To begin with, if you’re a beginner, it’s best to start with a teacher who knows what he or she is doing and can help you develop a solid foundation. (And, no, watching 10 YouTubes does not make you a good teacher.) If you are more advanced, make sure to warm up slowly and gradually work your way up to your limits. Avoid screaming or making other harsh noises. Stay relaxed and avoid straining. And, for goodness sake, don’t sing when you’re hoarse! Learning to sing healthily in your upper range will actually help your lower range, because you will develop better breath control and learn to access and utilize your registers more efficiently.
Growing your vocal range is a very typical desire for most vocalists but this can quickly result in straining if done inappropriately. Your voice likes to be pushed in incremental amounts that are within its limits instead of big bounds which may induce stress. Knowing that your voice requires balance before expansion is the first step to extending your range healthfully. If your body and breath support it, then your voice will be able to extend to a higher or lower range. Having this outlook enables you to prevent over-exertion and complicating your development.
Breath support is an essential element of range training. The breath should be smooth and steady, and should act like an engine to the voice. If the breath support is not good enough, the singer will push and pull through the neck and shoulders. This can create a strain. Having a good support system is the best way to get the voice to release the note with less strain and less effort. For this reason, breathing and control exercises should be done along with range work.
Resonance is another key to range building. The high notes seem more accessible when the voice is placed forward and the throat is kept open. This does not mean the voice is necessarily louder, but rather, it is directed more efficiently. Too many singers have difficulty with high notes because they try to force the voice up to them instead of placing it. The voice will find it’s range with better resonance and placement. This will give the singer the feeling of a freer, lighter voice, rather than a tight voice.
Detecting tension is also vital to the health of the voice. A good singer will feel when the throat clenches, the jaw clenches or the shoulders are hunched and correct the issue at once. This avoids the cultivation of strain. Tension is a warning to slow down, go back to basics and strengthen the support system. An exercise for range expansion should always be a feeling of resistance, not a struggle. The voice should stay in comfort and compliance with its requirements.
Last but not least, range development requires consistency and patience. Your voice develops by degrees and practice, not by force. You develop a healthy range over time by practicing good technique and paying attention to your instrument. When you prioritize a steady voice, breath, placement, and release, your range will follow. That way you will have a voice that can sing higher and lower notes without compromising your instrument, tone or psyche.