Who hit the highest note? How to learn to sing high notes

Yes, my friend, you won’t believe it, but we are talking about this topic again. And despite the fact that I wrote a bunch of articles on this range topic, for example: “", etc. . I still don’t get tired of reading questions like: “Why don’t the highs sound?”, “Why can’t I sing above F sharp 1 octave,” “Why does my voice seem to end at the highs and my throat hurts?” etc. Of course, I am happy to answer questions, and even if they are trivial, everyone has their own individual situation, their own set of problems, their own bullshit, etc. If only you knew, friends, how singing is a complex and at the same time incredibly simple process. Today we won’t talk about some pop singers from Lokhov, everything is clear with their range.

Just like the human body, the voice has its own different states. Vocalists have this cool phrase:

I wish I could say that this is not true, but it is true. In reality, the voice sounds great very rarely, because for this you need to live according to a brilliant regime. In order to constantly feel in vocal shape, you need to sleep at least 8 hours a day!!! MINIMUM!!! You can’t not get enough sleep and then sing great, it doesn’t happen. You need to eat well, nourishingly and not sandwiches, chocolates and ice cream, which I also love, but also ordinary human food, healthy and in general only food that is remarkably restorative. If you ate cool summer okroshka, ice cream, cold compote, milk from the refrigerator, then your voice is fucked for the next 2 days, don’t even touch it, and don’t wonder why you can’t sing!!!

And all this is nonsense and I’m writing about everything wrong, because if you follow all my instructions, all the exercises, etc., nothing will happen anyway. So, friends, you will sing cool, easily and freely, have a large range and captivate yourself and the audience when freedom appears in you!!! Freedom physical and emotional!!!

When will you stop being nervous, angry, hating, offended, when will you get rid of all these anchors that constantly drain your strength for years on end??? When will you stop being afraid to sing???? When will you stop pinching your throat and sending sound somewhere deep into your larynx??? When will you start sounding and singing with your mouth open and sounding with all your cavities, instead of singing with a narrowly open mouth, which vocalists call chicken pussy???

Vocals are, of course, a complex process that requires effort, but in fact, it’s not in the throat DAMN!!! Efforts should be in the diaphragm, during the singing itself, you need to push it down, which is stupid, at first it will be uncomfortable or even painful, everything will gurgle in the intestines (because someone started singing without eating). Over time, the whole process will become automatic, and the diaphragm will support itself as much as it needs. It is impossible not to go through the path of breathing formation.

There are some vocalists who sing cool even without any vocal schools and didn’t study anywhere at all.

I have 2 news for you:

1. Yes, I have!!!
2. And it's not you!!!

I am sure that this is not you, because if you were such an innate talent, you would never have sat on my blog and listened to the sculptures of my sick brain. Can you imagine that Freddie Mercury, Valery Kipelov or Chaliapin and Montserrat Caballe would learn to sing from books or ask for advice from a blogger on the Internet? So I think not! And you know, this doesn’t mean at all that you won’t sing. For example, I, too, have had a difficult path, a lot of pressures that are difficult to eradicate, and sometimes I just stop singing because I have no more strength, I give up everything, I swear at the top of my voice, I scream at myself and at nature, which did not make me like this, like Freddie Mercury, Valery Kipelov, and everyone else.

But then, I understand that I can’t live without singing, and even later I remember that I swore very loudly, loudly, freely, without pressure, the words seemed to ring inside me, the consonants were stamped on my teeth, even the once problematic letter “R” “became slim and clear :) And then I understand that I still have hidden talents that I didn’t know about yet, which means there is room for improvement. 🙂 Jokes aside, but the essence remains. Don’t try to find everything in yourself at once, it’s good if you find everything at once, but this only happens to a few. Most vocalists are doomed to study, but such hard workers achieve more. For example, they didn’t even want to take Pavarotti into the choir, because his father and teachers insisted that Luciano had a tiny voice.

And so, friends, after tearful speeches, I repeat that you need to become free, you need to free your voice, shift your efforts to the support, and not to the ligaments. High notes will no longer be difficult when you approach them with the same ease and confidence as low notes. Be optimistic, be brave and confident, you have no barriers or obstacles. The range of a normal adult experienced singer is 2.5 octaves; singers have 3 octaves or more. Of course, depending on the experience of the singers, this range may be a little more, a little less, but one way or another not 1.5 octaves of a hoarsely screaming voice. If you can't sing anymore, it means you're doing something wrong and most likely it's because of your stiffness.
By the way, here is a selection of high parts from ARIA songs for fans of Valerka Kipelov. Although, of course, I would like to hear in “Playing with Fire” that golden B1 octave that he plays for 16 seconds. But it will go like that. But here there is “Follow Me” and my favorite third of D-F sharp of the second octave at 4:28, mmmm, class.

