Why Am I Losing High Notes in Upper Vocal Range? [Answered]

(Last Updated On: June 20, 2023)

BecomeSingers is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn More

Do you really know why you are always losing high notes in the upper vocal range?

If you’re struggling to sing notes in your higher vocal range, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll investigate some of the likely causes of your vocal loss and provide some helpful advice for getting it back so you can reach the pinnacle of your vocal range once again.

Reasons Behind Losing High Notes

While you may be aware of your specific vocal range, you may also have noticed that you have trouble hitting the higher notes consistently. Therefore, you want to know why you tend to lose high notes when hitting the upper vocal range.

Reasons Behind Losing High Notes

The purpose of this article is to elaborate on the causes behind this issue, of which there must be a few key ones.

If you want to make the most of your vocal range, it’s important to be aware of the factors that might be limiting your potential. The three main causes of this pattern are as follows:

1) You Are Breaking Yourself Into Falsetto

Inadvertently switching to falsetto is a sign that your vocal cords lack the strength to sustain a head voice.

Your tone will be weak on your high notes vocal range, and your voice will sound airy. This is known as “falsetto.”

You can fix this by training yourself to “shift gears” seamlessly from your chest to your head voice, which will give your sound greater strength, solidity, and depth while singing at higher pitches.

2) You are Trying to Force Your Voice

If you try to overuse and push your voice while singing, not only will your high notes sound like yelling or screaming, but you will also cause vocal tiredness, hoarseness, and even possible injury.

Using extra muscle tension in the laryngeal area to control your voice box when you don’t have enough support is a sure sign that you’re trying to push your voice. Attempting to force your voice instead of supporting it might cause stress to your vocal folds, leading to swelling, and you can damage your voice.

Swelling makes it harder to sing in tune, especially at higher pitches. Singing “high notes” in the chest rather than the head voice causes more strain and stress.

In this situation, try to keep an eye on any physical discomfort you get when singing in your head voice to see if you’re overusing it.

It is advised that you find an experienced vocal instructor that can help you recover and resolve this issue. If you perform the right vocal exercise, you can train any voice to sing correctly and expand its range.

It’s also best to drink several glasses of water to keep your vocal cords hydrated, monitor your voice, and rest it until you can fully recover.

3) You are Pushing Your Voice Too Hard

When you try to produce a kind of voice that has less power and inadequate support, this simply means that you’re utilizing more muscle tensions in your laryngeal area to control your voice. In trying to muscle your voice instead of supporting it, you’re just making your vocal folds traumatic which could result in swelling.

Pushing Your Voice Too Hard

When swelling occurs, you can experience some difficulties in singing to hit high notes. In fact, if you sing “high notes” in your chest instead of head voice, you will experience more friction and trauma. For me, a type of rehearsal that is of ‘high-energy’ could mean a loud rehearsal with a combined emotion.

In this case, it may be possible that you’re trying to monitor the physical sensations that you could feel in using your voice. Therefore, it is possible that you may have overused your voice that caused straining.
To remedy this situation, it is advisable for you to get a good voice teacher that can get you back on your feet.

  • Drink several glasses of water.
  • Monitoring your voice while singing can be of great help.
  • Until you get back the good sound of your voice, it would be better to relax your repertoire.

4) Improper Use of Resonance When Singing in Higher Notes

Vocal resonance occurs when the vibrations of the voice cords travel through the throat, mouth, and nasal passages, where they are amplified and enhanced.

Learning about resonance is essential if you want to sing the higher notes without straining your voice. When singing higher notes, poor use of resonance can have a number of unfavorable repercussions on the quality of the vocal performance, like causing vocal fatigue and even injury to the vocal cords.

Achieving smooth and appealing same notes requires knowledge of and practice with optimal resonance techniques.

5) Improper Posture

Excellent singing requires proper posture. You can tell the difference between singing a song with good posture (i.e., a straight back and head) and bad posture (slouching and lowering your head while singing) by comparing the two positions. Standing with your feet hip-width apart, arms at your sides, and spine straight is an example of good posture.

Because of the increased airflow, you’ll be able to take deeper breaths, which will help your voice expand so you can reach higher notes without effort. Try this out in front of a mirror and make the necessary adjustments if you notice yourself slouching.

6) You Are Too Tense

Learning to unwind and enjoy yourself when you sing is another technique that might help you become a better vocalist. Your voice will reflect whatever anxiety or tension you may be feeling. A good night’s sleep, not losing your cool over trivial matters, and avoiding triggers for negative emotions will all make relaxation more manageable.

You Are Too Tense

Yoga, deep breathing, and meditation are some more stress-reduction strategies. Reading a book may be a calming experience for some people as well. These are essential guidelines for setting one’s thinking in the right frame of mind. Pay attention to them until you’ve mastered the high notes.

7) You Are Not Ready Yet

Another crucial requirement for singing high notes is a state of mind that is mentally or psychologically equipped to do so. This implies that you should not let any distractions, such as everyday worries, interfere with your singing. Get some peace and quiet, and work on blocking out as much outside noise as you can. We advise turning off all electronic devices to avoid getting distracted and procrastinating. Have a perpetual “You can” mentality when it comes to singing, rather than a “Can I” mentality. With that attitude, practice diligently until you’ve mastered the highest notes.

