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akarawd

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I was having this discussion with videohere in another thread and thought it might be a good idea

for people who have them (d5 and above - please correct me if i'm wrong) to post here and

say what sensations they feel and especially how they approach them.

I am of the view that they are just the light head voice (or whatever people call it) reinforced

with good breath support (in the covering thread I did use a bit of covering).

Mentally I don't think falsetto or weak or light I think full voice but it starts as I said.

"Pushing" the voice in the back of the throat or covering has helped me create a slightly fuller and more pleasing sound.

The clips below can be sung without warming up, however, throat mucles would start clenching on the top notes within 30-40 mins

and notes over a g5 would be pushing it. With a proper warm up, 2hours of singing high is possible before the throat muscles engage completely and

- sporadically - an a5 and on a good day a b5 could be reached ; They'd only be used as backing vocals.

Edit : I can no longer reach an a#5 or b5 - that's a year after I'd lost my voice - therefore I take it it's permanent : http://www.box.net/shared/ogzhu09b1g (Scale from b4 to A5)

I believe resurrection* (http://www.box.net/shared/3euj3ho82o) by halford is d5 and the chorus reaches an f5. When I lost my voice last year because of a bad cold and reflux I spent

a whole year not being able to even sing the verses without running out of breath - nevermind the chorus and I was straining for every single note.

Breath support and warming up exercises for more than 6 months helped me to be able to sing it all the way without any problems whatsoever

and lately even add effects.

At the end of my Cathedral Spires* clip there's an "oahahah" where you can hear an a5.

One thing I can't do without though is warm down - not doing that is like shooting myself in the foot -

in fact I spend as much time as needed to get my voice feeling really comfortable and normal.

These are my ryche clips from the "covering" thread, they contain a couple of e5's.

http://www.box.net/shared/ihtiksf6km

http://www.box.net/shared/5jmhc8ssik

Here's TNT's Tell No Tales as an example of high singing (e5 on the verses and g#5 on the chorus) :

http://www.box.net/shared/dmzd6q6bcc

Looking forward to other people's posts,

Thanos

* It has been brought to my attention that dropbox files are not viewable by some users therefore I'll post boxnet versions soon.

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I thought I could start my reply with what I feel with a baritone note which many would call chest. Such as the baritone notes I do at the end of my version of "Heaven and Hell." I feel those behind my nose or in my "mask." Both the hummed version, especially, and the open jaw version a moment later. Which makes sense to me, as the voice is always resonated in the head, regardless of pitch. High notes, for example, such as I do in "Gethsemane" I also feel behind the nose, even the eyeballs. It rings my head. But I know that I am not resonating in the cranial cavity. That's filled with pinkish gray matter that sometimes gets used and people call that a brain. Now, you'd think with my having only 3 brain cells and not all of them fired at once that I would have more resonating space.:D

I read an older thread started by Robert Lunte on the prowess of Geoff Tate. And a number of people became less of a fan after or during Operation: Mindcrime. For me, I was a fan of that first, and then found out about "Queen of the Ryche" later. And other music. Here I must insert that perspective is key. For "hardcore" technical singers, such as many we find here in this forum, "Queen of the Ryche" a more "pure" venture. Op:MC seems more "commercial," or "he's changing everything and he's losing his voice because it wasn't all around D5 or A5."

From the viewpoint of a music fan, especially one without vocal training or even ability, Op:MC is more accessible as a sing-along event. "Queen of the Ryche" era was out of the reach of most music listeners. Consider this: most everyone and their aunt or uncle can sing along with a Metallica song. In fact, the rougher you sound, the more you sound like the music thereof. Nothing at all against Metallica. In fact, I have their cd with their collaberation with a symphonic orchestra "Metallica S & M." And even James Hetfield has taken voice lessons to learn warm-ups and preserve his ability to sing. He is my age, after all.

