How to Sing High Notes in Chest Voice Correctly (for advanced singers) | Singing Lessons

[@into.the.wood.chipper.]

Still the best exercise for strengthening mixed voice I've ever tried. Trying to expand my head voice range weakened my chest voice. This brought it right back.

[@VocalLiberation]

+Don Carlson Good to hear.

[@MarianMusic1]

Chest!!

[@sallorenzana8657]

4:47 5:15 6:48 8:35 Stop at 6:55 and start ending at 8:44

[@MrFree-vj8qj]

the full lesson is worth watching at least 5 times, this is 80% of singing technique

[@MrFree-vj8qj]

This is 80% of vocal technique, other channels dont even give exercises, we need more of this video quality covering all aspects of high chest voice (or mix voice, or thick high voice)

[@OscarLagerstrom]

Haha, your keyboard looks like you warmed it up in the microwave.

[@VocalLiberation]

+Oscar Lagerström That IS basically what happened, haha. I was preparing to move one day, so I loaded up my car with all my stuff the night before and left my keyboard in the back window. The next day, it went up to like 35 degrees C and the sun was also shining directly on my keyboard. I didn't even realize it had destroyed my keyboard until I unpacked my car, lol.

[@OscarLagerstrom]

+Marnell Sample Haha, this story made my day!

[@Rooker11111]

+Marnell Sample Vocal registration is the function of the laryngeal, which is unrelated to the physiology of the chest.

[@VocalLiberation]

Rooker11111 And that is exactly what is being taught here. Notice I never once mentioned anything about the physiology of the chest in the clip. :-)

[@Rooker11111]

+Marnell Sample Chest voice is a metaphor for baritone of alto.

[@CorneliusHDybdahl]

Two tips that can really speed up progress on the first exercise: Firstly, doing core workouts is helpful because it allows you to target the core muscles without simultaneously having to work out the laryngeal muscles (TA, TH, CP, LCA, etc) and secondly, people on the skinnier side will tend to progress faster if they eat more calories while working on this, as it is a form of intensive exercise and will burn through calories just the same as any other exercise of the same intensity.

[@jhey2012]

me: "aaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaa aaa" dad: wtf son?

[@MrFree-vj8qj]

This is invaluable, I'm so lucky to have found this after countless videos. You are the best. This tone is what power is about, you exaggerating it made it very clear, its inevitably a bit loud, its inevitably breath supported. Its all in the tone, hearing the difference. It makes you sweat, if you are not sweating you are not developping it.

[@VocalLiberation]

Thanks. People are surprised all the time when they start sweating (literally) when doing strong full voiced exercises! It's a full body experience when it's done correctly.

[@PatrickStefan]

What a helpful and well communicated lesson. I can't tell you how much this has helped me improve after only 3 days! Thank you Sir

[@VocalLiberation]

You're welcome!

[@tessywills1819]

Plus, I already felt good results and that's the most helpful video I found about singing high notes in chest voice. Thank you so much!

[@nicolasboulot6488]

+Tessy Wills, I am Nicolas. I noticed your question below. yes keep up the exercise, but if you are tired of the Aahh sound, do the EEhh sound like in (EA-t) with a slightly open mouth like a little slit and wide sides like a wide smile. alternate betw bright AH and EA like doing Ah 7 times in a row each with a deep breath of course then take only 1 minute break then do the EAHH sound 7 times. do first each on a high chest/speaking note, one continuous uniform sound for the 7 times then you can do an ascending-descending siren starting in chest note going up as high as you can comfortably, trying various starting notes from lowest chest notes to highest.

[@radyahawannugrahaeno7917]

Nicolas Boulot Is this for the people who can sing in mixed? Because i can go up to A4 and barely C5 but it strained and feel so high larynx alot .. so should i work on strengthening my mixed voice first and do Marnell Exercices next?

[@johnellozada2360]

I recently discovered this part of my voice and it's true... people complain when I talk cause my voice got louder hahaha. This is gold!

[@VocalLiberation]

Great! If they keep complaining, you're on the right path. :-)

[@jcole7336]

Extremely useful, especially the aah sound, I developed a breathy chest voice from doing lip trills wrong when my voice was breaking during puberty, that exercise really helps compress my vocal chords when I go down to lower notes

[@VocalLiberation]

+J. Cole Good to hear it's helping you correct your issues. If you find you have breathiness, you might also want to check out my video on singing clearly. That would probably more directly apply to you. kzbin.info/www/bejne/imqcqZqBbbKjjq8

[@jcole7336]

thank you Marnell :)

[@eccentgig416]

Finally someone who faced the same situation as me

[@wreckingrow6566]

Thank you Marnell! You are a gifted vocal instructor. You illustrate with clear examples and your exercises are pure gold! Thanks for all the excellent videos.

[@VocalLiberation]

Joshua Stewart Wow! Thank you so much for the kind words. I'm happy that my videos were able to help you.

[@kennedywobker6402]

Thank you! I started seeing instant results in just two days!!! ☺ Keep up the good work!

[@VocalLiberation]

+Gamingal Great! Thanks for leaving feedback.

[@Islamicsongs313]

Hi Marnell, i dont know how many times ive seen this video...everytime i see it i learn something new...Thank you so much for this. Today i have to ask you if you would please make a video on how the OO vowel is more to the head voice function cause its rounded as you mention around 14:57...i wish to understand this concept. Because they both sound very chesty to me. The only difference is the brightness. If a video is too much to ask for then its understandable cause your a busy man. I wish to grasp this idea though... about rounded vowels VS the more bright vowels. How should one train this and why ? I would love all the help i can get. Thank you!