In short, freedom and only freedom, my friends. Only by freeing yourself from the stiffness of your throat, allowing the ligaments to close neatly and naturally, will you get high notes and everything else. But, freeing yourself does not mean “singing like a latent faggot.” You need to look, you need to look for the position of the voice in which the ligaments close easily and sound ringing and loud without the slightest effort, then the sound will fall into the resonators, etc.

The article is already long, write your comments or start a topic on the forum. Thank you everyone, do not forget to respond to the articles with your corrections and additional questions, I’ll be happy to answer.

This question is the most important for some beginning vocalists. It’s really a shame: I want to sing opera arias, in which there is A, B of the second octave, and in the arsenal only F of the second. You begin to frantically search for works for a limited range...

Learning to sing higher requires patience. If you start filling the tops right away, you can ruin your voice. At the beginning of training, you need to concentrate on developing the middle of the range. Only in some passing passages can you touch the top notes without holding them. And only if you already have certain skills. The main thing is to form the center of the voice. Center is the most comfortable-sounding middle of the range, which does not require any Herculean efforts from you. This middle must be refined to the state of an even scale, sung with a single pleasant timbre, with resonance, smoothly, without jolts. It was precisely this approach that was followed by the great Russian composer M. I. Glinka, who himself sang beautifully and trained brilliant singers. After the center is formed, you can gradually push the boundaries down and up. In this matter, be sure to consider your voice type. Any book on vocals has tables with range boundaries. different voices. Remember to be gradual, do not give in to the temptation to quickly develop the top notes, so as not to “stretch” your voice, so that it does not become dull and faded.

Now let's talk about those who have already climbed a little to the top. How long does it take to develop the top notes? Again, everything is individual. But there is one here nice feature. Often the top notes of advanced students develop on their own. That is, students simply continue to practice vocals in their range, but when their teacher invites them to try higher arias, they suddenly manage to hit notes that they have never hit before. This suggests that when correct formation voices, top notes will come to you themselves. All you have to do is get used to them.

There are teachers who adhere to the following point of view: the top notes need to be shouted. If you don't go upstairs, then there will never be any top notes. But it’s better to stick to the golden mean, namely: gradually push the boundaries of the range without damaging the voice with unnecessary and lengthy exercises in the upper register. That is, these exercises should be present, but not tire your voice to the point of hoarseness.

Think about this again. Top notes are not just a voice, they are special mental condition. It's adrenaline, if you like. Listen to tenors singing high C. This makes a lasting impression! Why do so many people value and wait for these top notes? Yes, because it excites, it produces the effect of something unearthly, forcing you to stop breathing while the note is playing. Now imagine a student trying to take, say, SI. Here he stands, lethargic, sad, afraid, thinking whether it will work out or not... Will he sing SI? Unlikely... In any case, there will not be the desired effect. By the way, about the effects. Don't get carried away with them. The main thing in the work is to convey feelings and meaning to the viewer. If you prepare the entire aria only for the final top note in order to show your voice, then this is “sounding”. The real top note has to be justified by something from within. Don't just scatter notes.

Technically, you can't fuss about the top note. If you worry too much, you stop yourself, you tighten your throat, and nothing will come of it. On the contrary, take a good breath, relax your muscles,

The Nizhny Novgorod resident has been singing for 20 years, and he teaches his students the same.

"The highest sound reproduced by a male voice
Registered note: G 5 octave (G8)
Alexey Borovko
Russia, Nizhny Novgorod
November 5, 2018"- the agency said in a statement.

The previous record was set Xiao Lung Wang from China for performance E8 or 5243 Hz.

There was no competition as such, he said Alexey Borovko, - I contacted the register of records and presented them with proof - a special technical video.

We asked how the Nizhny Novgorod resident prepared to set the record.

I developed vocal technique, which is different from everything that is taught, judging by the results. Part of the methodology and part of the exercises are aimed at developing the range. This is necessary so that all the overtones enrich the entire creative timbre, all notes absolutely, that is, on the one hand, this is simply a part that is necessary to develop timbre and develop the efficiency of a high vocal apparatus. And since I am carrying out this work, I thought: why not, since sound pitch is a thing that can be registered, although initially there was no such goal. All my students sing like this, maybe a little lower.

We found out whether the singer plans to take new “heights”, literally and figuratively.

To be honest, I’ve already climbed into the sixth octave. But since a fifth sol is still enough for the record, let it be “in reserve.” In fact, if you know how to do it, then everything is doable. People just don’t know about my method, which is understandable, it was I who developed it. Everything is achieved through some targeted exercises. And I understood that the people who had studied before were able to hit such notes completely by accident. And I have a technique. And I teach it to everyone who wants it. Perhaps my next achievement will be related to the range. I now have a range of more than 10 octaves, that is, it covers almost the entire sound range.

