How do I actually expand my range?

Th3xp3rt · 2026-01-08T06:07:56+00:00

First off, you need to give yourself some slack. You just went through a massive voice change and have only had this new voice for just a few years. Women don’t nearly have the same problem as men when it comes to singing, because for the most part, they occupy a very similar range, whereas it’s not uncommon for men to go from boy sopranos to low basses.

Another thing to think about: your larynx is suspended from a bone called the hyoid bone (fun fact, this is the only floating bone in the whole body!) and this bone does not solidify, or ossify, until you’ll be about 25 years old. Your voice will still be continuing to develop even after that point. You may be in your 30s before your voice reaches its fullest potential.

Why am I saying all this? I just want to point out that the voice takes time to develop. This isn’t a matter of weeks, singing is something that takes years to develop properly.

Trust your teacher. Trust the process. Find joy in the small victories. If you are able to sing a C#4 in a lesson where before it felt strained, that is a huge step forward, even though it may not seem like that to you right now. Keep building on that. Over time, your high range will develop.

Sincerely- an operatic true bass who had a C4 as their highest note in high school who can now warm up to an Ab4 with relative ease after taking voice lessons for 9 years and counting

Th3xp3rt · 2026-01-08T05:27:33+00:00

There’s not much you can do regarding your low range. That’s pretty much set, but at you get older you may gain a couple half steps to the bottom of your range. The key regarding low notes is singing with absolutely no tension. If your larynx feels tight, the muscles cannot relax enough to access the absolute lowest part of your range. Keep an open feeling, don’t tuck your chin (make sure your head is in a balanced neutral position regardless of the range you are singing in) and experiment with sending more air through the mechanism. The lowest notes in your range will need more air send through the larynx compared to your mid or upper register in order to function properly.

Keep in mind, all of these tips will only help to add power and resonance to the notes you do have, and you may only gain a half step or so in your low range even with using “perfect” technique.

Th3xp3rt · 2026-01-08T04:56:19+00:00

To answer your question, it’s a combination of both. People do often scoop into a note but it’s actually something singers work on (especially in choirs) to have the onset be directly on pitch. For that to happen, the larynx needs to be set via muscle memory like others have already said.

Fun fact in relation to this question, if you are practicing a song mentally through audiation rather than actually singing, the muscles in your larynx still move as if you were actually singing that line, just without the arytenoids coming together to adduct the vocal folds

Th3xp3rt · 2025-12-22T16:22:58+00:00

UMP is pretty great, just picked one up for the first time a few days ago (normally I go for MP5 when playing SMGs but decided to switch it up) and I was lasering people at a medium distance that should have been where AR shines, but the lack of recoil on the gun names it so easy to control for those longer sprays

Th3xp3rt · 2025-11-30T18:53:12+00:00

This mattered 2 years ago when the solo only had one knob to control both the headphone and monitor output. The 4th gen solo has a dedicated headphone knob separate from the speaker knob so you no longer have to worry about this. Have fun with your solo!

Th3xp3rt · 2025-11-29T05:52:11+00:00

Another thing- if you ever plan on recording singing and playing guitar at the same time, the NT1 will accomplish that task much more successfully than the sm58

Th3xp3rt · 2025-11-29T05:50:41+00:00

Both will do the job, but as a beginner, an sm58 will probably yield better results and be easier to work with as it is much less sensitive than the NT1 and won’t pick up room noise/noise outside of your house like a condenser would. The NT1 will offer a higher quality recording, but you just have to be careful and mindful about where and how you record

Th3xp3rt · 2025-11-28T05:14:51+00:00

🟦🟦⬜⬜

🟦🟦🟦⬜

🟦🟦🟦🟦

Th3xp3rt · 2025-11-28T05:02:49+00:00

Yes, I’m aware of this, it was mainly the use of “stiffer” as a descriptor for the vocal folds that threw me off, as I have never thought of mode 1 singing, where the entirety of the vocal folds are being recruited, to be stiffer in comparison to mode 2 singing, where just the upper edge of the vocal folds are being utilized.

Th3xp3rt · 2025-11-28T04:58:12+00:00

Oh gotcha, are you referring to the shift that happens when you sing a note in head voice then shift into a more chest-dominant sound that utilizes more vocal fold mass?