[@into.the.wood.chipper.]

First time I did this, I didn't notice a difference... Until four days later. My voice had blended itself with a stronger chest before giving way to mixed head voice. I'm afraid to take it all the way to even the top of my passagio (still not sure if I'm a baritone or tenor, but I can reach C5 in mix now and my breaks have disappeared. Thank you, Marnell. This video has amazing tips. My only question is whether or not it is a good idea to carry my chest voice up higher than it's supposed to go. I'm afraid of unbalancing my voice. Have only heard horror stories about that.

[@VocalLiberation]

***** This is excellent! Wonderful progress. It's fine to take the chest voice as high as it can go before handing it over to the head voice, at least in the building stages of your vocal development. Your chest voice will go up to around an A4 or so. (It's really just a very strong mix, but it will feel pretty much like your chest voice.) So don't be afraid to persuade yourself to go higher. Do take your time with it, though. When I first started, I listened to what everyone said about never taking chest voice past an E4. Then one day I was singing a song acapella, and thus I didn't know which key I was in, and did a phrase on an open AH sound up to an F4! I thought it had to be a mistake, but it felt easy and secure, and I then realized it was safe to do. So then another situation happened where I was singing the national anthem acapella, and didn't know which key I was in, and got to the "what so PROUDLY we hailed" line and sang it on a big wide open AH because I thought I was lower, checked the keyboard and realized it was an A4!!!! A lot of times, these rules just cause us to psyche ourselves out and never truly explore what the voice can truly do. You will often surprise yourself when you just go for it without thinking too much sometimes. In regards to imbalancing your voice, as long as you practice the OO in addition to the AH, you will be fine, because the OO trains a different set of musculature, and emphasizes the head resonance more. As you go on, you will eventually do these exercises less loud, at more of a medium volume, and also work on doing a rounded AH instead of a more open AH. But more on that in future videos. :)

[@into.the.wood.chipper.]

Marnell Sample I'm pretty confused about the note naming in musical notation. Some keyboards say that middle C is C3. Others say that it's C4. When I started training in January, I wanted to be able to sing up to Ab5 because that is what was required to be cast as the Phantom of The Opera. I thought it was this lofty high note that was closer to what you would hear Judas sing in Jesus Christ Superstar. But it would appear that Music of the Night covers exactly three octaves (A2 to Ab5) and there seems to be a differing opinion on whether that high note on "BEEE" on the second chrus of Music Of The Night (Phantom's highest sustained note in the show) is Ab4 or Ab5. Can you clarify why there seems to be more than one opinion on what note that is? I've even spent hours trying to find Ab5 on a music keyboard. It seems to be on one of the black keys, but it's all but impossible to find a demonstration of each note and its name on KZbin. Just knowing the true names of each note would be indispensible when gauging progress from one month to the next. Trying to do it by ear can be misleading, because like you said, you can forget what key you're in- and the higher you go, there's this strange of effect of the higher notes starting to seem like they're lower than they are. From what I can tell, I don't really need more than five more notes in full voice to be able to sing every song I've ever liked. Extra range is nice, but I'm finding that your strongest note is never at the top of your mix- it's at least two or three notes lower. The hightest head note (for me, at least, is barely touchable and very flutey before it becomes developed. The highest detached falsetto note (high larynx with less compression) is always about three or four notes above that. One thing about mixed voice is that once I pulled up chest and brought head voice down to where the mix appeared, my chest voice no longer sounds like a bass-baritone. It's resonant, but lighter- not as thick and heavy as some Broadway baritones on the high notes (the heaviest one I've ever heard was Ramin Karimloo- he could crush rocks with his vibrato!). So either I'm not singing deep enough in the body, or I was never a bass-baritone to begin with- this is something you hinted at when you heard a song for critique- and spent more than a decade trying to increase my range in the wrong direction.

[@VocalLiberation]

***** In the *American* note naming system (_scientific pitch notation_), C4 is middle C. In the *European* system (the _Helmhholtz system_), I believe middle C is c1 (also c'), but it has been a while since I've used that system, so don't quote me. All I remember is in the European system, the octave was identified not only by the number after the note, but also whether the note is capitalized or in lower case. "Music of the Night" covers two octaves. It goes as low as Ab2 in the first line and up to Ab4 for the "be" at the end. In the *American* note system, the C major scale from middle C to male high C looks like this: C4-D4-E4-F4-G4-A4-B4-C5 In the *European* (Helmholtz) system, it looks like this: c1-d1-e1-f1-g1-a1-b1-c2 (note the use of lower case letters here is necessary) You can read more about both here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_pitch_notation en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmholtz_pitch_notation And based on that first Wikipedia article, it seems some keyboards do indeed use another system which is non-standard in which middle C is notated at C3! Talk about confusing, lol. _________________________ In regards to not sounding like a bass-baritone -- that is normal and expected as you keep training your voice. As you start to improve your technique and keep proper connection through the voice while also using the resonance more efficiently, the true color of the voice comes out more. For a lot of guys that think they are bass-baritones, it's usually due to improper usage of the voice and overdarkening. A true bass-baritone voice is rare, and I've never heard one from someone who is in their teens or even in their 20s. The only true bass voice I've ever heard at a young age was Jerome Hines. I just came across a clip of him the other day from a lesson he had when he was 17. THAT'S a true bass voice. I don't know a single 17 year old that sounds like that! So, unless you naturally sound like him, you're probably a baritone or possibly even a tenor that just hasn't yet learned to fully navigate the high range. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iaSVgaaOaNuVrZo

[@into.the.wood.chipper.]

