How to increase your voice range?

To have a wide range of working voices every vocalist dreams. But not everyone can achieve a beautiful voice sound on any part of the range by professional methods and try to expand it independently to the detriment of health. To do this correctly, the vocalist must follow certain rules.

Voice abilities and age of the performer

The range of voices varies throughout life. Even with talented children, it is much narrower than that of an adult vocalist with average abilities, therefore, it is useless to expand it to 7-9 years. The fact is that in young children the vocal cords are still being formed. To get a beautiful sound at this age and try to expand the range artificially is a waste of time and effort, because the children's voice is very fragile and it is easy for him to hurt with improperly chosen exercises. In the process of singing, his range itself expands, without additional effort. Starting active exercises for its expansion is best after the end of younger adolescence.

After 10-12 years, voice formation reaches the active phase. At this time, the chest expands, the voice gradually begins to acquire its adult sound. The first stage of transitional age begins, in some children (especially boys) a mutational or pre-mutational period. At this time, the range of voice begins to expand in different directions. With high voices, falsetto notes can become brighter and more expressive, with low voices the lower part of the range can be lower by a quart or fifth. In the transition period (from 10 to 13 or 14 years) it is also not worth artificially expanding the range of the voice, because it can harm its natural formation and cause injury.

When the mutational period is over, you can begin to gradually expand the range. At this time, the ability to voice allows you to form a wide range and learn to sing in different tessitura. Even a narrow range within 2 octaves can be significantly extended if you learn to sing correctly and correctly fall into all resonators. A few simple exercises will help you expand your voice and learn how to easily take the extreme notes of the working range.

What the vocalist needs to know about the range of voice

The voice range consists of the following zones:

- primary zone (height of speech sound, which is convenient to speak);

- working range;

- non-working range, including low and high notes that the vocalist takes on the chanting, but does not use during the singing of works.

Each voice has its own primary zone.. This is the middle of the range, the height at which it is convenient for the performer to speak and sing. With it, and you need to start a variety of singing to expand the range of voices. In soprano, it begins with mi and fa of the first octave; with mezzo, it starts with syllable to very large. It is from the primary zone that you can start singing up and down to extend the range of your voice.

Working range - This is the part of the voice, on which it is convenient to sing vocal works. It is much wider than the primary zone, and it can be gradually changed. To do this, you need not only to sing correctly, using all the necessary resonators, but also to regularly do special exercises. With age, with regular vocal classes, it will gradually expand. It is the wide working range most valued by vocalists.

Total non-working range - This is full voice coverage of several octaves. Usually it is achieved while singing chanting and vocalizing. This range includes working and non-working notes. Usually the extreme notes of this large range in the works are sung very rarely. But the wider the non-working range will be, the more complex works with a large cast will become available to you.

The working range is usually not wide enough for inexperienced vocalists. It expands as it sings, provided it is correct. Connective, throat singing will not help you expand the working range of your voice, but it will lead to occupational diseases of vocalists. therefore the range can only be extended if you sing correctly.

Exercises: How to expand the range of your voice

To do this, before singing you need to do some simple exercises.

1. Find the primary notes on the piano and start singing a simple chanting in the range of a fifth up. Singing should be easy and free, without voice clips. The voice must flow easily and naturally, and breathing must be taken after each link of singing. Notice how the voice began to sound in each section of the upper range. After what notes did its color and timbre change? These are your transition notes. Reaching the highest notes, gradually begin to fall down. Note when the voice has completely switched to the chest sound and how wide this range is. Can you sing a tune freely in this Tessiture? If so, this is the lowest section of your working range.
2. After this exercise, select a chanting in the octave range and sing it upwards on vowels. For example, the syllables "yes", "u", "liu" and many others. This chanting will greatly expand your range in the top notes, and you can gradually sing pieces with a wide range. Many vocal teachers have a large arsenal of exercises that will help you expand the range of voices of any type, from the contralto to the high lyric and coloratura soprano.
3. Choose to sing a composition with a wide range and big jumps. Even if it will be just a fragment of a complex song, but it will help you to expand your working range. Such a work could be the song "No Me Ames" from the repertoire of Jennifer Lopez or "Ave Maria" Caccini. You need to start it in a convenient for you Tessiture, close to the primary sound of the voice. These works can be used to get a feel for how to expand the range of voices in practice.
4. Here is another recommendation on how to expand the range of voice. It is necessary to try to sing in the same manner by making jumps on the sixth up and down. At first, it will be difficult to do this, but then you will be able to control your voice anywhere on the site. Its range will significantly expand, and you will be able to sing beautifully and brightly any complex works.
   Successes!