Are You Singing in One Straight Line?

Singing in one straight line is very typical of the untrained voice. To sound interesting when you sing, you’ll want to be able to work your voice around as many highs and lows within a note or a group of notes. Did that sound a bit like Chinese? I’ll explain. When a new student walks into my studio for an assessment, the first thing I do is ask them to sing so I could hear what they sound like and what I’m going to be working with. Believe it or not, the majority of them will jump to a high octave, thereby limiting their range and connecting notes rather awkwardly. It doesn’t have to be that way. This is a problem even YOU can fix when you know how and especially, when you’re aware of what’s holding you back and causing your limited range. This article will offer tips on how to easily broaden your singing range in a very easy-to-remember formula.
Pick a word like Malaika from the song Malaika, for example. And try speaking the word. All is OK? Are you sounding normal like you would when you talk to someone? OK, now switch on the record button on your phone (assuming you have a voice recorder on your mobile) and sing the word Malaika using your speech level, first. Stop and play that back and ask yourself: are you singing on speech level or did you shoot up to a higher octave all of a sudden? Chances are you jumped several octaves to sing Malaika and if that is so, endeavor to work your way down to speech level. Do this exercise again, recording and playing back until you’ve got it right.
Going back to the point in this article: are you singing in one straight line? Well, if you don’t use your entire range from speech level upward, you are limiting your range. Hence, singing in one straight line is inevitable because you basically have no room to maneuver. So the next time your vocal range is maxing out prematurely, take a look at where you’re singing from. If you’re too high at your lowest end of the scale, take it down a few octaves to where it’s comfortable for you (as you would in speech) and then work your way upward. It really is that simple!
Yes, you’re going to have to train your voice using the scales in order to train your voice and your ear, but above all pay particular attention to navigating the lower notes as this is the problem area that needs addressing should you fall in the category of the above (shooting off to high notes on a low key). Trust me, it takes a while to break away from this bad habit, but if you want to have a better vocal when you sing; to be in better control; and to widen your range, you will have to make a concerted effort to learn to sing with your speaking voice, first.