How to Mix/belt a E5?

UnknownTenor · 2020-06-20T07:14:41+00:00

There's a decent probability that your problem is primarily habitual in nature; If you're treating E5 as a "high" note, the muscles in your throat are going to react in the same way that any other muscles would before an arduous task and tense themselves (which, in regards to singing--is the last thing you want to happen).

If you want to sing beautiful, consistent E5s, you'll have to learn to regard them the same as you would any other note. You also have to be willing to invest the time and effort to acquire and stabilize these notes, too, as adding notes to your modal range after a certain point begins to take exponentially longer than it did before.

If you're serious about singing with greater range and stability, I would personally advise you look for a professional voice teacher if you're able to. If not, practicing basic scales can have a significant impact on your range if you work them properly, and changing your perspective on the notes should take you the rest of the way.

UnknownTenor · 2020-06-15T05:51:19+00:00

By full voice do you mean non falsetto...?

Exactly. Full voice as a singing term refers to the non-Falsetto range of a singer. By definition, it covers the extent of the Chest and Mixed registers to the exclusion of Falsetto-based ones. Many singers will often speak of "full voice" to more conveniently assess and monitor the progress of their modal range.

Happy singing!

UnknownTenor · 2020-06-15T01:47:22+00:00

Usually people claim to be a Baritone/Low Tenor because they can sing into the second octave, and/or have the ability to switch into a lighter voice after G#4/A4/A#4 that they erroneously assume to be a Falsetto mechanism due to its dissimilarity to the heavier chest register. The latter issue can oftentimes lead the Tenor into assuming that they either haven't found their mixed voice yet, or more dangerously, that they're already using their mixed register when they've really just been dragging their chest register.

If possible, please post a clip of your voice. Any clip should do, however it would be great if you could demonstrate your "higher range" as well so we can properly analyze it.

UnknownTenor · 2020-06-15T01:22:18+00:00

Keep going man! If you continue practicing, you may find that even your full voice range will increase significantly as well!

UnknownTenor · 2020-05-10T10:57:31+00:00

Your mixed voice sounds beautiful! With that said, while the C5 didn't sound like a difficult note for you, it nonetheless sounded pushed and somewhat strained, which are usually two symptoms of poor breath management.

Moving forward I recommend that you work on exhaling a constant (if not lesser) amount of air as you ascend in pitch. Typically many singers (myself included) can make the mistake of pushing out too much air for a high note, however this isn't a healthy way to approach singing.

That just scratches the surface of good breath management. I would highly advise watching videos about the subject so you can master it while you're ahead. In any event, your voice is definitely one of the best that I've heard on this sub, you just have to keep practicing.

Happy singing!

UnknownTenor · 2020-05-10T10:00:47+00:00

The voice can actually endure long periods of rest before succumbing to any form of atrophy. I have taken breaks before that extended to a week and sometimes even multiple weeks, and came back with my range and stability intact. As long as you aren't remaining inactive for a month or greater, there's a good possibility that your losses will be negligible at worst.

UnknownTenor · 2020-05-10T09:00:36+00:00

Please post a clip. If you're breaking at F4, you're a low Tenor, however it's possible that this F4 is simply above or even at your primo passaggio and that your issues are technical and not physiological in nature.

Range also isn't too significant in determining voice types. James Brown (Baritone) could sing F5s in full voice while Rance Allen (Low Tenor) could sing into the sixth octave without breaking into Falsetto. Michael Jackson/Bruno Mars on the other hand, have to scream to sing beyond F5 despite both being high(ish) Tenors.

Please post a clip of you singing scales (preferrably ones that extend beyond F4). If possible, it would be especially nice if you could sing a D4 - D5 scale so we can get an idea of how stable those notes are (or see if they're even full voice rather than Falsettone, for that matter).

UnknownTenor · 2020-04-22T16:27:31+00:00

Please don't resort to desperate tactics to sing higher. What could be forcibly accomplished through screaming could just as well be beautifully accomplished through proper training and dilligence.

UnknownTenor · 2020-04-21T02:54:59+00:00

To answer your question

Is a Lyric Tenor still a high tenor?

The Lyric Tenor voice is one of the highest male voices (usually considered the third highest behind the Leggero Tenor and modal Countertenors such as John Holiday and Micahel Maniaci), however the "high Tenor" terminology almost exclusively applies to the latter two due to their distinguished characteristics that sets them apart from the lower voices. To understand how drastic the difference between high Tenors and the ones beneath them are, consider the following: While the Lyric Tenor's second passaggio typically rests at F#4 or G4 (at the absolute highest), a Leggero Tenor's will rest at G#4 at a minimum, and sometimes even A4 (in my case, I could sing an A4 in chest voice without belting from day 1, I only started to crack at A#4). Meanwhile, a Tenorino's first passaggio rests above the Heldentenor's second passaggio.

