Questions regarding range

JessieW

Hi my name is Jessie Walker I am a rock/metal vocalist and I’ve been singing for about 15 years and was primarily focused on screaming/growling style vocals, and pantera style stuff but now at 38 years old I’m starting a new project with a different approach and style, now I believe I’m a baritone and lower singing comes very natural to me but I was trying to develop a higher register style vocal, like rob Halford or even Robert Plant but I’ve noticed in practicing that way it is causing some discomfort in my vocal chords, I can do high screams but actual high tenor type singing is really difficult and uncomfortable, should I avoid singing high like that and stay in the lower range ? I want my voice to last but at 38 years old I’m trying to expand my overall range

Klaus_T

hi, very good that you ask this question. it is very likely that what you describe as discomfort is causing long term issues with your voice (and not helping with range either in the long run, rather the opposite). not to panic you, but be cautious, you can even damage your voice with levels that don't even cause that much discomfort.
the correct and safe technique requires practice. it has several factors you need to know about: breath support, hyperglottal compression, vowel modifications, mixed voice, cord closure, to name a few . if you just slam into it without building the proper technique safely, there is a high risk you ruin your voice in the long run. but if you do learn how to do it safely, you can indeed sing in this high range.

Ken's course is actually teaching all of this.

it takes about approx. 1-2 years of clean singing before you even attempt distortion or these screams you talk about. and then you are only at the gateway where it becomes interesting. Ken teaches hyperglottal compression which is key for what you want to do in vol 3 of the course, and he tells you to NOT start distortion before then. it's not because the course is slow, it is because it takes time and a lot of practice to develop the muscles and control necessary, also the understanding of vowels. if you want to see if the course would be for you, you can check out my profile page for a routine that is somewhat similar to what you would do 5-6 times a week if you did the course. be careful to sing it VERY GENTLY and SOFT. i really encourage you to give it a try, not to talk you into buying the course, but in fact the exercises that are free on YT are already quite valuable and will already have a noticeable effect on your voice after a few weeks probably. the course is of course much more detailed and does not hold back on any information. the thing is though, all the information is only interesting if you put in the hours, and there will be lots of them

growing your range is one of the side effects of the course. the vowel mods help you find those higher placements, therefore increasing your range both by growing the muscle, but also by shaping the vocal tract to get up there much easier.

i was also 38 when i started, and i learned so much, 2,5 years on the course now. it's great you found it, it is a very good resource for what you want to achieve