How to increase vocal range

lukasbondsinging

Hey guys
I’m a singer and a student of Ken Tamplin’s Vocal Academy. I started out singing 1.5 half years ago, not even knowing what a headvoice is or that I’d be able to sing in it. Now I’d like to show you a Video of my process and ask you a question at the same time: Looking at this video, you will really hear that I reached my limit in terms of vocal range. Do you have any suggestions how to increase from there on? I feel like I have been stuck there now for quite a while and it doesen’t seem that I make any progress... Thank for your feedback and help.
Best, Lukas

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3quei7DFvA8

HuduVudu

So I was where most men get stuck F#4/G4, and on Volume 1. When I switched to the piano only exercises (which I recreated in LMMS) in Volume 1, I found that they got up past that. Triads are A4 and Majors C#5. I was pushing up just thinking that in time I would adjust and yes my range was inching up, BUT it was costing me. I also didn't know and really didn't have a head voice (I had never used it and it literally wasn't there) so I started doing as suggested and singing one set of scales chest and the other set head. This was proving to be very hard on my voice. I was putting off vowel modifications because I knew that they were covered in Volume 2 more thoroughly, but I thought you know Ken talks about them and gives some hints why don't I incorporate what he says in Volume 1 and be more ready for Volume 2. WOW! that was magic. I do have to modify to hit the notes but it doesn't strain and most importantly I don't have to pay the next day. I have only been doing this a VERY short while but so far it seems to be working. It is so crazy to me that you need to close down the air to get to the higher notes, very counter-intuitive, but that's what needs to happen.

Your range is much higher than mine, I am pretty sure, but I bet that you could benefit from vowel mods in your practice and if you already do them then there are stretching exercises in I believe Volume 2. Good luck, hope that helps

lukasbondsinging

Wow thanks for that awesome feedback my friend! The thing is, I’m training right now with volume 3 and I kinda go as high as it goes there exept for the EE vowels, they go far too high. When I’m practicing the A - it’s the Law, I‘m having a hard time to transform from „Hook“ into the U in order to sing the very high ones, without moving my jaw and my tongue... any comments on that? How are you feeling about that and where is your highest note?

HuduVudu

Ok, backstory. For whatever reason I can not memorize well. I suffered heavily in school for it, I really suck at it. When I saw Ken talking about the mods he gave the sequence. I thought, oh hell no, there is no way I am going to remember that and try to understand all of the other stuff that I am trying to do, so I was like I will get back to them when the number of things new that I need to learn goes down. Fast forward. I finally was like ok I am going to memorize the mods because I need learn them some time and I know that they help with getting higher in range and I am struggling a bit so why not. I vowed that I would only work the AH ones first to minimize the memorization. So I went to the Volume 1 LAH video where he introduces the AH vowel and found the part were he talks about the mods and proceed to go over and over what he was saying. Rocket ship got it (lol not) pare down sound got it (lol not). So I just mimicked the sounds he was making. As I was making the sounds I noticed that something felt different in my throat. So I went over the sounds many more times and each time the feeling was the same. It occurred to me that what was happening was consistent and that I could reproduce it without remembering the actual sounds (anything to keep from memorizing) i.e. loft, hook ... So with the idea of the muscle feeling I ran a quick scale and sure enough I found that I was approaching the top of the scale I could use the muscle feeling to change the vowel and this allowed me to not squeak and strain on the note. I didn't check to see if I was actually hitting the note (I suspect I was), but it didn't matter because I knew that if I didn't have strain then it would only be a matter of time before I could actually hit the note.

I am not sure what my highest note is, because I haven't checked recently. I suspect warmed up I am about a A#4/B4.

Every time that I learn something in this course I have found that I am able to do more things than I thought possible. I feel like this is one of them. I have no idea what my upper limit might be, but I know that I am going to be able to push higher and higher as I feel necessary. I guess the right way of saying it is that I don't feel like I have limits now. Maybe in time I will find hard limits, but my guess is that I will find that I don't feel a need to get to the higher notes because for me the time and effort to get to them won't be worth it. Not that it would be impossible for me.

HuduVudu

You made me curios, so I checked my range. It's been about a month since I last checked (my gawd how time flies), and I was right I am B4. Got a little ways to go to be able to adequately handle the top of the major range at C#5, but it is definitely doable.

lukasbondsinging

Have to check it as well where my highest note is but where I live it‘s past 11pm right now and the neighbours won‘t like it haha! So thanks for your comments and good night. Thanks for everyone who is leaving a comment while I‘m asleep I will enjoy reading them in the morning! Peace

highmtn

@lukasbondsinging, if you want to grow your voice, you need to be stretching your chest voice, in addition to bridging. You are singing those C5, B4, and A4's in head voice. They would sound much more authoritative in Chest voice.

lukasbondsinging

> @highmtn Hey thanks for your comment. How do you think I can stretch my chest voice the best. Just keep on doing Kens Volume 3 and trying to stay as much in chest voice as possible? What would you recommend? And how long did it take you to stretch your voice in order to go from a C5 highest to a G5 highest? I really wonder because I feel like I have been stuck for quite a while now but pushing everytime I train really trying to use less and less air, doing the vowels correctly, using open throat technique, growing support, checking my posture and using mask... Thanks for your advise

Furious_Phil

Well, if you're like most of us, you're not going to get too much beyond C5 in chest, but all the power to you if you do

The trick is to get it there, then maintain it with the Vol2 or vol 3 workout every other day, and then build the head voice on the alternate day. Think of the Chest Voice as heavy weight training and the Head Voice training as cardio. You need both to be a top-level athlete, and you can't train them both on the same day. Most of us have seriously under-powered head voices as compared to chest, so it will take some time for the muscles to learn their place and finally mature. But stick with it, and it will come.

I always like to quote Deep Purple in regards to this: "It's not the kill... it's the thrill of the chase!"

HuduVudu

@Furious_Phil I am glad to know that I am not the only one with a "seriously under-powered head voice". LOL. Does not existence count as under-powered?

Furious_Phil

Hahaha, we all have to start somewhere mate.
When I started, half of my 4th octave and all of my 5th was totally blown out from trying to be a rock singer in the 80's.
The good news is that the training rebuilt my voice from about G2 up to about F#5, which was highly unexpected... my new goal is a mature-sounding A5, then I'll be happy

HuduVudu

@Furious_Phil Wow. I guess I should count my blessings

lukasbondsinging

Thanks guys for the nice help. KTVA rocks!