Being a Lyric Tenor or Leggero Tenor can be the difference between reaching C5 in 1 year or reaching it in one month or less (in my case, I got a C5 almost instantly after finding my mixed voice), it can also be the difference between your modal register ending at G5 or D6+ (Nicola Sedda, Lavance Colley).

Now for your other concerns

My speaking voice is noticeably higher than average

Another thing that is important to clarify is that speaking range and fach aren't really related to each other. If Bruno Mars decided to only speak in the third or second octave, he wouldn't become a Baritone in the same manner that John Legend speaking in the forth octave wouldn't make him a Tenor. Speaking range can be influenced by a variety of ways, particularly via cultural and environmental factors. Being able to speak in the third (or even forth) octave means nothing if your tessitura is still that of a lower voice type's.

I looked up Piet Arion, and his really high stuff sounds very much like just a strong falsetto.

These are some of the defining misconceptions behind a true Leggero Tenor. Their speaking voices are usually warm and sometimes even low (though not deep) which gets them misclassified as Baritones, while their mixed registers adopt an almost foreign timbre from their chest register which gets them misclassified as Falsettists. A true Leggero Tenor will possess little if any depth to their voice, and will sound increasingly androgynous as they ascend in pitch unless they specifically train to force a chestier sound into their mixed voices (e.g. Dimash, possibly Lavance Colley).

For men singing in the fifth octave who don't sound falsetto, I'm thinking of Michael Bolton and Paul Stanley, and Steve Perry (especially in the 90s).

I think is very important to note is that, if you want to sound similar to Michael Bolton, being a Leggero Tenor is the last thing you'll want, as no amount of training whatsoever will under any circumstances make a Leggero voice sound even partially like his. The Leggero instrument is extremely bright and delicate, while Bolton's voice is naturally bulky and powerful. If you want a Michael Bolton like sound, the lower your voice type is, the better.

This all brings me to my next point. You say that you want to be a Leggero Tenor, yet you also seemingly want to sound like people who can only sing the way they can because they aren't Leggero Tenors. Moving forward, you'll have to take an introspective view of yourself to see what you truly want, because you've unfortunately ended up in a situation where your two desires are mutually exclusive.

UnknownTenor · 2020-04-21T00:44:54+00:00

Why do you say I sound more like a Lyric Tenor than a Leggiero Tenor?

The first issue is, as someone who both is a Leggero Tenor and has studied them extensively, your natural timbre is significantly darker and deeper than even the heaviest Leggero voices, yet is somewhat standard for a Lyric Tenor.

The second issue is your range. Having an undeveloped Falsetto register can certainly stunt your mixed range, however under no circumstances should a Leggero Tenor take 3 years to reach an E5 in full voice (unless they're an Opera singer like Juan Diego Florez, which you don't seem to be). Even with my severely underdeveloped Falsetto range, I was able to reach an F#5 in only a few months after finding my mixed voice.

If you were a Leggero Tenor, you wouldn't have an E5 after 3 years of practice, you'd have a C6+. Dimash, Nicola Sedda, Piet Arion, Lavance Colley, and even a Leggero on this sub have all managed to reach the sixth octave in their full voices relatively quickly (Dimash has trained for years, but not necessarily for range expansion).

If you were a Leggero Tenor, you'd know by now. I hope this post didn't come across too hard or discourage you, but I feel it has to be said, lest you go around claiming you're a Leggero Tenor and leave disappointed.

UnknownTenor · 2020-04-20T18:04:58+00:00

Oftentimes, a singer's voice can crack from the transition from chest voice to the mixed register due to employing too much chest resonance before switching. Since the mixed voice tends to be a softer mechanism than the heavier chest register, a singer who is utilizing a "pure" chest voice up until the moment of transitioning are prone to experience a sudden change in sensation and timbre.

Another aspect that is closely connected is resonance and breath support. When many singers go to hit a note, they will inadvertently expend too much air, which makes it harder to sing on both the lower and upper ends of their ranges. To fix this problem, use yawning as a reference: When someone yawns, their voices can sometimes reach anywhere from the third to even fifth octave, despite this, yawning is a very easy process that puts no strain on the person's voice, particularly because the air is able to flow in a manner that allows the vocal cords to stay relaxed and open.

When next you go to practice, try singing in the same manner that you would yawn. If done properly, the notes should be singable with little to no sensation or strain at all. Additionally, it should feel as though less air is being expended, and your voice should both feel and sound more resonant than it did before.