Marnell Sample I'm in my late 30's, and wondering if my voice is going to get deeper as I get older, but it sounds a lot like my dad's who used to croon Frank Sinatra songs for fun. I can get down to a B1, which is almost vocal fry for me, but I always wondered why it was so hard to impersonate the narration on movie previews! I'll probably never go as low as Don La Fontaine. Or, at least, never be as deep in the low notes. Listening to Staley, he could go that low, but his low range was very light and thin. I'm probably a low tenor because before I even started training, I could sing the A flat in Music of the Night in chest voice without any vibrato. Just couldn't do it with a low larynx. That took months to develop. The low larynx came in March, and the vibrato showed up a few weeks later. Twang I discovered only last month, and yesterday was the first time I could access a powerful pharyngeal voice. Still got a ways to go, but your explanation of the notation system is very helpful. Thank you! :-)

[@VocalLiberation]

You're welcome! If your in late 30s, then your voice is probably done most of its changing that it will do. So it's probably safe to say that the voice you have now is the voice you will have (aside from just learning to use it more efficiently). A lot of tenors can go low. It's not totally uncommon to find a tenor who can do a G2 or F2, or sometimes a few notes lower. However, as you noted, the quality is usually different than that of a bass or even a baritone. It's normally thinner, even though the note can be solid and secure. If you could already sing the Ab in "Music of the Night" in chest voice, then you can probably consider yourself a tenor in training. Welcome to tenor land! (Even if you're not, you should still train the same way anyway.)

[@Brinaevans]

This made me laugh so hard, I accidentally skipped to the very middle of the video and it landed on the part when you went AAAAAAHHHH AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH. 😂

[@coolwater3287]

Thank you for this video. I have a long history of using the overly dark sound, and I'm trying to get out of that. I was able to take that dark sound really high, but I think it wasn't good for my voice.

[@VocalLiberation]

coolwater32 You're welcome. It can definitely take some time to get used to a bright, clear resonance that you feel in the head, but it definitely helps the voice progress a lot. My other video on singing clearly would probably serve as a great precursor to what I show here. kzbin.info/www/bejne/imqcqZqBbbKjjq8

[@VIDEOHEREBOB]

Now we're training!!! Yes, this was really great.

[@musinjefilms]

awesome, thank you .this is just awesome.

[@MsEustaciaVye]

"Please. Again. TAKE YOUR TIME. ..." Thank your once again, Marnell.

[@blacksaona]

Dude this helped me a lot more that other videos because my main problem is the correct vowel position. Thanks!

[@VocalLiberation]

That's great! If vowels are your major issue, then you might want to check out this vid I did with Phil Moufarrege on vowel modification. We demonstrate all the different vowels towards the end of the video. That should give you and idea of the position of each. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmiqZHWojcZ7adk

[@VocalLiberation]

Rebecca Walilko You're welcome. Glad you're enjoying the information.

[@Hyperdelica-Xander]

+Marnell Sample Hey Marnell, I've just watched a couple of your videos already, and I've subscribed because you're actually explaining things in clear concise detail without charging people $300 to buy your course first. Which I think is super big of you. Major respect for that. But I have a major problem with always flipping into falsetto... And when I do try using chest voice I feel tension, or I hit my ceiling way too soon. and I automatically 'try' to relieve the tension or break the ceiling by using falsetto. Now mind you I think my falsetto is probably more prominent and workable than many other males. But I'm dead set on learning full voice. the range of my falsetto usually isn't bad, when I can actually get the tone right, I can hit E5 and just a little above that, for example when hitting that high note at the end of the chorus of 'Take On Me.' So I'll try using your videos to help my training. But do you think I could learn to use full head voice to reach those same notes?

[@VocalLiberation]

You will eventually be able to do those notes in full voice with the correct approach. For now, though, you can submit yourself singing that song for an assessment so I can see what you're doing. www.vocalliberation.com/vocal-assessment

[@Hyperdelica-Xander]

I just might do that. Thanks for your consideration. Maybe we'll chat again in the not too distant future. : )

[@milestanoev689]

remember to be realistic - you must do a bit of work whatever plan you decide on for becoming a singer I've been researching into different systems and found an awesome website at Bens singer blog (google it if you're interested)

[@Isa-wisa2002]

Hey, I just started this exercise today and I can only go up to F#4 using the "AH" exercise. My question is will I eventually over time be able to expand to the "G" and "A" above middle "C" when using this exercise. Also, should I continue with mixed voice warmups?

[@naturalthemelodious]

I am so glad I found this channel- this helped so much. Once I graduated high school, my voice started to worsen in quality. These exercises are super wonderful; I'm happy you include an 'after effect' so that I know I'm doing everything right. Thanks, Marnell. O uO

[@astrowiz3544]

Thank you soooo much!!! You are amazing. From the very first exercise I could sing higher notes without the feeling of strain and it only got better from there!!

[@gracemaz2158]

Awesome video Marnell! Thank you. It really helped me...noticed results within couple of days. I had been working on mixed voice but it would sound too heady at a certain point cause my chest voice was weak the higher I went. And within a some weeks I got my chest voice stronger in the higher registers and i can hit certain notes higher up in my range more comfortably. One of the most useful videos I have come across on singing.