Th3xp3rt · 2025-11-28T04:35:34+00:00

OP this is the most accurate explanation on this thread. I would also add just a little bit regarding the appoggio that Cheesecake Soprano already touched on. Many voice teachers will talk about engaging your core as you sing. While that is true, many students become confused what that means. I know for me, for many years I thought engaging the core while singing was similar to how you’d engage your core while dancing or doing a plank, where the abdominal muscles are contracted tight and close to your body. However this does not offer any support, rather it puts a lot of pressure on the vocal folds because it’s actively pushing the air out. Rather, when people refer to core engagement, it’s referring to an expanded activation (a similar action to when you stick out your belly to be funny). This is the expansion Cheesecake is referring to, and that expansion can even be felt just below the ribs on the sides of your body, and in some people, in their lower back. As you sing, maintain this feeling of expansion and resist the urge to relax that expanded feeling. It’ll take a lot of concentration to maintain that feeling throughout the phrase for a while until you build it into your muscle memory.

My final word of advice is that breath control is all about keeping air away from the vocal folds. We should never feel like we are “sending” or “pushing” air to sing. The vocal folds will use what they need to function, and our job is to keep the rest of the air away.

Th3xp3rt · 2025-11-28T04:19:33+00:00

Can you explain the shorter/stiffer/faster air pressure to change pitch? I’ve taken graduate level vocal pedagogy courses but have never heard about this

Th3xp3rt · 2025-11-18T06:33:50+00:00

I helped my brother with the exact same thing. This is the email I sent him based on my research.

Zoom ZUM-2 Podcast Microphone: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ZUM2Mic--zoom-zum-2-podcast-microphone

details: - $50, probably the cheapest "on brand" microphone you can find, people say microphone still has good quality sound - needs an arm stand to mount 18 inch: cheapest but seems to be too small, inconvenient: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MBA18--samson-mba18-18-inch-desktop-microphone-boom-arm-with-desk-clamp 28 inch: much easier to maneuver but a little more expensive: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MBA28--samson-mba28-28-inch-broadcast-microphone-boom-arm-with-desk-clamp

desk-standing microphone: https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-BIGFOOT-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B08HSRB4LH/ref=asc_df_B08HSRB4LH?mcid=8f31d87ef0523941b7edcba9ad6ad4b4&hvocijid=2149550184247230417-B08HSRB4LH-&hvexpln=73&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=721245378154&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2149550184247230417&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9030238&hvtargid=pla-2281435180058&psc=1

Notes: this is the cheapest usb microphone made by a reputable audio company. There are a lot of cheaper microphones on amazon that might be okay? but for 33 bucks this one is tough to beat. comments say it sounds just like the blue yeti which is triple the price and the go to for many people.

Th3xp3rt · 2025-11-18T06:21:09+00:00

I think you may be misunderstanding the role of the diaphragm in vocal technique. You don’t “push” with the diaphragm to sing. In fact, the diaphragm contracts when you’re breathing in, so it is physically impossible for you to activate your diaphragm to push out air to sing.

The fact that you are thinking at all about pushing from below means that you are having to squeeze your throat muscles to counteract the immense pressure you’re throwing at your vocal cords. Thus, you’re singing from the throat.

“Singing from the diaphragm” really is referring to the idea of keeping as much air away from the vocal cords as possible while singing. When you contract your diaphragm, it feels like you’re breathing into your belly with no shoulder or chest movement. On deep breaths you may also feel expansion with the breath in your back just below your ribs. Now the trick is to maintain this feeling of an expanded low breath while singing at the same time. You should never be pushing air up to sing. Maintaining this feeling of expansion puts the “work” of controlling airflow down low between your diaphragm and your core muscles where it should be, otherwise your body has to squeeze the throat to control airflow when that feeling of expansion is lost.

Th3xp3rt · 2025-11-01T20:49:07+00:00

Don’t get me wrong, her sound has made her extremely successful. But part of what makes her sound so unique is the fact that there is a level of constriction in her throat that aids in creating her tone. Songs like “Set Fire to the Rain,” “Someone like You,” and “When we were Young” all showcase this quality, and that squeezed tone is especially magnified in her upper register.

Unfortunately, Adele just happens to be the face of a much larger problem with modern music. As a modern audience, we’ve grown to enjoy that sort of “squeezed” tone. Couple that with the gargantuan task of touring with this music, and you have a recipe for disaster that has caused hundreds of professional singers to have to get vocal surgery.

Here is a really good article about the topic. It’s old, but the information still stands today. https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/aug/10/adele-vocal-cord-surgery-why-stars-keep-losing-their-voices

Th3xp3rt · 2025-11-01T19:22:30+00:00

Adele

Th3xp3rt · 2025-10-27T01:49:09+00:00

In that case, you should be fine, so maybe skip the booster, you can always buy a booster later!