I think I am digressing. Anyway, different people my ascribe different feelings to where they feel resonance and it may very well also reflect their outlook, their weltanschauung, their paradigm. To tie in, Tate has been described as a light, lyrical tenor. Lou Gramm might be described as a chesty belter, even if he was using the same techniques as Tate. Some of it is due to genetic differences that give each of us our own tone. Then there is the singer's viewpoint. And then the listener's viewpoint. How many people thought Halford was screaming in Sad Wings of Destiny when it was simply a ringing headtone? Singers such as him and Tate later tackle what is conceivably harder work, wich is to sing around the passagio. Which has been pointed out, is far more accessible to commercial success. Partially for the reason I have mentioned, in that mid and lower ranges invite sing-along, and, for some reason, notes in that range are more easily identified. Plus, the contrast. If you did everything around the 5th octave, it would be like doing everything around the first octave, to some extent, just a sonic effect. But vary it up and the high notes sound even more dramatic. I don't remember much of the Queen of the Ryche era but I can tell the difference between "Breaking the Silence" and "Silent Lucidity." The latter is my wife's favorite Ryche song, precisely because he hits a gut-rumbling low with the lyric "someone close to you leaving the game - of life." Side note: in the latter song, there is a good example of crying timbre.

As some of us singers with high ranges know from personal experience, it is actually easier to sing the high notes than the mid-range, which may be, for lack of a better description, passagio for us (an area of shifting or problematic resonance, in my opinion. The note is there, it just has to be resonated properly.)

My image for hitting high notes is that I am vibrating a smaller portion of the folds, which, according to Steven, are stretched out, such as when you turn the tuning peg on a guitar string. Anyway, that smaller portion of stretched out folds vibrating fast, which necessarily needs more consistent air pressure, just as you would need in a woodwind instrument, such as an oboe, and resonated in the right space, which I visualize as behind the nose, though many more accurately describe it as behind the soft palate. A well resonated loud high note, which many may interpret as a chesty scream is, in my opinion, a "small" note resonated properly and driven by just enough air pressure to make it happen.

And I have rambled enough. Sorry.

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As some of us singers with high ranges know from personal experience, it is actually easier to sing the high notes than the mid-range, which may be, for lack of a better description, passagio for us (an area of shifting or problematic resonance, in my opinion. The note is there, it just has to be resonated properly.)

My image for hitting high notes is that I am vibrating a smaller portion of the folds, which, according to Steven, are stretched out, such as when you turn the tuning peg on a guitar string. Anyway, that smaller portion of stretched out folds vibrating fast, which necessarily needs more consistent air pressure, just as you would need in a woodwind instrument, such as an oboe, and resonated in the right space, which I visualize as behind the nose, though many more accurately describe it as behind the soft palate. A well resonated loud high note, which many may interpret as a chesty scream is, in my opinion, a "small" note resonated properly and driven by just enough air pressure to make it happen.

My experience too.

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I agree ronws, but tate is without shadow of a doubt a baritone with greatvoice technique. It's quite obvious when you hear his lows his voice is huge, I considermyself a lyric baritone and my voice isnt half as big as his :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2q8pdryLq4

just listen to him talk ;)

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I agree ronws, but tate is without shadow of a doubt a baritone with greatvoice technique. It's quite obvious when you hear his lows his voice is huge, I considermyself a lyric baritone and my voice isnt half as big as his :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2q8pdryLq4

just listen to him talk ;)

You're right. He really has a deep rich voice. Much deeper than mine. He is a great example of a baritone who has developed his high range.

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You're right. He really has a deep rich voice. Much deeper than mine. He is a great example of a baritone who has developed his high range.

I agree. His speaking voice is deeper and fuller than mine. My speaking voice, in my opinion, is closer to that of Clint Eastwood in the movie, "The Gauntlet." An almost low baritone, with rasp and soft speaking volume. Contrasted to my ringing highs as a singer. And Jens is correct or at least I agree with him that Tate's fach, classically, is baritone, with a well crafted tenor range in addition. Which gives him something like a 5 octave range to work with, as a singer. Certainly not wanting to sidetrack this topic but I'm glad we went down this tangent. And totally off subject, I think Tate was right to enter the subject of the changing recording industry. The classic structure of the "record company" is crumbling under the changes brought by internet downloads and home recording technology. Even you, Gino, have produced totally professional recordings in your own basement or recording room. You could publish and release recordings right now, as your own publisher. I should make a thread on the advent of recording artists as their own publishers and business managers.

