Expanding Your Vocal Range and Repertoire

Many singers do not realize their true potential, for the mere fact that they do not know how to expand their vocal range, which in turn makes them believe they are forever locked into doing the same 4 songs every week.

In order to increase your range, you don’t do it by trying more challenging songs, hoping that one day you will hit that power note at the end, or the low baritone tone that makes girls catch their breath.

You do it by vocalizing, creating sounds, tones, humming, keeping your jaw, neck and shoulders tension free. When you are by yourself, in the car, room or shower (the steam opens up the nasal cavity) start to hum up and down trying for a higher or lower tone each time, if you can hum a tone you can sing that tone.

Start with the hum, then without opening your throat, open your mouth, at first it will be very nasally, play around with the tone by reshape your mouth, arching your tongue, dropping your jaw, then move on to opening your throat without loosing the pitch. This technique works with high end and low end expansion. 

Just like the muscles in your limbs, your vocal chords along with the muscles in your neck, and jaw have memory; try to remember how it felt to produce that pitch in order to recreate it.

Remember, high does not always have to be loud, so discipline your projection, show control, do this by strengthening your diaphragm. Lean over, bending at a 90 degree angle, imagine or place a coin on the floor in front of you, while inhaling visualize sucking that coin off the ground, then focus your tone back at the coin with control at varying volumes. 

Continue to run scales, lip rolls, and strengthening your diaphragm, with the combination of several techniques you will see how expanding your vocal range can open you up to a variety of artists and styles.

Buy karaoke tracks in your vocal range

By. Mya Phillips for Starz Karaoke