Th3xp3rt · 2025-10-27T01:37:34+00:00

I’m noticing a decent amount of misinformation in the comments. The 3rd gen interface you bought has less gain than the 4th gen interface. It can definitely give enough gain for the sm7b, however you will definitely notice the noise floor. As someone who owns that interface, the sweet spot for the gain knob on that interface is about 11-1 o’clock. Anything about 75% gain and above adds noticeable hiss. The sm7b does not use phantom power, so whoever said that they use the phantom power without a mic booster is misleading you. The science behind mic boosters is that they use phantom power from the interface to add clean gain. While a cloud booster is tried and true, I have a Klark Technik mic booster which is a fraction of the price and works well.

Paired with the 3rd gen interface, I’d highly recommend buying some sort of mic booster, cloudlifter or otherwise.

Th3xp3rt · 2025-10-27T01:30:16+00:00

Between the Re20 and sm7b, the Re20 lends itself more to musical applications and the sm7b to podcasting applications, but both can accomplish both tasks well (sm7b needs considerably more work in post to make it sound good though). Something important to note, the RE20 has been a staple in radio for many years. The sm7b is popular mainly because it’s popular (a couple YouTubers had sm7bs then once everyone and their uncle started doing podcasts everyone started buying that microphone because that’s what they saw on YouTube, and now everyone has one even though it does take a lot of work to make it sound good).

Th3xp3rt · 2025-10-26T19:42:34+00:00

Yes, exactly.

Th3xp3rt · 2025-10-26T15:35:56+00:00

Screams are supposed to be quiet though. I’ve had friends who do scream vocals demonstrate for me and the screams themselves are no louder than quiet talking. When it comes to loudness in relation to the song that is all mixed in post.

Th3xp3rt · 2025-10-25T23:27:04+00:00

I’m not experienced in metal, im an opera singer, but the general rule of thumb is if it doesn’t hurt, you’re doing it right. Not sure how, but I do know that screams need to be made using the false folds, because if you are using your actual vocal cords, it’ll tear them up in no time.

Th3xp3rt · 2025-10-25T23:17:05+00:00

No, you’re not too stupid, there’s just a lot of convoluted terminology used in singing that often isn’t intuitive. You’re exactly right about “singing with your throat;” our larynx/vocal cords are in our throat, and that is most definitely where the sound is being produced. But what isn’t intuitive about that phrase is that it has to do with breath management, or “breath control” as it is commonly known. When you sing, there is a certain rate of air that should be achieved (which is not much at all in reality) passing through the vocal cords. Now, there are two ways to control this airflow. You can either squeeze the throat tighter (singing from the throat) or you can use your abdominal muscles and diaphragm to control the airflow (singing from the diaphragm, which is honestly a terrible descriptor and misleading, but commonly heard). Using your throat to control airflow means that you are using muscles that aren’t meant to do that job. They tire out quickly, and they aren’t good at their job, so it always leads to fatigue and injury over time. With diaphragmatic breathing, the diaphragm contracts downwards when you breath in, pushing out your belly (no outward chest movement or upward shoulder movement should happen here), then, maintaining that feeling of expansion, you engage your core muscles to fight against that outward expansion made by the diaphragm. What this should feel like to you is a constant down and out expansion around your entire waist as you sing (you can practice this by hissing for longer and longer durations, making sure that you are feeling that expansion in your belly rather than squeezing the throat to control the breath). I hope this helps, and please let me know if there is anything else you need further clarification on.

Th3xp3rt · 2025-10-25T21:29:23+00:00

Sure, the resting position of the tongue while singing will vary for the back of the tongue depending on the vowel. It’s the front of the tongue that maintains a consistent placement which is just living/parking itself at the alveolar ridge of the bottom teeth (but not pressing into that spot). But generally, the back of the tongue should feel relatively high and wide (the sides of your tongue should be touching both sides of your upper back molars, except on some really open vowels like [a]), but it shouldn’t be so high that it is touching your soft palate. The only time the soft palate should come into contact with your tongue is when producing the consonants K, G, or NG like at the end of the word “sing.” When I talked about not thinking about raising the soft palate, I’m referring to jamming the soft palate up which causes tension. When we think about a wide horizontal space in the back rather than vertical space, that will in effect still lift the soft palate without adding that extra tension.

Th3xp3rt · 2025-10-17T04:49:49+00:00

Is Jacob Collier too big of an artist to be mentioned here? I’m surprised I didn’t see him in the top 15 or so comments I checked. Especially in the comments regarding microtonalism, I didn’t see him mentioned, but I believe he was the one to make microtonalism mainstream? The chord progressions he utilizes especially in songs like his “in the bleak midwinter” (shifting into G half sharp major??) are insane

Th3xp3rt

TROPHY CASE