[@BarrageHero]

Best explanation I've heard of how to achieve stronger belting!

[@MrFree-vj8qj]

It is not belting, you can belt anywhere in the range, this is heavy head voice or chesty high, you need to be loud to not sound feminine, less than belt and zero strain

[@tessywills1819]

Awesome, really helpful. I have a doubt: as I go higher, sometimes I can't achieve a certain note... Should I keep trying (without struggling)?

[@VocalLiberation]

Sorry I missed this comment, Tessy, and yes, I agree, you only go as high as is comfortable with this exercise. Your range extends gradually over time. You must develop comfort and stability in one part of your range first before moving on.

[@walterrgd]

marnell im strugling to sing a high note using chest voice and air please give me a tip on how to achieve this?

[@VocalLiberation]

Chest voice and air? That's a bad combination. You don't want excessive air in the voice, particularly when trying to sing loudly in your chest voice. The sound should be crystal clear. Beyond that, it's hard to say more because it's a very individual thing. You probably have other tensions in the way that are throwing off the coordination for you. The best option would be to sign up for a lesson with me so we can get to the bottom of what's going on. www.vocalliberation.com/singing-lessons

[@J_paints]

Great helpful exercises! Great teaching. Thankyou!

[@VocalLiberation]

Thanks for watching.

[@geespar1]

What a great teacher, such directness and clarity (as well as obvious great skill!)

[@VocalLiberation]

+geespar1 Thank you!

[@CorneliusHDybdahl]

What are your thoughts on vowels /ɛ/ and /e/ for the first exercise? I've taken an EVT course with a similar exercise but they were using /e/ (still F1/H2 coupling though) Also I notice you're barely inhaling prior to singing the notes, which makes me curious why you emphasise the importance of diaphragmatic breathing?

[@phamtung9476]

really nice this is the best lessons for open voice i see on youtube thank you a lot :D

[@VocalLiberation]

pham tung You're welcome.

[@Sons_of_Coherence_Guitarist]

very helpful to be swiss. this kind of ,,a'' is one of the most used vowels in our language

[@TheRenaff]

THIS IS THE BEST VIDEO ABOUT SINGING IN THE WHOLE INTERNET!!!

[@VocalLiberation]

+Renato Thanks. I appreciate it. :-)

[@pierrebeukes6315]

When we "opera singers" make the passagio note a bit "darker" we call it "cover." His explanation is verry good.

[@VocalLiberation]

Thanks! I was trying to avoid using the "c" word, because a lot of people have an aversion to it, haha. But it's necessary for proper voice usage. In particular, that's why the OO exercise was in there -- to address the cover.

[@KichwaHuru]

Hi. Thanks a lot for the video -I have a question: recently in my warm up I went 2 notes above my vocal range (G1-G4) as a result I ve been experiencing some muscle strain kind of pain inside my throat. I have stopped singing fir 2 days but I can still feel strain pain. What is the right thing to do? advise please..

[@ivanogallesio8128]

Still one of the best video on this topic, ty mate

[@georgelensgraf643]

yeah marnell i kinda figured after watching this video for the second time hey im gonna play an arpeggio on my guitar and whammo it makes sense. root, third, and fifth and back down but stopping at the root. i use an a amajor scale then go to d major and then emajor. it works for me.

[@Melvin7727]

This is so helpful. I have a question about the first exercise. By the time you've reached the third key, the top note has me flipping into head voice. It's not like a disconnected falsetto, it's still resonant, but it's different from my chest register. And I guess I'm here for the chest register expansion, right? So what do I do when I reach that break? Let it happen? Keep working until my chest voice creeps up?

[@VocalLiberation]

Sorry for the late reply. I haven't been on KZbin. Go as high as you can without flipping, and just stay in that range and focus on doing those notes stronger for a couple of weeks. Then you will start to notice you can go one key higher without flipping. Get that new key strong and gradually another key will come. In the meantime, you can also continue to explore the coordination your voice is flipping into.

[@Melvin7727]

@@VocalLiberation Perfect answer, and gives me confirmation. I've been doing these exercises for a long time now (wow, it says my comment is a year old? Time flies). I've seen good gains to my chest voice, and I've additionally seen my mixed voice area getting stronger with better timbre and coordination, transitioning to and from chest register more naturally. The registers are getting closer together in their nature, and it's feeling more and more like one voice, yay! Fantastic exercises here, and you are a great teacher.

[@arangor82]

Great video! Just a small remark: The "round OO" that you are using is actually not an OO, it is an OU as in the word "book". The vowel notated as /OO/ is actually an OO as in "tool". The real /OO/ is actually a quite bad vowel for singing. Your are shortly demonstrating the real /OO/ at 14:06.

[@VocalLiberation]

arangor82 Yes, you have good ears! For American English speakers, it IS indeed closer to the sound in "book" or "good". (It would be /ʊ/ in IPA.) However, most Americans don't speak it with the proper roundness or depth; and those who are European tend to do it too throaty, especially if they speak a German based language. Since I have had a lot of training with Italian, I tend to use that as my reference point, and the way the OO is spoken in Italian is closer to what I'm looking for with this particular exercise. And yes, the OO at 14:06 is what I call a throaty OO. Definitely no good for singing.

[@into.the.wood.chipper.]

Still love this video! Question: what mode in CVT is it? Best guess is Overdrive, which some singers mistakenly believe should have as little twang as possible. The vowel sounds more like dark Edge, though (as AW is a back vowel and a more front version without losing the rounding would be OE). Man, you were right about not bridging too early! Real high chest voice sounds like the snap of a snare drum compared to head voice on the same pitch. I hang out with some CCM belters and standing in front of them feels like getting punched in the face with sound.

