Singing well is a lot like playing an instrument: there's a tremendous amount of fine motor skill involved, and it's not necessarily intuitive. In fact, a lot of what singing is goes against your instincts.
For example, singing high notes. When people think high notes, they think "I really have to squeeze to make it up here!" Stylistically, some people do that (Christina Aguilera comes to mind), but, as fate would have it, it actually doesn't work that well, and they are just doing it for notes near the top of their chest range to add style. Every note that a singer like Christina belts is able to be easily hit by that same singer in head voice, and probably, if that person is a proficient singer, in a "mixed" voice, which is blend of the head register (which tends to be light and "hooty") and the chest voice (how you sound when you sing your comfortable notes).
The good news anyone can learn to sing better. Bad news, it's usually not easy, and it does take time. We often think of singers possessing a lot of talent. And many of them have talent, sure, but there's still a lot of hard work and practice that we never saw, especially for the pros.
The best way you can improve your voice is to find a vocal coach in your area who is well respected. Don't be nervous if you've never had lessons or anything like that. Most coaches have, in fact, heard much worse. They'll be able to identify your bad habits right away and set you down the right track immediately. The downside here is the cost: voice lessons can be expensive.
There are, however, some free resources on the Internet that can help:
Karyn O'Connor at SingWise offers some of the best articles about singing that I've ever read. She's very thorough and can give you an idea of the things that you're probably doing wrong.
Ian Castle the AussieVocalCoach offers a lot in terms of free videos with exercises and tips on both his YouTube channel and his webiste which might benefit you.
Eric Arceneaux also offers some pretty good beginning instruction via his YouTube channel, and he tells a story in one of his videos about how he was a terrible singer in high school (kicked-out-of-choir bad), and how he worked hard to learn to sing like he does today (although, he did take a lot of voice lessons, which, as I said, are definitely the best choice).
There are also a lot of for-pay singing programs that I won't link to, like Brett Manning's Singing Success and others like it. I can't vouch for them, as I have never tried them and am unfamiliar with their methods.
So, the bottom line is this: to sing high notes and have a good range, you need the following: good breath support, a stable larynx, a relaxed, open throat, good resonance in the right places (chest, mix, head), good vocal cord approximation (the cords need to come together correctly), and, above all, a good attitude.
Singing high is about freeing the voice and not straining (except for certain style bits which should be left to the experienced). All of this can be overwhelming to learn, but with a coach (best) or the right resources, you can almost certainly do it.
For example, singing high notes. When people think high notes, they think "I really have to squeeze to make it up here!" Stylistically, some people do that (Christina Aguilera comes to mind), but, as fate would have it, it actually doesn't work that well, and they are just doing it for notes near the top of their chest range to add style. Every note that a singer like Christina belts is able to be easily hit by that same singer in head voice, and probably, if that person is a proficient singer, in a "mixed" voice, which is blend of the head register (which tends to be light and "hooty") and the chest voice (how you sound when you sing your comfortable notes).
The good news anyone can learn to sing better. Bad news, it's usually not easy, and it does take time. We often think of singers possessing a lot of talent. And many of them have talent, sure, but there's still a lot of hard work and practice that we never saw, especially for the pros.
The best way you can improve your voice is to find a vocal coach in your area who is well respected. Don't be nervous if you've never had lessons or anything like that. Most coaches have, in fact, heard much worse. They'll be able to identify your bad habits right away and set you down the right track immediately. The downside here is the cost: voice lessons can be expensive.
There are, however, some free resources on the Internet that can help:
Karyn O'Connor at SingWise offers some of the best articles about singing that I've ever read. She's very thorough and can give you an idea of the things that you're probably doing wrong.
Ian Castle the AussieVocalCoach offers a lot in terms of free videos with exercises and tips on both his YouTube channel and his webiste which might benefit you.
Eric Arceneaux also offers some pretty good beginning instruction via his YouTube channel, and he tells a story in one of his videos about how he was a terrible singer in high school (kicked-out-of-choir bad), and how he worked hard to learn to sing like he does today (although, he did take a lot of voice lessons, which, as I said, are definitely the best choice).
There are also a lot of for-pay singing programs that I won't link to, like Brett Manning's Singing Success and others like it. I can't vouch for them, as I have never tried them and am unfamiliar with their methods.
So, the bottom line is this: to sing high notes and have a good range, you need the following: good breath support, a stable larynx, a relaxed, open throat, good resonance in the right places (chest, mix, head), good vocal cord approximation (the cords need to come together correctly), and, above all, a good attitude.
Singing high is about freeing the voice and not straining (except for certain style bits which should be left to the experienced). All of this can be overwhelming to learn, but with a coach (best) or the right resources, you can almost certainly do it.
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