Anyway, back to topic. Where does anyone else feel they are resonating? Or, more accurately, what do you feel when you sing a well-executed high note? Or, just as importantly, what do you feel when you botch a note, in order to know what to avoid?

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Important quote on volume by Jonpall ;

Watch out for one thing regarding the volume - those balls to the walls E5's of akarawd and indead any good rock tenor - the volume comes from the TWANG, NOT an increase in the vocal fold thickness. In other words, if you listen carefully, the underlying tone is thin rather than thick - no pulling chest, but with the treble frequencies magnified a LOT by the twang. That way you can do it and not hurt your throat. Don't think that you HAVE to increase the volume, really. It increases BY ITSELF when you increase twang as you go up in pitch. Also, if you don't forget that your chest should stay still during sung notes, you'll notice that your abs will start to work much harder, all by themselves, when you hit an E5. That's your support working and in my experience the support suddenly increases a lot just before that E5. Hope this helps.
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Where does anyone else feel they are resonating? Or, more accurately, what do you feel when you sing a well-executed high note? Or, just as importantly, what do you feel when you botch a note, in order to know what to avoid?

you know when i hit a high note i feel sometimes like the sound is outside of my mouth in front of my face. i can get a really nice ringing sound to it and it is loud.

what's really cool is when i mesa di voce from falsetto into head on a "yay" (jaime vendera's transcending tone execise) into an clased head voice (meaning no more falsetto in the sound) to another more intense head voice.

to hear what happens as you transition really helps with vowel tuning. hope i made sense, lol!!!

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I thought I could start my reply with what I feel with a baritone note which many would call chest. Such as the baritone notes I do at the end of my version of "Heaven and Hell." I feel those behind my nose or in my "mask." Both the hummed version, especially, and the open jaw version a moment later. Which makes sense to me, as the voice is always resonated in the head, regardless of pitch. High notes, for example, such as I do in "Gethsemane" I also feel behind the nose, even the eyeballs. It rings my head. But I know that I am not resonating in the cranial cavity. That's filled with pinkish gray matter that sometimes gets used and people call that a brain. Now, you'd think with my having only 3 brain cells and not all of them fired at once that I would have more resonating space.:D

I read an older thread started by Robert Lunte on the prowess of Geoff Tate. And a number of people became less of a fan after or during Operation: Mindcrime. For me, I was a fan of that first, and then found out about "Queen of the Ryche" later. And other music. Here I must insert that perspective is key. For "hardcore" technical singers, such as many we find here in this forum, "Queen of the Ryche" a more "pure" venture. Op:MC seems more "commercial," or "he's changing everything and he's losing his voice because it wasn't all around D5 or A5."

From the viewpoint of a music fan, especially one without vocal training or even ability, Op:MC is more accessible as a sing-along event. "Queen of the Ryche" era was out of the reach of most music listeners. Consider this: most everyone and their aunt or uncle can sing along with a Metallica song. In fact, the rougher you sound, the more you sound like the music thereof. Nothing at all against Metallica. In fact, I have their cd with their collaberation with a symphonic orchestra "Metallica S & M." And even James Hetfield has taken voice lessons to learn warm-ups and preserve his ability to sing. He is my age, after all.

hey ron, gramm is a tenor.

