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Head rush/headache when singing high notes

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nissenoo7

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Ive been encountering a surprising problem lately. When I sing sustained high notes (typically from B4 and higher), I get what feels like blood pumping in my brain immediately afterwards. Very painful, and I am also considering that this may not be very healthy. Any other singers experiencing this problem?

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The only time I used to experience something I would describe that same way was when I was pushing too hard and yelling the higher notes instead of simply singing them. Generally speaking, men can belt up to an A4 before the formant needs to change shape again and the amount of TA (chest voice) musculature flexing needs to start fading out. You want to gain isolated control over your TA musculature and start training how to tune your formant as you go higher as well as control your respitory support for stability and volume. Above A4, this type of training will give you a solid mixed resonance that you control the weight, timbre, and acoustics of without having to push and strain in your neck and head.

Are you going though The Four Pillars of Singing course linked in the footer of this forum? If so, I can further describe what to do.

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4 minutes ago, Gsoul82 said:

General rule is that if it hurts, you are doing something wrong.

Geoff, that is a good general rule, but beginner singers VERY often say things "hurt" when it fact it isn't hurting. Its not true pain. It is nothing more than intrinsic musculature either supporting; contracting, stretching, etc... which is what you want and its just the beginning of something that will become more familiar later... or it is constriction like pushing and choking , which we don't want, but still isn't actually real pain.

Pain is what happens when you hold a lighter to your finger. That is pain. Musculature contracting, flexing, etc... is not really "pain"... its just muscles waking up and working hard.

As a voice coach, you have to clarify this when ever someone starts talking about "pain". Essentially 10 out of 10 times, its not.  There are some very rare exceptions of course.

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1 hour ago, Draven Grey said:

The only time I used to experience something I would describe that same way was when I was pushing too hard and yelling the higher notes instead of simply singing them. Generally speaking, men can belt up to an A4 before the formant needs to change shape again and the amount of TA (chest voice) musculature flexing needs to start fading out. You want to gain isolated control over your TA musculature and start training how to tune your formant as you go higher as well as control your respitory support for stability and volume. Above A4, this type of training will give you a solid mixed resonance that you control the weight, timbre, and acoustics of without having to push and strain in your neck and head.

Are you going though The Four Pillars of Singing course linked in the footer of this forum? If so, I can further describe what to do.

This is excellent. Not because he is referring to my program, The Four Pillars of Singing, but because its just a great post. Its exactly on point.

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4 hours ago, nissenoo7 said:

Ive been encountering a surprising problem lately. When I sing sustained high notes (typically from B4 and higher), I get what feels like blood pumping in my brain immediately afterwards. Very painful, and I am also considering that this may not be very healthy. Any other singers experiencing this problem?

Nissenoo,

My first "gut" response would be to take a look at your respiration. Try taking in more air. You may be running low on oxygen. That would create headaches and blood pumping into your head. 

Why don't you put a link in here and let us hear what your doing. No doubt, it probably has bugs all over it and needs help.

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56 minutes ago, Robert Lunte said:

Geoff, that is a good general rule, but beginner singers VERY often say things "hurt" when it fact it isn't hurting. Its not true pain. It is nothing more than intrinsic musculature either supporting; contracting, stretching, etc... which is what you want and its just the beginning of something that will become more familiar later... or it is constriction like pushing and choking , which we don't want, but still isn't actually real pain.

Pain is what happens when you hold a lighter to your finger. That is pain. Musculature contracting, flexing, etc... is not really "pain"... its just muscles waking up and working hard.

As a voice coach, you have to clarify this when ever someone starts talking about "pain". Essentially 10 out of 10 times, its not.  There are some very rare exceptions of course.

 

I just remember starting and having my coach show me that I wasn't straining after telling him I thought I was. I was feeling fatigue. Even thinking back to when I last felt both, which was around that time, there was a slight change in feeling that distinguished the two.

 

I just say that because beginners also sometimes want to go for certain things and effects and they don't know how to do it properly.

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On 25/04/2017 at 4:46 PM, Robert Lunte said:

Geoff, that is a good general rule, but beginner singers VERY often say things "hurt" when it fact it isn't hurting. Its not true pain. It is nothing more than intrinsic musculature either supporting; contracting, stretching, etc... which is what you want and its just the beginning of something that will become more familiar later... or it is constriction like pushing and choking , which we don't want, but still isn't actually real pain.

Pain is what happens when you hold a lighter to your finger. That is pain. Musculature contracting, flexing, etc... is not really "pain"... its just muscles waking up and working hard.

As a voice coach, you have to clarify this when ever someone starts talking about "pain". Essentially 10 out of 10 times, its not.  There are some very rare exceptions of course.

I would agree with Rob hear!

A bad pain could be described as an injury and causing damage to that part of the body and will reveal its self long after you first noticed it

For instance; I suffered from laryngitis while under going training not so long ago and from time to time i still have pain inside my head from 2 different areas that keep coming back from time to time most especially while I am training hard!

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On 25/04/2017 at 0:14 PM, nissenoo7 said:

Ive been encountering a surprising problem lately. When I sing sustained high notes (typically from B4 and higher), I get what feels like blood pumping in my brain immediately afterwards. Very painful, and I am also considering that this may not be very healthy. Any other singers experiencing this problem?

A rush of blood while sustaining high notes, I think you are more likely to do your self an injury to your through and eardrums and said tubes whilest singing high notes then to worry about a rush of blood to your head!

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On 25.4.2017 at 4:24 PM, Draven Grey said:

The only time I used to experience something I would describe that same way was when I was pushing too hard and yelling the higher notes instead of simply singing them. Generally speaking, men can belt up to an A4 before the formant needs to change shape again and the amount of TA (chest voice) musculature flexing needs to start fading out. You want to gain isolated control over your TA musculature and start training how to tune your formant as you go higher as well as control your respitory support for stability and volume. Above A4, this type of training will give you a solid mixed resonance that you control the weight, timbre, and acoustics of without having to push and strain in your neck and head.

Are you going though The Four Pillars of Singing course linked in the footer of this forum? If so, I can further describe what to do.

I can relate to what you are saying, it might be caused by pulling to much weight up high. I can actually sing with much lighter weight above A4, not experiencing the same issues. So i might go easier on the high notes for a while. 

However it is also interesting to sing high notes with full weight, certainly you have male singers who can do this. I guess you have to push your limits at some point, to be able to do that.  

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On 25.4.2017 at 5:52 PM, Robert Lunte said:

Nissenoo,

My first "gut" response would be to take a look at your respiration. Try taking in more air. You may be running low on oxygen. That would create headaches and blood pumping into your head. 

Why don't you put a link in here and let us hear what your doing. No doubt, it probably has bugs all over it and needs help.

When this issue happens, it is mainly when I am doing sirenes. Feels like i take in a lot of air, but Im not sure. Maybe I hold the siren too long, thus running out of air?

 

Have you experienced the same thing yourself?

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Niss,

No, this has not happened to me.

If it isn't respiration then my next best guess would be that your pushing so frick'n hard that your giving yourself a headache and that is not how great singing works. 

Until you put in a link so we can hear you, it is all speculation.

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