Singing high is overrated; the low notes are often where it's at.
This is true for male and female singers who get outshined by soprano and tenor singers who get praised on the daily for their impressive and sweet high notes. Low notes can be rich and beautiful, bringing depth to a song like no other!
When it comes to attempting to sing lower notes, you have to make sure you're taking the right approach to it.
You don't want to damage your voice box over time by singing too harshly in your lower range and trying to force something that can't happen.
Here are a few tips that I want to share when it comes to singing lower notes. Some tips refer to bringing out the low notes you already have healthily, while other tips below may be able to help you reach low notes you never had before.
A good place to start when trying to sing lower notes is with a nice warm-up. Go especially for vocal warmups that allow you to slide down a scale and into your lowest register.
For example, try singing "Sol Fa Mi Re Do" on an ascending scale while going lower and lower by a half note each time.
Try descending scales that are fully on the vowels "ee" and on a hum to really activate the proper resonance in your lower register.
You want to feel the vibration in your face when you hit the richness in your lower register, but you want to make sure not to overdo it and keep your volume at speech tone level.
Related Post: Vocal Scales And Warmups To Use
Before you go thinking that any note can be hit by anyone with enough practice, it is important to note that we all fall under specific voice types based on the range of notes our vocal cords can hit.
The human voice is capable of going lower than any note on the piano and higher than any human can actually perceive. Vocal ranges are often broken down into four voice types in choral settings: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass.
You will need to go through scales on an instrument like a keyboard or a guitar (or digital MIDI instrument) and find out where your voice type comfortably falls into.
Voice ranges can give you a general sense of your pitch limits, although many singers fall outside of the recommended ranges for certain voice types.
Read More: Understanding The Different Vocal Ranges
To hit your best low notes, you want to first understand how your vocal cords work when they hit low notes successfully. The lower the note, the thicker your vocal cords get.
Bass singers who have very low and bassy voices have thicker vocal cords, while soprano singers with higher voices have thinner vocal cords.
People can somewhat change the shape of their vocal cords when they sing; when we hit higher notes, our cords stretch out longer and thinner, and when we sing lower notes successfully, our vocal cords become short and fat.
The key to singing low notes with resonance (and not airy and breathy notes that are weak) is to stretch your vocal cords to the right amount to keep their thickness at the ideal amount.
Many people underdo it and don't stretch their cords enough when trying to sing low notes, which makes them come out thin and weak.
You also want to aim for good balance when it comes to the placement of your larynx, which most people can feel and recognize as an "Adam's Apple" in your throat. When you sing higher notes, your larynx placement gets higher, and vice versa.
But when people try to overcompensate for not having a secure note, they sometimes place their larynx too low and end up with an awkward and displeasing hollow sound.
When your larynx position is too high for low notes, they might not even come out at all.
The key to finding a good middle ground for larynx placement is to relax and get your body in the right position for optimal singing.
Some vocal teachers, including John Henny, recommend that singers go a bit on the higher larynx placement to increase the brightness and resonance in their lower notes.
Standing or sitting with poor posture can lead to poor sound quality in your singing, especially for your lower range. You want your back and neck to be upright, so avoid slouching or being curled up if you are trying to sing without sounding nasal.
Standing is the most optimal posture, but sitting upright in your chair with your head centered vertically and horizontally will help you avoid singing nasally.
Lips trills, sometimes referred to as lip rolls, raspberries, lip bubbles, or lip buzzing, helps put your body adequately positioned for healthy singing and speaking.
The air that pushes up from your consistent escaping breath helps you increase your breath support and puts your larynx muscles in a productive and relaxed state, and then the vibrations help relax your tongue and facial muscles.
If you are tense in your throat and mouth, you can be in a clenched position and wind up sounding very weak when singing. Practice lips trills up and down a scale for a few minutes to relax and avoid any tightness in your throat or tongue.
Now that you've understood what range you fall in and what to aim for in vocal cord placement, larynx positioning, and posture, here comes the easy but most time-consuming part of the process.
Simply start practicing low songs and get your voice used to it!
If you find that you are aiming to hit low notes that are simply out of your range forever, consider changing the key of your song and adding your richness to it.
Most people won't be able to even tell that you've changed the key because you'll be adding so much richness and depth with all of the good techniques you'll now have in place.
Seriously, many singers get mistaken for having a lower range because of the richness they are able to sing with notes that are truly in their comfortable range.
When you master the approach to the notes you have at your disposal, the note names don't matter as much at all.
Related Post: What Is Throat Singing? Exploring 5 Different Types
As a session singer, writer, and producer that has worked with over 300 clients to provide high-quality jingles, singles, and features, Yona spends her time creating and marketing new music and helpful resources for creators. Check out Yona’s latest releases on her Spotify, her Youtube and share if you like it!
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