I think I am digressing. Anyway, different people my ascribe different feelings to where they feel resonance and it may very well also reflect their outlook, their weltanschauung, their paradigm. To tie in, Tate has been described as a light, lyrical tenor. Lou Gramm might be described as a chesty belter, even if he was using the same techniques as Tate. Some of it is due to genetic differences that give each of us our own tone. Then there is the singer's viewpoint. And then the listener's viewpoint. How many people thought Halford was screaming in Sad Wings of Destiny when it was simply a ringing headtone? Singers such as him and Tate later tackle what is conceivably harder work, wich is to sing around the passagio. Which has been pointed out, is far more accessible to commercial success. Partially for the reason I have mentioned, in that mid and lower ranges invite sing-along, and, for some reason, notes in that range are more easily identified. Plus, the contrast. If you did everything around the 5th octave, it would be like doing everything around the first octave, to some extent, just a sonic effect. But vary it up and the high notes sound even more dramatic. I don't remember much of the Queen of the Ryche era but I can tell the difference between "Breaking the Silence" and "Silent Lucidity." The latter is my wife's favorite Ryche song, precisely because he hits a gut-rumbling low with the lyric "someone close to you leaving the game - of life." Side note: in the latter song, there is a good example of crying timbre.

As some of us singers with high ranges know from personal experience, it is actually easier to sing the high notes than the mid-range, which may be, for lack of a better description, passagio for us (an area of shifting or problematic resonance, in my opinion. The note is there, it just has to be resonated properly.)

My image for hitting high notes is that I am vibrating a smaller portion of the folds, which, according to Steven, are stretched out, such as when you turn the tuning peg on a guitar string. Anyway, that smaller portion of stretched out folds vibrating fast, which necessarily needs more consistent air pressure, just as you would need in a woodwind instrument, such as an oboe, and resonated in the right space, which I visualize as behind the nose, though many more accurately describe it as behind the soft palate. A well resonated loud high note, which many may interpret as a chesty scream is, in my opinion, a "small" note resonated properly and driven by just enough air pressure to make it happen.

And I have rambled enough. Sorry.

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I thought I could start my reply with what I feel with a baritone note which many would call chest. Such as the baritone notes I do at the end of my version of "Heaven and Hell." I feel those behind my nose or in my "mask." Both the hummed version, especially, and the open jaw version a moment later. Which makes sense to me, as the voice is always resonated in the head, regardless of pitch. High notes, for example, such as I do in "Gethsemane" I also feel behind the nose, even the eyeballs. It rings my head. But I know that I am not resonating in the cranial cavity. That's filled with pinkish gray matter that sometimes gets used and people call that a brain. Now, you'd think with my having only 3 brain cells and not all of them fired at once that I would have more resonating space.:D

I read an older thread started by Robert Lunte on the prowess of Geoff Tate. And a number of people became less of a fan after or during Operation: Mindcrime. For me, I was a fan of that first, and then found out about "Queen of the Ryche" later. And other music. Here I must insert that perspective is key. For "hardcore" technical singers, such as many we find here in this forum, "Queen of the Ryche" a more "pure" venture. Op:MC seems more "commercial," or "he's changing everything and he's losing his voice because it wasn't all around D5 or A5."

From the viewpoint of a music fan, especially one without vocal training or even ability, Op:MC is more accessible as a sing-along event. "Queen of the Ryche" era was out of the reach of most music listeners. Consider this: most everyone and their aunt or uncle can sing along with a Metallica song. In fact, the rougher you sound, the more you sound like the music thereof. Nothing at all against Metallica. In fact, I have their cd with their collaberation with a symphonic orchestra "Metallica S & M." And even James Hetfield has taken voice lessons to learn warm-ups and preserve his ability to sing. He is my age, after all.