[@enikototh868]

Hi thank u for yr Vid. Can u help me to develop my D5 note? Which exercise is the best to practice for it?

[@Roses1401]

Your exercises are excellent! Keep GREAT WORK!!!! I love very much!

[@Rosannasfriend]

Back at it! Learning more each time I come here!

[@VocalLiberation]

***** That's great! Good to hear you're still hanging in there. :-)

[@Rosannasfriend]

Doing yoga for the ribs before this really made it easier to hold my ribs out and keep projecting.

[@VocalLiberation]

***** Yoga can definitely help to keep the body loose. As a matter of fact, any type of body movement is good for your, especially movement involving the hips. I often have singers moving around and doing exercises as they are singing, especially for the more intense singing. You can actually see this in one of the lessons I did with one of my students on here. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nl6YcmBmmJd3n68m53s

[@Cloppa2000]

Man this is such an awesome tutorial! So well explained and demonstrated! 👍 I hopefully will not kill myself with the exercises! 😄

[@ienjoysandwiches]

well done sir. you and ken tamplin have an almost identical singing philosophy/technique, but presented very differently.

[@VocalLiberation]

Thanks!

[@hetedeleambacht6608]

fantastic stuff bro!! I m gonna practise tomorrow ... i already did similar exercises in the bathroom but i think these are real good never get a very reliable high chest voice the way i really want though.... i guess i need to practise everyday for that ..... pff what a work!

[@stephenkater9621]

I really enjoy your videos !! You are very good !!! THANKS for your lessons and knowledege and all :)

[@VocalLiberation]

Thank you!

[@mr.t1791]

Awesome stuff man! Totally subbing.👍👍

[@BlackJacketWasp]

Amazing. It helps alot for me when negotiating the notes near the bridge. Thank you.

[@VocalLiberation]

You're welcome.

[@adimanldz]

You are great mate :) these are the first learning videos on youtube that are so straightforward and helpful :D thanks

[@VocalLiberation]

Adriano Adriano Thank YOU so much for the feedback!

[@pierrebeukes6315]

We called this brightness "crying." This is a good exercise.

[@anupamahaldar7063]

Wish all the teacher's were as good teacher as you are.

[@VocalLiberation]

Thank you!

[@shahardagan1584]

Hi Marnell can you recommend me an exercise for mixed voice?

[@bhagatchawla19]

I think I have damaged my voice doing this, stupid of me, my lower register is completely cracked, I can't go lower than my speaking range

[@VocalLiberation]

bhagat chawla With this being an advanced exercise, you definitely have to take your time with it. Progress with this comes over weeks and months. If you find your low range is starting to go away, then I would take a couple of days of vocal rest -- no singing and minimal speaking. This will give your cords time to recover. Also, make sure you stay well hydrated. Once you resume your voice training, you will probably want to work more on all the prerequisites I have listed at the beginning of the video. Become solid and secure in them first over a couple of months before attempting to revisit these exercises. Are you already working with a singing program? If not, I can recommend a good one to you.

[@bhagatchawla19]

No, I am not. For the last few months I have not been able to sing at all. I am starting the Stemple program to see if I can recover.

[@VocalLiberation]

bhagat chawla Not able to sing at all? For several months? Send me an email describing what has been going, and also link a clip of both your speaking voice and singing voice. www.vocalliberation.com/vocal-assessment

[@rez77z]

when i first see your video i told my self this is a crazy man that is going to damage my voice! , but when i did a bright A , i was surprised ! how come i can do it ! i alredy seen a video of ken tamplin about the open A but i v never really been tented to do it... im pretty happy , thx a lot

[@nicochisha7927]

Hi Marnell. This sounds like a very good exercise. Two questions. Are you beginning the exercise at C4 on the keys? Also, how high from there can one safely go without risking injury? Thanks.

[@VocalLiberation]

+Nico Chisha How high you can go depends on your level of development. This is an advanced exercise and will take a good few months before you can start doing it high consistently. You have to learn to respect your body with this one. If you get to a certain note and get stuck, don't go beyond that point for now. Your body needs to adjust to the changes. So if you can only comfortably do it up to the E4 for now, don't push yourself much past that. If you can do it up to the G4, great, work around that point for a while. If you can *comfortably* take it higher, then go ahead. I think I started on C4, but for most guys, you will probably want to start on a G3 or A3. So that's the G or A below middle C.

[@nicochisha7927]

Thanks. You're a star!!

[@Rosannasfriend]

I need to watch this everyday too!

[@VocalLiberation]

***** Haha. Now take your time with this one, because it is a more demanding set of exercises!

[@rafaeljannotti3002]

I wonder if you know how great and helpful this video is. Thank you very much kind sir.

[@VocalLiberation]

You're welcome.

[@pamelajohnson834]

Quite excellent Marnell. Thank you for this.

[@VocalLiberation]

+Pamela Johnson You're welcome!

[@Kage1111]

Very helpful and correct info. You're great bro!

[@VocalLiberation]

Lewis Long Thanks so much, Lewis!

[@pepite-5760]

Thank you, This is truly helpful ! I have a question: What about the larynx position ? I have the tendancy to lower my larynx when it’s getting high to be relax. But it change the resonance. It is possible to get the full brigh resonance (like the vowel you’re producing) with a low larynx ?

[@novakastmusic]

You can modify later I believe.

