’ll notice strain will fall away from your voice and you’ll find it much easier.

This exercise will show you how to hit high notes without straining.

Simply practice it daily and you’ll begin to feel what it’s like to sing higher without straining. 

Related Pages

Discovering Your Mixed Voice

Learning how to sing high is about finding your “mixed” voice. This wonderful blend that contains the richness of your head voice, and the power of your chest voice is in a way the “keys to the kingdom” when it comes to singing.

Learn How To Sing High Notes In Your Mixed Voice

Click Here To Go To Become A Singing Master Home

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About The Author

Roger Burnley - Vocal CoachRoger Burnley - Vocal Coach

Roger Burnley is a vocal coach located in Hollywood, California. He has been teaching singers for over 30 years and singing for even longer than that. 

Notable past and present clients include Macy Gray, Brandy, Ray J, The Beastie Boys, James Torme, Taylor Lautner, Nona Gaye, and many more.

His clients have collectively sold more than 30 million albums, with several reaching Platinum and Gold status. 

Roger has been featured on VH1, TV Guide Channel, TV One,
and MTV appearing as a vocal expert.

About The Author

Roger Burnley - Vocal CoachRoger Burnley - Vocal Coach

Roger Burnley is a vocal coach located in Hollywood, California. He has been teaching singers for over 30 years and singing for even longer than that. 

Notable past and present clients include Macy Gray, Brandy, Ray J, The Beastie Boys, James Torme, Taylor Lautner, Nona Gaye, and many more.

His clients have collectively sold more than 30 million albums, with several reaching Platinum and Gold status. 

Roger has been featured on VH1, TV Guide Channel, TV One,
and MTV appearing as a vocal expert.

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