I think I am digressing. Anyway, different people my ascribe different feelings to where they feel resonance and it may very well also reflect their outlook, their weltanschauung, their paradigm. To tie in, Tate has been described as a light, lyrical tenor. Lou Gramm might be described as a chesty belter, even if he was using the same techniques as Tate. Some of it is due to genetic differences that give each of us our own tone. Then there is the singer's viewpoint. And then the listener's viewpoint. How many people thought Halford was screaming in Sad Wings of Destiny when it was simply a ringing headtone? Singers such as him and Tate later tackle what is conceivably harder work, wich is to sing around the passagio. Which has been pointed out, is far more accessible to commercial success. Partially for the reason I have mentioned, in that mid and lower ranges invite sing-along, and, for some reason, notes in that range are more easily identified. Plus, the contrast. If you did everything around the 5th octave, it would be like doing everything around the first octave, to some extent, just a sonic effect. But vary it up and the high notes sound even more dramatic. I don't remember much of the Queen of the Ryche era but I can tell the difference between "Breaking the Silence" and "Silent Lucidity." The latter is my wife's favorite Ryche song, precisely because he hits a gut-rumbling low with the lyric "someone close to you leaving the game - of life." Side note: in the latter song, there is a good example of crying timbre.

As some of us singers with high ranges know from personal experience, it is actually easier to sing the high notes than the mid-range, which may be, for lack of a better description, passagio for us (an area of shifting or problematic resonance, in my opinion. The note is there, it just has to be resonated properly.)

My image for hitting high notes is that I am vibrating a smaller portion of the folds, which, according to Steven, are stretched out, such as when you turn the tuning peg on a guitar string. Anyway, that smaller portion of stretched out folds vibrating fast, which necessarily needs more consistent air pressure, just as you would need in a woodwind instrument, such as an oboe, and resonated in the right space, which I visualize as behind the nose, though many more accurately describe it as behind the soft palate. A well resonated loud high note, which many may interpret as a chesty scream is, in my opinion, a "small" note resonated properly and driven by just enough air pressure to make it happen.

And I have rambled enough. Sorry.

hey ron, gramm is a tenor.

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Bob, I am sorry you thought I said Gramm was not a tenor, probably because I mentioned him in the same post as Tate. This must be the day to bust Ron's ass for everything he posts. Maybe I should come back when things have settled down. Or, have I worn out my welcome with everyone? You're the second one to bust my chops on something I didn't say or start. Was there a meeting I missed? I was busy, sweating my ass off in a building with no A/C trying to get transformers ready. It was literally about 100 F in the building. But, it was only for 8 hours. But, evidently, during the 8 hours that others decided anything I post today is wrong.

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Bob, I am sorry you thought I said Gramm was not a tenor, probably because I mentioned him in the same post as Tate. This must be the day to bust Ron's ass for everything he posts. Maybe I should come back when things have settled down. Or, have I worn out my welcome with everyone? You're the second one to bust my chops on something I didn't say or start. Was there a meeting I missed? I was busy, sweating my ass off in a building with no A/C trying to get transformers ready. It was literally about 100 F in the building. But, it was only for 8 hours. But, evidently, during the 8 hours that others decided anything I post today is wrong.

ron, boy, you are one sensitive guy...

i'm so sorry if you took it any other way than my simply writing back that gramm is a tenor. he's a tenor... that's all man...i'm not beating you up!

i'm not on this forum to hurt anyone's feelings or act like a "know it all" i'm just a singer/participant, and if i have hurt your feelings i sincerely apologize.

but perhaps you can meet me half way to please maintain an understanding going forward that all you folks are my forum buddies, and i have no intention of hurting any one, any way, in any manner...okay?

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Not a problem, Bob. I just don't recall saying that Gramm was not a tenor and wasn't all that comfortable with words being placed in my mouth. Nor was I intending to offend you. But I have this magical talent of putting people off just by waking up and drawing another breath. I'm not bragging, it's just a natural talent.

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Not a problem, Bob. I just don't recall saying that Gramm was not a tenor and wasn't all that comfortable with words being placed in my mouth. Nor was I intending to offend you. But I have this magical talent of putting people off just by waking up and drawing another breath. I'm not bragging, it's just a natural talent.

you know you're right ron. you didn't say anything about it. i must have been helping a customer as i was reading this.

i misread the post. i'm sorry buddy.

i'm as imperfect as i can be....lol!!

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I'm already over it. The company I have been temped to hired me today and I start on their payroll tomorrow on a project about 15 miles closer to home. So, nothing can bother me today. Having a job is a good thing. And I wrangled a dollar more than I have been making through the temp service.