[@erionford5736]

I’m ready for you to drop a new how to sing in chest voice correctly video man. Can we get that soon?

[@VocalLiberation]

Thanks for watching. There probably won't be any more on that particular topic (although every video on my channel is secretly about that :-P ). But explicitly like this one? Probably not, because there are too many individual variables involved where people can do things wrong. That's something best done with a teacher.

[@yousaf653]

Marnell what does the Oh vowel do? How does it train your falsetto when it's in a deep chest voice? Also, what does it actually do for ur falsetto/head voice?

[@ramsesii7860]

hi! when you say 'aaaahhh' we can hear your voice tremble. How are you doing that? ps. sorry for by bad english i am french p.s.s I love your videos

[@justarandomcitizen7413]

Aude Shay its a vibrato, it comes naturally from breath support and vocal exercises. Hope that helps x

[@ramsesii7860]

Thanks a lot! Really! I though that it was smt more complicated^^

[@justarandomcitizen7413]

Aude Shay it's alright!

[@tanveersingh8003]

Very very intelligent approach

[@zomzilove]

Perfection! Inspired

[@VocalLiberation]

Zomzi Love Inspired? That's a word I love to hear! Thanks so much!

[@petergraham4744]

Hi Marnell. I understand this lesson is for advanced singers. However, even though i am at the beginning of my singing experience, i will still ask. Should the base of your chin, that place where the outer throat muscles engage beneath that upper part of one's tongue, should this area remain relaxed and disengaged. I am able to keep this muscle beneath the outer part of my tongue relaxed when singing in that doppy sort of way but as soon as i go up in to higher registers, and certainly making this bright, intense sound your making here, my throat hardens up. Is this to be expected with someone at the beginning of their singing experience. Thanks Marnell.

[@graymusic1817]

I can mix, But when I start singing songs there are points where my voice falls apart (near bridges) not completely, But Just a Crack. Will it get better over time?

[@gsn7625]

I think that the point of mixing is to fully connect your chest and head register, i think it also depends of how the song is, for example, I like indie music, and the high notes of male singers sound more bright, so when I have a good vocal warm up, my voice's ''crack'', moves to a higher part of my range, so I can sing my passagio more comfortably, but if I'm singing a song that requires me to sing my highest note in chest voice, I have to stop mixing and use normal chest voice.

[@bellaforgione5199]

This is such amazing info. Love it

[@VocalLiberation]

+Bella Forgione Thanks for watching!

[@1jmiddy]

Hi Marnell, I have seen a few of your videos- they are great :-) How high do you recommend this be taken for a female? Jen

[@VocalLiberation]

Jenny Thomas Females can take this up to an Eb5 (Eb above male high C), and if you're really feeling comfortable, you can go a few notes higher. But I must emphasize to take your time with this exercise. If you only feel comfortable up to the B4 (B above middle C), then don't push yourself to Eb5 in one sitting! Let your voice gradually work in to it over a period of weeks and months.

[@JoshElliottMusic]

Is there a risk of getting stuck in belting mode by doing these exercises? My goal would be to expand my usable chest range so I can ultimately sing softer in chest and thus be able to mix more effectively. May main problem is feeling like I need to belt around C4-E4 and I really want to sing softer in that range. Would it be good to balance these exercises with light exercises?

[@VocalLiberation]

The second exercise on the OO is very important. Many people skip it, but it serves as a counterbalance exercise to help make sure you don't get stuck. If you're not yet able to sing softly around C4-E4, that might mean you need a bit more strengthening and a bit more time. After a few weeks or so, it should get stronger, and you should find it's a bit easier to sing with a bit less volume on those notes without feeling like you're disconnecting. You might have to start working on your resonance and how you shape your vowels in order to achieve that, though. Certain ways of shaping the vowel will make it harder to reduce volume (for instance, the way I demonstrate AH here is for finding more volume, not finding less volume).

[@JoshElliottMusic]

@@VocalLiberation Thanks for the reply. Hey by the way is your website and vocal program open? I filled out the contact form but it would not send.

[@VocalLiberation]

@@JoshElliottMusic Yes. There might have been an error with the form. I will check in the back end. If you need to email me directly, my email is on the "About" page of my KZbin channel.

[@kristupasmorkunas7996]

Your awesome teacher!!! You explain very well. Love your videos it really helped me :)

[@VocalLiberation]

Thanks! Glad it's helping you!

[@polluxtoda]

Marnell, may i ask about songs that require screams. Is it possible to scream correctly without damaging your vocal chords/folds? Like screaming correctly like fry screams etc. Songs like The Kill by 30 seconds to mars

[@XxQueenChristinaxX]

Can you tell me how to upper belt like Anastacia?

[@VocalLiberation]

You have to have a solid chest voice up to the C5. Then you have to know about vowel modification beyond that point. In the Ultimate Mixed Voice Tutorial, even though it's kind of long, in the first 2 hours, I give the overall map to developing that first part. Then in Part 2 of that series, I show examples in many singers of how it works, and specifically, how it works with the vowel modifications.

[@coffeecups15]

Wow I watched at least 20 videos on this and this is the one that helped me............ u earned a sub

[@VocalLiberation]

Thank you! Glad it helped.

[@cheery-hex]

Marnell what are your thoughts on vocal fry? useful for developing cord closure? thanks for your reply. this exercise is really helpful btw

[@VocalLiberation]

+theAbeElement I don't find it particularly useful. That said, there is something that can be confused with a vocal fry. It is a specific way of approaching your onset I learned from my SLS teacher. It is the creaky door exercise. It is NOT the same as the edgy sound Brett Manning does, so don't confuse the two. If you do it correctly (which most people don't), it helps with developing the closure a lot.

