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Here comes a high note


jonpall

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I've been wanting to create this thread for quite a while for the fun and curiousity of it. The question is very simple:

Let's say that you're singing a song and in just a few seconds, you will have to sing a fairly high, difficult note. What do you remind yourself to do before this happens?

You can't give too long a list - only a couple of things, because you can't think about too many things in a live situation (sometimes you can't/shouldn't think about anything at all), even though I realize that a a very accurate list wouldn't be that short. But perhaps you have a simple couple of things you think about before the big note, such as "focus higher in your head" or "twang more", "give more support", "keep the focus in the palate", "don't drop your rib cage", "sing the correct vowel", etc. Different things work for different people, so I'm curious to hear what works for you. Some years ago, all I thought about that as the pitch went higher, I had to gradually "thin out the voice". I'm not sure that's enough for me at the moment, though. Comments, please! :)

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I psych myself out lol. I would say about half the time I reach for a high note, I push too much air and then it turns into a falsetto light airy sound. Sometimes I hit the note and it sounds good and feels like there was no efort, but I can't ever mimic it.

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Similar to Ron's. It's not that I'm "telling" myself to aim there but rather intuitively feel that's where it should "go" (for example on the ascending scale on Guns' "oh, Oh, OH, OOH, sweet child of mine"). Also, keep the mouth more open, the jaw free (but not gaping).

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I think about my feet or anything that takes attention away from my voice. Also... " DO NOT PUSH "...

... Although recently, I've been thinking " you're a disgusted witch ". Makes for quite an interesting sound x)

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for a powerful high note, or series of high notes, like at the end of "waiting for a girl like you" there's that part at the end "won't you come into my life" i do the defecation thing, expanding the back and sides as well. i hardly inhale much air, but compress what's in me.

for me, a lot depends on the vowel too as to how much core i engage. also, the notes leading up to the big one determines the support level i think.

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If there's another phrase right before, I will crank up the support and twang, to make sure I have the right setup for the note.

If it's a cold note, I start... panting like a dog. Sounds funny but it gets the support muscles going.

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What if the whole song is a high note - Like "Honestly" by Stryper.. I have always wanted to sing that one! But it's so high I get a ton of throat tension and fatigue. I do have some new exercises thanks to Dan, so maybe I'll fix that soon.

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What if the whole song is a high note - Like "Honestly" by Stryper.. I have always wanted to sing that one! But it's so high I get a ton of throat tension and fatigue. I do have some new exercises thanks to Dan, so maybe I'll fix that soon.

keith, what note(s) is it?

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If there's another phrase right before, I will crank up the support and twang, to make sure I have the right setup for the note.

This is similar to what I've been doing recently and is also what my vocal coach answered when I asked the same question. Pretty much "where you fail, is usually not the high note, but the notes leading up to it. Make sure that they have a good setup (twang, support, no unnecessary tension, etc.)".

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If i start to think technique on stage My voice dies :P... The best thing ive noticed is going for it, really giving it your all, let your muscle memory do the rest :)

yeah, jens when you're in the moment it seems it can all come together.

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Trip said it better than I did. Of course, I don't actually "aim" the note. But I know where I expect to feel it. The rest of the motion is to get out of the way of the note.

And same with Jens' point. If I were to stop and think of the mechanics ofa note, especially in a live situation, I can sometimes add strain where it is unnecessary.

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I just rely on what this high note means in the song. It works for me lol. For example in live situation ( and only live) i have to double the lead singer part of the chorus of "Backing Black". It's so high and raspy that if i think of technique and all that stuff, it never worked. If i just let go and act like an "angry man", everything is perfect lol.

Last gig, i had some guys talkin to me after the show that says " Hey josh, we knew you were a good guitar player, but you also rock at vocals". And believe me this is a compliment, because the lead singer of this band is so great, it Eric Forrest (previous singer of Voivod) and man he got skills lol!!!

Back to the topic, i only rely on emotion period. When you're on stage it's too late for thinking about technique ;-)

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