How to Sing Higher for Women

This is a sequel to my first post on How to Sing Higher for Men.

So, why am I making these 2 separate posts for men and women on How to Sing Higher?

That’s because although the fundamental techniques is the same, there is a big difference in the application of it.

What do I mean by that? Women run into different issues while approaching high notes.

There was a time not long ago when people love to hear women sing soft and tender when they get to the high notes.

Not so much anymore. Now, women are singing high notes “big and ugly” and people love it!

Singers like Christina Aguilera are known for belting high notes those are powerful and not exactly beautiful.

She actually has a very unique online singing course that I think is invaluable for people who want to sing like her.

On the other hand, there are musical styles like Opera and Jazz that still demand “beautiful singing” from women.

So, how are female singers supposed to cope with the different expectations for them and approach high notes in a healthy and effective way?

The Problems with Female Voices

I sing with a lot of women in my current career, and I have observed for many years the challenges and problems women run into when they sing high notes.

1. Don’t know what the style demands

Many singers are trained by the classical teachers who only know how to produce operatic sound.

For men, it’s not too much of a problem, because they use their “real voice” in almost all of the styles.

However, for women, they will run into some serious problems because female classical singers use head voice or falsetto that’s 4-5 notes higher than the usual pop vocal range.

Female singers are supposed to use chest voice or real voice (speaking voice) to sing every other style of music.

I have sung with many classically trained female singers who can’t sing anything but airy, floaty head tone.

That kind of voice might sound great for opera, but for popular music, it just doesn’t cut it.

Female singers need to know what kind of voice the styles demands, usually not the classical sound, and train for it.

Fortunately, there are many online singing programs that trains the female pop voice that can be applied to most styles of singing.

I highly recommend Robert Lunte’s singing course. He has a very original training system that specializes in training the belt voice to sing high notes.

2. Too scared to sing “ugly” like men

Times have changed and women are expected to sing more powerfully and edgy than ever before.

Depending on the culture you live in, some women are scared to sing too “big and ugly” like men.

They are just not comfortable with the high and belty sound. They feel like they are hurting their voice or they sound really bad every time they try to belt.

True, there are singers who abuse their voice by yelling and screaming.

But, there are correct and healthy ways to do it.

If you are willing to take the time and effort to train, you will develop the vibrant, powerful high notes that’s going to WOW the audience and change your singing forever.

3. Too much air while singing.

This is a problem with incorrect vocal technique. Many women like to sing with the soft airy tone, especially in the high notes.

Many singers get nervous when they get to the high notes, so they squeeze their abs harder than necessary and pump too much air through the vocal cords.

Instead of hitting the high note, they end up floating the high note.

Remember, high notes take less air to sing, because the vocal cord pulled together a lot tighter than low notes.

4. Believe in the “talent-mindset.”

I have seen singers who know they have problem with their high notes but are doing absolutely nothing about it.

I have confronted with a classically trained female colleague of mine about singing the high notes with more of a belt voice, since our style demands it.

She simply said, I just can’t do it. She demonstrate to me how her solid chest voice hits a ceiling in the middle range and has to switch to an airy tone to go higher.

I remember her saying, “It’s different for everyone. Every voice is different.”

What she’s saying is that we are all stuck with the natural talent we are born with. Nothing you can do to change it.

That is the biggest lie a singer can ever believe!!! It will take you down to a path of mediocrity.

After 20 years of singing contemporary music, she’s still singing with that airy tone in the high notes – with no edge and power whatsoever.

The fact is you can train your voice to sing crazy high notes if you are willing to work for it.

5. Not enough self-confidence.

Singers are insecure. Believe it or not!

They might look like stars on stage, but in reality they are scared of making a mistake and look like a fool.

This is why most singers can’t get to those high notes effectively.

I’m not saying you can hit high notes solely by positive thinking.

I’m saying that anyone can sing high notes with good training, effort, and commitment.

I know that through personal experience and my observation with singers around me.

You can sing a lot higher than you think you can, if you commit to training your voice.

What Do I Need to do to Sing Those Awesome High Notes?

1. Decide which music style to focus on.

For women, classical vocal training is not going to help too much with your pop singing.

Unless the style you want to sing is classical, you should not get training from a classical voice teacher.

There are many singing programs online that trains contemporary style of singing. Not all of them are good.

I suggest you check out some of the reviews on singing courses on this site and choose the best one for you.

2. Strengthen the voice for powerful singing.

Many female singers are so afraid to “flex” their vocal muscle muscle to sing higher and more powerfully.

It’s true that you might create unnecessary tension while singing “harder”, but you strengthen the correct vocal muscles as well.

If perfection is what you’re looking for, you will never get to those awesome high notes people covet so much.

During practice, hit the desired high notes first with a solid tone, even if it sounds ugly. Relax and polish later.

This is pure vocal weight training. Don’t think too much about technique yet.

3. Coordinate the vocal muscles for ease.

This is where technique comes in. You should keep the voice in a round and relatively deep place.

The best way to do this is to say the word “book.”

If you take away to consonants of “b” and “k,” you get a nice and round “uh” vowel.

That’s the feeling you should have when you sing every word.

It’s one of the biggest secrets of great singing because the “uh” vowel create the optimal resonance space that amplifies the voice without extra effort.

I rely heavily on this “uh” technique on the professional stage for many years now. It works great!