[@nicochisha7927]

Hello Marnell. I have to say your exercise here should get more credit than it is getting. I am able to sing for extended periods with no problem, but I've found that talking really fatigues my throat and voice. I have noticed that doing this exercise is actually correcting that, as the fatigue and tenderness seems to disappear after. I am currently on the F note, which makes me land on the B flat at which point my voice is breaking. Do I keep hitting the note until the break disappears?

[@gsn7625]

How high could I sing using this method if I'm a baritone?. My highest note in chest voice is F4 - F#4

[@florentinovillegas9932]

Same 😭, but did manage to get to A4 while doing this warmup. Haven't applied it to singing yet tho

[@gsn7625]

@@florentinovillegas9932 A4 in chest voice? it wasn't head voice or something like that? did you feel strained? cause that'a really high note for baritones.

[@florentinovillegas9932]

@@gsn7625 I guess I'm more in between baritone and tenor, but I have been struggling very much to sing past an F4. And I've only been able to hit A4 during the warm up, which didn't feel too strained, but felt like my voice really wanted to switch to falsetto. I'm gonna need to practice more, and hopefully it'll help me sing higher.

[@VocalLiberation]

I make all my male singers learn to take this up to the A4, regardless of if they're tenor or baritone. And yes, some tenors struggle to do it even up to the Eb4 at first if they're undertrained. It takes time. You can't rush it.

[@VocalLiberation]

@Florentino Villegas Stretching your chest voice up to the A4 takes time. Yes, at first, it WILL feel like it wants to flip to falsetto. As long as you make the ATTEMPT to keep it connected to the best of your abilities, then you're training it correctly, even if it does flip. The INTENT is much more important than the actual outcome. The intent trains the response of your nervous system, and that in turn causes the desired muscular response over time. But you have to try your best to maintain the strongest connection possible. As for singing past the F4, if you can do both the AH and OO in this video up to the F4, then you need to start working on vowel modifications. Watch my video I did on this topic with Phil Moufarrege.

[@tw4592]

this video taught me alot. thanks

[@VocalLiberation]

Good to hear. You're welcome!

[@nursanto27]

Thank you very much, I pray good things for your life, this is so very helpful!!!

[@VocalLiberation]

Thank YOU! And you're welcome. :)

[@IAMVEBII]

Hi Marnell, do you have tips for choirs?

[@VocalLiberation]

It would depend on the type of choir, what kind of music you're singing, and the skill level of each person. Best case scenario is to listen to each person sing individually and give them a couple of tips based on THEIR individual problem.

[@CrimsonHeart3]

Hey Marnell I really love this exercise - question though - where should this be placed in our vocal routine - and how long after waking up can we do this? . Is it something that needs a warm up first for safety? I've been worried I might hurt myself if I start doing it immediately. How long also can one do this? - would it be safe to work on it say - 15 mins of every hour.? For a total of maybe 3-4 reps aka around 1hour?. I feel it helps me a lot - I've been able to incorporate to other vowels as well. I feel I improve everyday using it along with the rest of my routine. Hope you can answer.

[@VocalLiberation]

Good question. If you're not used to using your voice in this way, I wouldn't jump straight into it after waking up. For most singers, you will have to warm up a bit first before going into this exercise. This exercise would be best done towards the end of your routine after your voice has been moving for a bit. Then, it would be a good idea to follow up this exercise with some medium volume singing. You'll find that after doing this exercise, the medium volume stuff will come much more easily. If you're just starting out with this exercise, I would only do it maybe 2-3 times per day (if you have multiple practice sessions) for just 5-10 minutes at a time. This is an intense building exercise and does take some focus to do correctly, so if you go beyond that 5-10 minute range, you risk losing the necessary focus for the exercise. Hope this helps.

[@CrimsonHeart3]

Marnell Sample I just noticed this. For some reason i did not get the reply through my phone - had to get on pc and it notified me - weird - really appreciate your answer marnell. Thank you for taking the time to answer and providing this great exercise. I feel it really kick starts my whole voice - gives it a lot of edge and clarity along with the yah yah and nouw nouw you have too - gives my whole range a noticeable increase in presence and quality. I find if i don't do it - it takes way longer for my voice to get in a good sounding consistent shape. I also feel in combination with my routine - it makes singing much easier - i sing a lot of karaoke and my friends notice the difference week to week - and sometimes even day to day. Lots of clean sounding straight tones - the only annoying part is making noise lol - i annoy the whole house - but they have to deal with it. Whoever finds this exercise i'm sure will surely benefit if they do it right. Which reminds me. If someone else is reading this - MAKE SURE TO ADD VOLUME - BEING SHY WITH IT WILL NOT GET YOU THE FULL RESULTS IT CAN PROVIDE. Like marnell says - it needs the intensity of a yell behind it. Just watch the video and make sure to memorize all the details - without the precise details an exercise is only a scale with sound.

[@VocalLiberation]

I'm happy to hear you're getting noticeable results with the exercises! And yes, fear/shyness will make you do this exercise incorrectly. If you are afraid of being loud, don't do this exercise at all! You will just ingrain a bunch of bad habits!

[@jacklequin3561]

Marnell Sample hi im wondering is this healthy for vocal chords?

