Multiple questions

[D.Starr]

So...

Over the last few weeks or so I've found success in my voice if that even makes sense.

I'm beginning to hit notes that troubled me, my voice still isn't where I want it to be yet, but it's a work in progress I guess.

Now before I was having problems hitting notes above C4, I know this sounds weak and pathetic, but I guess being a deep voiced guy it kinda hinders you.

With my love of R&B I wish to OWN the passaggio/mixed voice area through curbing, but as I'm curbing I'm adding volume and I guess adding tension to the neck and straining past what I hear as being around E4.

I was wondering...

1. How high can curbing be taken before it turns to head voice/neutral? (if that makes sense)

2. How to handle the volume? Before support? Better vocal closure? I've tried to hold back on the volume but I fail

3. How to deepen the curbing sound? I want the high notes but with a little bit of a deeper tone. I've tryed dropping the jaw slightly but then I focus on that too much and the sound is mushy

EDIT

OK, so I'm tryna hit You at G#4 I believe. But I feel it building up in my neck.

The sound that the artist does is quite chesty to my ears, but I know it's curbed. I've tried to modify the vowel to UH, and have found some small leeway.

But the You that artist sings sounds like just a straight up You, like HOOT.

[Estef]

Hi, I am no expert at all, but let me try to answer your questions.

1 There is no upper or lower limit to Curbing, since it's a vocal mode of its own. You can take it as high as you want, though eventually it will require a lot of support to maintain and it might be easier to switch to metal-like neutral which sounds very much like curbing. I want to eventually reach a G5 (I'm a girl) and then switch to MLN. I currently reach D#5 so I still have work to do. Work on a half-step for a week or two and when you have mastered that, move one half-step higher. That's what I've been doing and it's worked fine for me. But it's up to you where you want to switch to neutral.

2 The volume in curbing higher up will get louder, so don't try to hold that back AS MUCH. It won't be as loud as Overdrive or Edge (full metallic modes, as opposed to Curbing which is half metallic, that's where the restrained sound comes from), but it will be louder than in the middle part of the voice, so don't fear that volume. Lots of support are needed, and especially you need to focus on using the right vowels when going high up. Use only I as in sit (though it's more of a mixture between EE as in See and I as in Sit, closer to the EE but with the tongue touching a little less of the roof of the mouth than with EE), UH as in hungry and O as in Woman pronounced by a British person. I find that the american pronunciation of woman doesn't really match the actual sound you're supposed to produce. Also it is very important that you don't use a very strong hold (which is the cry kind of sound that you use in Curbing), especially higher up since it will make it harder for you to reach a high curbing sound. Try to practice lightening the hold on lower notes and then take that sensation higher up.

3 Don't think about sound color just yet. Actually, at first, make it as light and twangy as possible, raise your larynx a little, since this will make it easier for you to reach those high notes. When you have really mastered those notes with a light sound color, you can try to alter the sound color by lowering the larynx and raising the palate, but not so much that you will lose the hold or twang.

I also recommend that you read the past posts on Curbing and of mixed voice of last week. There was a lot of helpful advice from more qualified people than me

You can also try to post a clip so we can hear and see where you're at.

Edited to add a few clarifications

[D.Starr]

Hmm I'll attempt to sing the line I'm trying to hit, its close to 01:00am in the UK.

And how do I achieve MLN? I've heard it spoken of in a few threads I've looked at.

[Estef]

Hmm I'll attempt to sing the line I'm trying to hit, its close to 01:00am in the UK.

And how do I achieve MLN? I've heard it spoken of in a few threads I've looked at.

It's a very twanged neutral, so that it resembles a metallic mode. So twanged that it sounds like Edge or curbing, but obviously with much less effort. It is quite loud as well, so it can mix well with Curbing if you bridge into it at a higher note.

So starting on your neutral or head voice, make sure there is no air, and twang it a lot. Also make it very light in the beginning keeping a high larynx and low palate Something that might help is starting on an "ng" sound and then opening to the vowel (for me "I" works great) since it will be a very twanged sound. It works really well when you switch from Curbing to MLN since they sound very similar at high notes. Actually, you will notice that if you lose the old involuntarily, you might end up in MLN. I do it myself, obviously not wanting to.