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I've found most people who can't hit the high notes simply haven't developed the respiratory development required. The right breath seems to naturally create the environment in which these notes come from in my experiences. The people who do have the respiratory power and still can't hit those notes I've found usually have reflux problems or an injury.

For a good quick workout with the breath try this one a few times a day:

Here's the basic set up you need to know:

1) Start by laying down on the floor.

2) Place a book on your stomach

3) Take a breath on a yawn and notice how the book rises as you take the relaxed breath

4) Try taking the same breath through the nose until it feels as relaxed as the yawn breath

Here's the excercise (Got this one from a symphonic brass player 10 years ago. Also similar to one Jaime Vendera mentions). Each count is a second.

1) Breath in through nose 4 counts, Out through mouth for 4 counts - repeat 10 times

2) Breath in through nose 3 counts, Out through mouth for 3 counts - repeat 15 times

3) Breath in through nose 2 counts, Out through mouth for 2 counts - repeat 20 times

4) Breath in through nose 1 counts, Out through mouth for 1 counts - repeat 40 times

5) Pant like a dog 80 times

6) Breath in through nose 1 counts, Out through mouth for 1 counts - repeat 40 times

7) Breath in through nose 2 counts, Out through mouth for 2 counts - repeat 20 times

8) Breath in through nose 3 counts, Out through mouth for 3 counts - repeat 15 times

9) Breath in through nose 4 counts, Out through mouth for 4 counts - repeat 10 times

Get all the way through this one. You should feel COMPLETELY OPEN after executing this exercise and it will be almost impossible for your throat to get tense. Try it and tell me what you think.

My brass teacher called this one the palindromic breathing exercise.

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Tubagod. Your exercise reminded me of one of my bits of trivia. Ronnie James Dio claimed he never received voice lessons. That he developed his voice from the breathing regimen he developed from playing french horn, which was the instrument he started on, before he ever thought of singing.

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It can't be stressed enough how important breath support is for all types of singing and especially if one wants to hit and hold high notes.

However, being able to do it does not necessary imply one has flawless breath control - I only recently realized I'm letting out too much air,

apparently the source of many vocal problems, therefore I'm back doing breathing exercises - meticulously.

It might be worth investigating if breathing exercises for brass playing are exactly the same as for singing - Dio's example has always been an instigation.

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I've found most people who can't hit the high notes simply haven't developed the respiratory development required. The right breath seems to naturally create the environment in which these notes come from in my experiences. The people who do have the respiratory power and still can't hit those notes I've found usually have reflux problems or an injury.

For a good quick workout with the breath try this one a few times a day:

Here's the basic set up you need to know:

1) Start by laying down on the floor.

2) Place a book on your stomach

3) Take a breath on a yawn and notice how the book rises as you take the relaxed breath

4) Try taking the same breath through the nose until it feels as relaxed as the yawn breath

Here's the excercise (Got this one from a symphonic brass player 10 years ago. Also similar to one Jaime Vendera mentions). Each count is a second.

1) Breath in through nose 4 counts, Out through mouth for 4 counts - repeat 10 times

2) Breath in through nose 3 counts, Out through mouth for 3 counts - repeat 15 times

3) Breath in through nose 2 counts, Out through mouth for 2 counts - repeat 20 times

4) Breath in through nose 1 counts, Out through mouth for 1 counts - repeat 40 times

5) Pant like a dog 80 times

6) Breath in through nose 1 counts, Out through mouth for 1 counts - repeat 40 times

7) Breath in through nose 2 counts, Out through mouth for 2 counts - repeat 20 times

8) Breath in through nose 3 counts, Out through mouth for 3 counts - repeat 15 times

9) Breath in through nose 4 counts, Out through mouth for 4 counts - repeat 10 times

Get all the way through this one. You should feel COMPLETELY OPEN after executing this exercise and it will be almost impossible for your throat to get tense. Try it and tell me what you think.