[@bivotarshamble3672]

Has that keyboard gone through a fire? Damn son, that is some serious singing!

[@Roses1401]

Subscribed! You are awesome teacher! I am very impressed! And thank you million times! VERY GREAT!

[@AlejandroMusicProductions]

Well done amigo Marnell! Best part I like is when you explain what the student should' feel like 'after' the exercise¬ :)

[@VocalLiberation]

GiveOrLooseIt That's a good point you bring up! I will be sure to keep that in mind for my future videos.

[@AlejandroMusicProductions]

:)

[@Timliu92]

Hey fantastic lesson! I have a question though. I can approach a G4 or G#4 from bottom, like starting from a lower note and going up, without straining. However, when I have to start with those notes, I tend to crack a little and not attack the note cleanly. How do I deal with this? Thanks a lot! :)

[@VocalLiberation]

+Timliu92 Ah, starting off a phrase on a high note is definitely a slightly different skill. Do you crack when doing the starting note of the OO exercise? Or does it only happen on certain vowels?

[@Timliu92]

+Marnell Sample Well for the 'oo' it is a little bit easier but still difficult. :/

[@VocalLiberation]

+Timliu92 Ok, then your issue might be one of vowel modifications. You will probably need to start off with a modified vowel for everything to be more stable when you have to start out on a high note. Try starting out on an OH vowel but with the back of the throat shaped the same way it is for the OO. See if that makes your OH a little easier.

[@Timliu92]

+Marnell Sample I see, thanks Marnell! Btw I am wondering if you can give me feedback to my singing - I can send you my recording if you want to. If not that is perfectly fine.

[@VocalLiberation]

For an assessment, see this page: www.vocalliberation.com/vocal-assessment

[@stefansalvatore7574]

wow this exercise seems quite fun to do, my brightness in tone is getting better,but here is the thing,before my throat would get tight and I would choke which is wrong,but now I don't really feel it in my throat but my diaphragm doesn't feel very tight either like it used to happen a week ago,so its like I don't feel any tension anywhere , like for instance when I am singing head voice I don't really feel any tension anywhere at all,its almost kind of the same tension, am I doing something wrong? do I really have to feel tight on my stomach/core region?

[@VocalLiberation]

+Stefan Salvatore As you get more used to the exercise and your body adapts, it takes less effort to do the exact same thing. So your body can begin to "relax" around it a bit. As long as the sound is still coming out the same and it feels fine in your throat, then you're doing well.

[@ABDALLAHJAMANI]

Hey Marnell, how are you? Buddy? I wanted to ask that does riding a bike in speed affect singing voice in any way?

[@VocalLiberation]

+ABD'ALLAH JAMANI It should have no negative effect on the voice.

[@CrimsonHeart3]

Dammit, i remember i was doing this exercise along with all the ones i have and my results 2x, for some odd reason i can't remember i stopped doing it, well now i have it again!!! as soon as i did it instant results

[@VocalLiberation]

+Misael V. Awesome!

[@yousaf653]

Hey marnell when I do this I can only go up to G4 then my voice cracks and doesn't go higher. Also, when I do this nasality sound, I can hear it in my singing voice when I start to sing. Isn't this exercise bad ecause it's makin' your voice thin and Havin that nasal whiny sound?

[@VocalLiberation]

Hi. If you can only go up to a G4, then it means you have other issues in your voice that need to be addressed first. Perhaps you never learned how to thin out your voice properly before. Or maybe you didn't know how to modify your vowels properly. It's impossible to tell without working with you. Also, you're not trying to be nasal with this exercise. Yes, the voice might get brighter and more thin sounding, but you're not trying to intentionally make the voice nasal. It's very important to do the OO (which it seems many people have neglected) because that serves as a counterbalance for the first exercise in the video. I can't stress the importance of that enough.

[@radyahawannugrahaeno7917]

How to resonate that notes too? Were there any resonating notes?

[@westbirds994]

Thank youu !! Is it normal that you feel a slight pain in the larynx when excersing this ??

[@MegaChallanger]

one thing I hear a lot of is that you have to thin the sound out as you go higher. but then again if that happens, then how does bon jovi's voice still sound thick when he sings "livin on a prayer"

[@VocalLiberation]

Depends on your level of development. If you're earlier in your developmental stages, the sound will be much thinner and won't be able to sustain a lot of intensity. As you get more advanced, the voice will accept more weight and substance in those upper notes.

[@MegaChallanger]

thanks for the info. I saw your page called "get rid of the vocal break" and I also have a low voice, but I also have no problem holding an f4. I can go from c2 to g4, but I cant really sing any lyrics at g4, and I would like to be able to sing higher.

[@XxQueenChristinaxX]

I’m definitely not currently an advanced singer but this is still very helpful.

[@VocalLiberation]

Good to hear!

[@georgelensgraf643]

could i just do this ah thing in example 1 while playing a pentatonic scale on my guitar on the first few strings. i hope this helps.

[@VocalLiberation]

+George Lensgraf Well, the notes that I play are just the first 3 notes of a major pentatonic scale. :) The scales must be short (distance of only a major 3rd) for you to achieve the proper benefits of this exercise. If you sing this on the full pentatonic scale, you're covering a much larger range, and thus exercising something different. That type of exercise would require different instructions too.

[@terran236]

great video! Very informative! Also, i like your vibrato.

[@VocalLiberation]

***** Thanks!

[@TTERRETTI]

Thanks Marnell.

[@iamshunaji]

I'm so hungry now 😖 this is fantastic thanks!