Practice hitting high notes by listening to a wide variety of songs performed by talented vocalists. Think about where they breathe in and out and how long they hold their breath. Think of yourself as the singer, and repeat the same song over and over in your head. Your confidence will soar as a result, and you’ll be able to pull it off after all. More important than all of this is learning how to master your head voice and becoming a competent singer, so keep this in mind whenever you feel the want to indulge in behavior that might negatively impact your voice.

8) You May Have Vocal Health Issues

You may have a vocal health problem if, after determining your vocal range, you find that you are unable to sing notes in the upper register. Inflammation of the vocal folds or the muscles above the vocal folds can cause symptoms such as a “cutting-out” of the voice when singing in the higher register.

This recurrent problem is known clinically as “intermittent aphonia.” If you suffer from intermittent aphonia, your singing will be “without sound.” Your vocal folds may be having trouble closing or expanding if you try to generate a note but only obtain an intermittent sound (without a noise).

In severe situations, swelling of the vocal cords can cause a loss of your upper-register voice, and your vocal folds may be inflamed. In addition, tightness in the top muscles that hold the vocal folds together might be to blame.

If this is the case, it’s important to see a doctor for an evaluation to determine what’s wrong. It’s also possible that polyps, vocal fold hemorrhages, or nodules are the underlying cause of these symptoms.

9) Unstable Larynx

Loss of high notes in the upper vocal range may also be affected by the larynx’s stability. The larynx tends to close the resonance gap when it is elevated. It seems reasonable that your resonance space would contract if you were experiencing voice cracking and other problems in the upper register. Instability in the larynx makes it difficult for the vocal folds to extend to the correct length, making it difficult to achieve higher pitches.

A stable larynx is also required for the high range since it aids in maintaining an open pharyngeal resonator. To achieve a higher pitch, vocal resonance is essential. Without it, the vibration of the vocal folds is not reinforced, and the tone is not amplified. Lacking a stable larynx causes the voice to sound strained instead of flawlessly delivering a higher tone.

10) Consistently Using Your Chest Voice Even When Reaching The Highest Notes

When singing higher note, a skilled performer would typically go from using their chest voice to their head voice. They vary between utilizing the chest and the head voice, and they know how to make the transition smoothly.

If you only use your chest voice, you’re limiting your range. As a result, more of your upper voice range will be lost, which is why you need to practice switching from your chest voice to your head voice so that you can sing the highest notes in your range without straining your voice.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best vocal exercises that can help me improve my vocal range so I can sing higher notes?

Some vocal exercises that might help you effortlessly achieve those high notes are lip and tongue trills, sirens, vocal slides, humming scales, and falsetto exercises. Always remember to warm up your voice before singing and maintain consistent breath support by breathing from your diaphragm.

Can the loss of high notes in my upper vocal range be attributed to my diet?

Even if a person's diet isn't the only culprit, it can still have an indirect effect on their voice quality. However, a healthy lifestyle that includes eating right, drinking plenty of water, and avoiding irritants like acidic and fatty foods and cigarettes can have a positive effect on one's voice.

What can I do if I’m experiencing pain or discomfort while attempting to sing high notes?

If trying to sing high notes is causing you pain or discomfort, try resting your voice, drinking plenty of water, and consulting with a vocal coach or expert who can evaluate your vocal techniques and help you fix any underlying problems. If the discomfort persists, it's best to get it checked out by a doctor.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve been working on developing your singing voice, you could have been easily discouraged when you started losing your high notes. But don’t worry; overcoming this problem is possible if you realize what’s causing it.

And since now you know all the major causes of having a weak upper range, make the most of this time to experiment with different vocal techniques, find a vocal coach or mentor who can provide you with personal feedback and vocal mechanism, and maintain a healthy diet that’ll keep your vocal cords hydrated and healthy. And you can keep training your vocal cords on singing different vocal coordination.

Keep in mind that with some hard work, patience, and perseverance, you can fully recover your upper vocal range and go back to mastering those high notes in no time.

Related Posts:

5 thoughts on “Why Am I Losing High Notes in Upper Vocal Range? [Answered]”

  1. Im a male, My chest voice vocal range is always increasing and getting better, but I’m losing the high notes in my head vocal range, I used to hit C6, but now G5 is hard for me.

    Reply
  2. Hi sir,

    I am a 18 years old boy with vocal range about d3 to g4, sometimes even a4 …. But I have problem like pharyngitis and recently i have been facing a little bit of tonsil problem.

    My question is how can I sing with this problems and how to increase vocal range? Should I give up or move on?

    Reply
    • In this kind of situation, you should take a complete rest for a while first to allow your vocal to recover from the throat problems.

      Most singers with severe tonsil problems will have narrower air flow path through the vocal chords. You will lose your voice or even damaging your vocal chord if you’re pushing your voice too hard. You should learn how to sing and to hit higher notes from your diaphragm without pushing too much / straining your vocal chords.

      Reply

Leave a Reply to finesse Cancel reply