My brass teacher called this one the palindromic breathing exercise.

not sure about that bolded statement (above). it also depends one what kind/intensity of high note and one's ability to adduct the chords for that chosen level of intensity.

but you're so right about the breathing...i've learned to "ration" the air a skill i never had before. it can be a real workout. and steven fraser taught me how little of an inhale is actually needed..i was always inhaling these huge amounts of air and getting all screwed up..

here's another terrific exercise:

(i'm just really glad this guy wasn't my father...lol!!! he's really intense.)

http://belcanto.myseriestv.com/ (it's lesson #8)

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Here's the scale from b4 to A5 :

http://www.box.net/shared/ogzhu09b1g

and the link to the clean version of halford/resurrection (d4 in the verses and f5 in the choruses) :

http://www.box.net/shared/3euj3ho82o

I consider f5 to be my last comfortable note, one that I can use to actually sing and not just hit.

I find it a tad easier to hit f#5 to A#5 within the context of a song than as sustained notes on a scale.

I am a firm believer that one should keep training these notes in order to own them and personally I don't use them as much

(I pretty much stay under the e5-f5 area) so those who do, please post and tell us how you approach them.

PS. I am adding most of this info on the 1st post so as to make an easy read.

Some of the audio clips may be found in other posts in this forum, so my apologies to those who listen to them twice.

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One of you guys asked me to explain how I hit the A5 in "Child In Time".

Well, I was always led to believe that to hit high notes, you don't inhale a lot of air, but you have to push down a lot more, use your diaphragm to the max almost. And that's what I did. There's absolutely no secret as to how I did it...I just simply did it, haha. I inhaled, with my ribs expanded, and the moment I let out that scream, I PUSH hard down focusing on my belly. But I think pushing down hard lets a lot of air come through which hurts the voice... so now I gotta do more research :)

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One of you guys asked me to explain how I hit the A5 in "Child In Time".

Well, I was always led to believe that to hit high notes, you don't inhale a lot of air, but you have to push down a lot more, use your diaphragm to the max almost. And that's what I did. There's absolutely no secret as to how I did it...I just simply did it, haha. I inhaled, with my ribs expanded, and the moment I let out that scream, I PUSH hard down focusing on my belly. But I think pushing down hard lets a lot of air come through which hurts the voice... so now I gotta do more research :)

Stan: The relationship of 'pushing down' and the air depends on what motion you are using to push down.

If your chest is staying steady while you do it, then the actual pushing is being done by the diaphragm. There are no muscles around the abdominal space, other than it, which flex downward.

There are two ways to tell that this is happening or not, both done with your throat and glottis open, as if right before starting a note (that is, while doing the downward press in anticipation of the note) :

1) press your hand against your abs either just above or belly button. If the abs feel 'firm', resisting your hand press, then the diapragm is engaged, and is balancing the action of the abs which would make you exhale rapidly if the diaphragm were not engaged. In this case, the diaphragm and the abs are in an isometric balance. The abdomen is under some pressure, and you may also see a vein in your neck become prominent.

2) Look at the ab area right below the sternum. If it is bulged out forward a bit, then the diaphragm and the abs are in that isometric relationship.

Best of all situations is for those that use the push down is for both number 2 and 1 to be happening. HOWEVER, the amount of firmness (and pushing down) that is needed is determined by how strongly the abs are contracting in opposition. If you sing with less contraction there, you do not need to push down so hard. As you probably know, I don't advocate the push down at all, I have a different way of discussing it. However, the principles of muscle action are the same: balance the ab muscle strength with the diaphragmatic engagement.

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An example of singing high notes during the entire song : http://www.box.net/shared/dmzd6q6bcc (TNT's Tell No Tales - e5 on the verses & g#5 on the choruses)

There is constant breath support as if a column of air starts from the hips and goes all the way up to the mouth.

I do push/shout during the chorus for that sustained g#5 but without support I'd be without a voice before the 1st chorus were over.

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