The Acoustic Guitar Forum

Go Back   The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > PLAY and Write

Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 11-29-2018, 12:56 PM
HAPPYDAN HAPPYDAN is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 211
Default Vocal Trick

I enjoy singing and playing - solo. As I've gotten older, my vocal range is shrinking. Watching some videos of folk singers, I believe I have discovered a trick I'd like to share. When reaching for the high notes, I hold my head high and turn sharply to the left. Much easier to hit those notes. For the low notes, I do the opposite. Turn my head straight forward and lower my chin. It may be my imagination, but it seems to work.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 11-29-2018, 01:05 PM
agfsteve agfsteve is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Northeast Tennessee, USA
Posts: 1,062
Default

This reminds me of various "Walk this way" gags.

Are you saying you should turn sharply to the left, or turn your head sharply to the left?
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 11-29-2018, 07:20 PM
HAPPYDAN HAPPYDAN is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 211
Default

Turn my head. It might be that it stretched to throat muscles, allowing a high pitch to be attainable. You see, my tenor days have long since passed. Sadly, so have my baritone. As the years pile up, I struggle to find ways to "stay in the game". I noticed a prominent older folk singer doing something similar to this on a UTUBE. Unless you are a youngster, you might give it a try.

Last edited by HAPPYDAN; 11-29-2018 at 07:30 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 12-14-2018, 06:47 PM
vibrolucky vibrolucky is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 126
Default

Watch BB King sing - he did that a lot
__________________
Current Arsenal
1949 Gibson J45
1965 Martin D28
1980 Martin D41
2001 Gibson J-150
2021 Gibson J-150 Noel Gallagher
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 12-16-2018, 08:44 AM
Dustinfurlow Dustinfurlow is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Asheville, NC
Posts: 2,721
Default

Voice coaches urge against stretching the neck and tilting for high notes, as their philosophy is to always use your diaphragm. I play/sing 2-5 nights a week in sometimes noises venues and this video has helped me so much, worth watching:
__________________
Dustin Furlow

-Award-winning songwriter/guitarist, Visual storyteller
-D’Addario, G7th and K&K Sound Artist
-Music on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube: www.youtube.com/dustinfurlow
-New album "Serene" (Oct '23) and tablature
available at www.dustinfurlow.com
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 12-16-2018, 10:15 AM
JonPR JonPR is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 6,450
Default

The sensible solution is to just lower the key. IME it's the upper limit that reduces with age, not the lower one.
__________________
"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." - Leonard Cohen.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 12-16-2018, 10:22 AM
HeyMikey HeyMikey is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 820
Default

The “trick” technique I know to hit the high notes is to anticipate the note and just before it sink down and push from the diaphragm.

... All while keeping your soft pallet open, singing from the upper part of your head, controling your mouth opening, managing your breathing points, standing on one leg while hopping and patting your head (counter clock wise in Australia). Easy peasy.
__________________
Guilds: 69 F312 Braz, 89 Nightbird II, 91 Nightbird CU, 94 GV70, 96 A50 flattop, 06 CO1 Cedar, 11 F30CE, 13 CS F30R Reno Star, 14 GSR F30CE Coco, Orpheum OM RW, Orpheum SS Hog. SOLD: Guilds: 78 F40,79 F112,’87 GF60R,94 DV72,07 CS F47 Braz,11 DD6MCE,12 F30,12 F30R,18 F2512. Other: 70 Epi 5102,74 Ibanez LesPaul,90 Gibson ES347,15 Alvarez MFA70,15 Martin OM28VTS,15 Epi ES339Pro,16 Alvarez AF60
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 12-16-2018, 10:49 AM
TBman's Avatar
TBman TBman is offline
Charter Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 35,829
Default

This is how I reach those high notes
__________________
Barry

Sad Moments {Marianne Vedral cover}:


My SoundCloud page

Some steel strings, some nylon.

Last edited by TBman; 07-07-2022 at 09:47 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 12-16-2018, 01:21 PM
GibbyPrague GibbyPrague is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Prague CZ / Adelaide AUS
Posts: 9,207
Default

Exactly the opposite for me. When I want to go higher I keep my neck lowered, ;arynx in a natural or lowered poition and then i push down, not up. Through the diaphram, it acts like a weight or lever, you push it down and the returning pithch goes up.
__________________
The Big Fat Lady 02' Gibson J-150
The Squares 11' Hummingbird TV, 08' Dove
The Slopeys 11' Gibson SJ (Aaron Lewis)
The Pickers 43' Gibson LG-2, 09' Furch OM 32SM (custom) , 02' Martin J-40
The Beater 99' Cort Earth 100
What we do on weekends:
http://www.reverbnation.com/doubleshotprague
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 12-17-2018, 11:54 PM
Chipotle Chipotle is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 2,301
Default

My choir director used to tell us the story of the opera singer who could never quite hit the high note. Then one night during the performance, she dropped her handkerchief right before that passage came in her solo, and she looked down just as she went to sing the note... and it came out perfectly!

Don't stretch your neck for high notes, as noted keep your chin down and bring the note up from your diaphragm; don't reach for it with your throat.

A mental trick that can help is to think of trying to come down to the high note, rather than trying to reach up to it. That can help keep you from straining upwards as much.
Reply With Quote
Reply

  The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > PLAY and Write

Thread Tools





All times are GMT -6. The time now is 07:46 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright ©2000 - 2022, The Acoustic Guitar Forum
vB Ad Management by =RedTyger=