How To Sing High Notes Without Straining- 3 Powerful Tips

Do you struggle with singing notes at the top of your range? Do you feel tension or tiredness in your throat when you try to belt high notes? You’re definitely not alone. I’ve got 3 great tips that will teach you how to sing high notes with ease.

How To Sing High Notes- 3 Powerful Tips

Tip #1- Don’t Reach For The High Notes

One of the most common mistakes singers make is straining their head and neck upwards towards a high note. It seems like a natural thing to do- to reach up to hit a high note. This motion actually restricts the windpipe, creates tension and makes it a lot harder to hit that high note.

Don’t sing high notes like this dude-

Instead, you should keep your head and neck balanced and relaxed above your shoulders and facing forward. No need to keep your head still- feel free to move around however feels natural. Just don’t strain upwards as you sing.

Next time you are tempted to reach for a high note, instead try taking a deeper breath, drop your jaw down to open your mouth a little more and keep your head relaxed and facing forward.

This allows your instrument to stay open and relaxed as the air passes through.

Tip # 2- Take Deep Diaphragmatic Breaths

The basic concept of diaphragmatic breathing is taking deeper, lower breaths in order to make a better sound with less tension. If you don’t have enough airflow, you will find yourself straining the muscles in your throat, neck, jaw and tongue in order to push the sound out.

The higher you sing, the more tension you’ll feel. Higher notes need more breath support.

To learn more about deep breathing for singing, check out these in-depth tutorials.

Breathing Technique For Singing

3 Easy Breathing Exercises For Singers

Singing Exercises For Better Breath Control

Tip # 3- Work Up To The High Notes

If you are trying to sing a note and it hurts or it feels like you’re screaming, it’s best to start with a lower note and work up to the note you’re struggling with.

Remember, you can damage your voice by singing too hard and too high. 

I do this easy, helpful exercise with my students-

1.)Pick a note that you can belt comfortably.

2.)Then move up in half steps towards the high note you are trying to master. Keep in mind as you move up the scale that you need to take deep breaths and keep your throat relaxed.

3.)When you start to feel tension, stop and work on that pitch- try to relax all the muscles in your throat and neck. Feel like you are gently lifting/supporting the sound with the muscles in your abdomen.

It will take some practice to get all the way to the top note. It won’t happen in a day or even a week. But with consistent practice and patience, you can master those tricky high notes.

One important thing to keep in mind- everyone’s voice is different. Very few people can belt like Whitney Houston or Idina Menzel. Some notes may just be too high for you to sing in a healthy way. The important thing to focus on is getting the best out of your unique voice and vocal range.

If you have any questions about how to sing high notes, please write them in the comments section and I’ll answer them!

Enjoy your practice and I’ll see you next week!