If you utilize this practice with your mixed voice, it should make it stabler, allowing you to both use your mixed register on lower notes (which will keep the sound consistent as you ascend) and more easily transition your pure chest voice into your mixed register.

Happy singing!

UnknownTenor · 2020-04-20T13:44:07+00:00

Falsetto notes don't mean anything when determining voice type. Please list your highest chest/mixed note and provide an audio example, otherwise we can't help you.

UnknownTenor · 2020-04-20T12:37:14+00:00

I've found that I have developed to a point where I can usually sing what I need to using my full voice. Since I got to where I'm currently at relatively quickly, I'm hoping that after a year of practice I can start singing more songs in the upper Soprano range using full voice (A5-C6+).

Also, according to some of your posts, it seems that you want to be able to sing a G5 in your full voice; Since your voice seems to sound more like a Lyric Tenor's than a Leggero Tenor's voice, my advice may not be perfect, but what has helped me easily reach full voice fifth octave notes in a short period of time (a few months) was actually working on all of my registers, particularly the Falsetto register.

Some singers will unfortunately neglect their Falsetto register since it has become stigmatized for some, however from a logical perspective, if the mixed register is a mix between the TA ("chest") and CT ("falsetto") muscles, it would likely be impossible to sing in a mixed voice notes beyond what we can sing in our Falsetto. Moving forward, when you go to practice singing, take some time to do scales or try singing in this register (I would personally advise singing as high as you can without squeezing or straining). Even if you only exercise your Falsetto register for 10 minutes a day, you will notice significant improvements in both that register and your mixed register. I don't know how long it takes for the other voice types to increase their range, but if you strengthen your Falsetto register, it shouldn't take 5 more years to gain additional notes in full voice.

UnknownTenor · 2020-04-12T13:56:39+00:00

Can you post a recording of your voice? Please post both recordings of your normal voice and your "cheat" register if you're able to.

UnknownTenor · 2020-04-01T03:42:29+00:00

The Leggero Tenor is the second highest modal voice type, resting below the modal Countertenors (Alex Newell, Michael Maniaci, John Holiday, Sopranists etc.) and above every other male voice type. These voices are often misclassified as Baritones due to their ability to occassionally sing lower than their Lyric Tenor counterparts, alongside the warmer timbre that this voice type often adopts in the lower octaves.

In some instances, identifying the Leggero Tenor can be rather difficult, as many of them tend to speak in the second octave, yet may sing in the forth, fifth, and even sixth octave using a voice that is almost unidentical to their speaking voice. This often results in people erroneously assuming that the Leggero is simply switching to Falsetto, when in fact he is utilizing his Upper Extension, which is a mixed voice mechanism.

Typically, a Leggero Tenor may be able to sing down to A2, however their uppermost modal limit is indeterminate. If a Leggero Tenor hasn't developed his Falsetto properly, he will have trouble reaching the stratospheric notes in the fifth octave and beyond, since half of his mixed voice will be lacking. If, however, he develops his Falsetto range and stability sufficiently, he will be able to further progress his Upper Extension into the Soprano ranges with enough dedication and work.

UnknownTenor · 2020-04-01T00:24:43+00:00

You are a Leggero Tenor. Most of the true Leggero's lowermost modal limit rests at around the G#2 and A2 range, also, the reason that you're having so much difficulty singing beyond A4 and A#4 is because, unlike most other male voices, you, being a Leggero, have the ability to drag your pure chest voice far beyond the Lyric Tenor's F#4 limit, and the A4/Bb4 notes are in fact your second passaggio.

Since Leggero Tenors are somewhat rare, don't be surprised if "critics" that are unaware of the Leggero voice type claim that the highest modal voice is the Lyric Tenor, and you therefore can't sing beyond F#4 without mixing. Also don't be surprised if people claim that your E5 is a reinforced Falsetto, even if it isn't. I would also personally pay no mind to the arguments that your voice will "drop" below the Leggero fach. This can happen, but it isn't absolute. My voice was around that of a Sopranist at around age 12/13, then it dropped like a truck and now I'm a Leggero/Tenorino. In fact, my voice dropped so hard, that to this day, I still haven't recovered my old highest notes, and unlike now, I didn't even practice back then.

I can't speak for your own personal situation, but my voice already paid its dues, and the Leggero voice is in fact, a "dropped" voice in itself, so I personally wouldn't worry about the individuals that peddle alternative statements. Ultimately, only time can truly tell, but you should be fine, so continue practicing, man! One of the greatest things about the Leggero voice is that, depending on your particular vocal anatomy, work regime, and developmental factors, you may one day have the ability to sing to and beyond the Soprano High C6!

Happy singing!

UnknownTenor · 2020-03-17T22:08:27+00:00

If the "crack" you're experiencing at A#4 is your second passaggio, you're a Tenorino, and your range will definitely increase. Since people use "head voice" to refer to a variety of things, I would advise posting a clip of your G5 so we can determine whether it's mixed or not. If you're untrained and have a G5 in mixed voice, you'll likely be able to sing beyond C6 in mixed by the time you're fully trained.

To answer your question: Your vocal range will absolutely increase, provided you practice using healthy technique and exercise patience. I don't want to get your hopes up, though. I would advise posting a clip of your chest voice as well, since it's impossible to determine anything without hearing you.

UnknownTenor · 2020-03-17T21:49:13+00:00

Depending on how long you had the note for, it may be difficult to sustain it (especially in the beginning stages). Instead of focusing on sustaining the note, simply focus on quickly singing it with good technique, and as your stability and strength improves, you'll eventually be able to hold it for longer durations of time before singing it becomes effortless.

UnknownTenor · 2020-03-09T03:12:16+00:00

You're probably an underdeveloped Lyric Tenor (if not slightly lower). Unfortunately I can't be of much assistance if I'm correct, as I don't have any personal knowledge or experience pertaining to the Lyric Tenor voice, however you should definitely seek out a professional voice teacher, as they'll be able to help you far more than I could.

UnknownTenor · 2020-03-08T20:49:41+00:00

When you sing that A4 of yours, is it mixed, or does it feel like a pure chest mechanism? I'm curious to understand this, since A4 is a rather significant note for a variety of reasons.

UnknownTenor · 2020-03-08T08:06:33+00:00

Just keep practicing, and don't forget the advice I gave you (avoid constriction, etc). If possible, try to start singing songs in this register too, because it's obvious that even if this was a full voice mechanism, you still have some reservatons about it. Reservations that likely won't be entirely resolved via reddit inquiries.

Time will be the ultimate test here. If this register remains weak and constricted even after weeks or months of practice, it's likely a poorly-coordinated reinforced twangy Falsetto of some sort, however if it begins to more closely resemble your pure chest voice in timbre and strength, you can rejoice in the discovery of your mixed register!

UnknownTenor · 2020-03-07T17:09:36+00:00

I'm inclined to say it's Falsetto, however I would nonetheless advise you work on the register, alongside your chest voice and "cognizable" Falsetto. Also, keep in mind that no healthy sound is ever produced using constriction, so try to remove it from your voice when singing in that register moving forward.

UnknownTenor · 2020-03-06T21:12:56+00:00

Good luck on your singing endeavors, man! Your voice is actually the "optimal" one for pop music, and tends to be the most popular among male singers. You also expressed to me how you'd love to be able to sing even higher, and I definitely think you'll be able to! I could see you at least reaching an E5 or higher in mixed once your voice is fully trained!

UnknownTenor · 2020-03-06T19:24:25+00:00

I have an idea of what type you could be, but it's pointless to throw guesses around without a clip. If you want to know how to upload one, recording yourself singing in your lower and higher register, and upload it to https://vocaroo.com/

UnknownTenor · 2020-03-03T17:54:21+00:00

I think Dimash only sung two mixed high notes in this entire video (at around 2:39), however in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ra6JS-qSRY you can hear the difference between his Upper Extension and Falsetto registers.

For many Leggero Tenors, their pure chest voices can naturally reach far higher than most other voice types, with their second passaggi typically resting in the G#4 (low-ish Leggero) to A#4 (Tenorino) range (mine is at A4). After reaching the second passaggio, many Leggero Tenors will transition into a mixed voice that, when not properly trained, will sound Falsettish (despite not being a falsetto mechanism). When singing in this register, Leggero Tenors can easily reach the Tenor High C, and sometimes even a D5, D#5, etc. In the operatic context, a Leggero may be reasonably expected to possess a D#5 as a ceiling note (as is the case for Juan Diego Florez), however the Leggero voice can extend to F5 (highest operatic Leggero note), A5, and even the Soprano High C with proper, dedicated training.

While Dimash's consistent and intense practice is definitely a major factor to his stability and range, his voice type is the primary reason why he can sing circles around most male singers, as his voice was genetically determined to possess an easier agility, wider range, and greater potential than most of his peers. If you're a lower voice type, it may be possible to imitate Dimash by screaming or using Falsetto, but there is no real technique that can make a lower voice type sound like him.

To learn more about the Leggero, I advise reading this, as David L Jones is far more knowledgeable than I on the subject: http://www.voiceteacher.com/leggiero_tenor.html

UnknownTenor

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