We asked if he was afraid Alexei that students studying unique technique, he will be overtaken.

It’s possible,” the teacher laughed, “there are frisky ones.” But what now, shouldn’t we teach them? I teach everyone.

We also asked the record holder if he received any gift or reward for his achievements, in addition to memorial certificates.

No,” Alexey was surprised, “there were no awards.” They would probably have gone bankrupt by now if everyone had been rewarded. For example, I have seen such records as pushing an egg 9 kilometers with your nose along a country road, if for each such “record” there is a reward... (laughed).

“We plan to contact representatives of the Guinness Book of Records, go to Moscow, and slowly reach a new level,” he shared with us Alexey Borovko your future intentions.

Darina Moiseeva
Photo: social networks, book-of-records-rossii.rf.

Among these unique people There are professionals and amateurs. The history of each of them is different, but they are all similar in that they have, the site says.

Performers with truly unique voices

There are many systems in the world that use them to classify singing voices. Most often, the vocal range and gender of the singer are taken into account. The singing range is 8 octaves. It is believed that in order to win his place on stage, a singer only needs to have a middle range of 2 octaves. But there are voices that go beyond the usual boundaries.

Svetlana Feodulova

The Russian woman’s unusual voice, with a range of 5 octaves, was noticed by her vocal teachers. Musicality, absolute pitch And Full time job helped Svetlana achieve unrealistic results. The girl was included in the Guinness Book of Records. She is also the winner of many awards and honors, both in her country and abroad.

The opera singer not only follows generally accepted canons, but also likes to experiment, mixing different styles. For example, classics and modern compositions.

Renee Fleming

American Opera singer, lyric-dramatic soprano, “Gold Standard Soprano.”

For development musical abilities The girls were influenced by her family. Mom and dad were vocal teachers, so it’s not surprising that Renee followed in their footsteps.

Fleming's most recognizable role is considered to be that of Countess Almaviva (The Marriage of Figaro). Also, it is to her that fans of The Hobbit should be grateful. Few people know, but Renee Fleming became the voice of many tracks from the films of this series.

Georgia Brown

A completely controversial personality of our top is Georgia Brown. The Latin American boasts a voice of 8 octaves and two Guinness records at once - the highest note and the widest range.

Music critics still disagree about the girl's unique voice. Some consider it unimaginable, because the singer’s upper register is found only in a few species of animals.

It is because of this that other experts do not consider the girl’s voice to be anything special, arguing that her “ultrasound screams” cannot be called singing.

Tim Storms

The peculiarity of its capabilities is that it produces very low frequency sounds. Even Tim himself cannot hear them; they can only be identified with the help of special equipment. It is believed that the sounds it makes can only be heard by elephants.

It is also included in the Guinness Book of World Records for the lowest note produced by a human being and the widest range.

Vladimir Pasyukov

He sang in many men's choirs in the country, as well as in the church choir of the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg. His voice organically joined the choir, adding power with low, sonorous overtones. Vladimir also recorded solo compositions. The singer died in 2011 from a long illness.

Dimash Kudaibergenov

A singer from Kazakhstan, winner of the Grand Prix of the Slavic Bazaar 2015 competition, who conquered many countries with his amazing voice. In 2016, Dimash was awarded a state scholarship from the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan - Leader of the Nation in the field of culture.

His participation in Chinese show"Singer 2017" ended with a victorious first place. After participating in this TV show, real popularity came to him. But he didn't stop there. In the same year, Dimash wins the Top Chinese Music Award in the category “The Most popular singer in Asia". In China, it is an adapted version of the Grammy.

Speaking of unique voices, Dmash Kudaibergenov won first place at the Chinese competition thanks to his performance of Vitas’ song “Opera No. 2”. At one time, he also captivated many listeners with his unusual voice. Find out more about his life off stage.

Main photo: Instagram kudaibergenov.dimash

Singing has a beneficial effect on the human body. When we sing, our heart rate slows down, our blood pressure decreases and emotional condition is stabilizing. By correctly using knowledge in the field of acoustics, anatomy, and voice production, you can learn to determine individual vocal abilities and select works in which the voice will sound full and natural. The first concept to come across is vocal range.

This is the interval from the lowest to the highest sound produced by a person. It is possible to determine the range using musical instruments with a large number of octaves (piano, guitar).

Range is measured by the number of octaves that a voice can reach. One octave consists of 8 steps, for example, from “D” to the next “D”. For professional singing, 2 octaves are enough.

The concept of “tessitura” helps to select works for a specific performer, as well as to determine vocal abilities. Tessitura is the ratio of the pitch of sounds in piece of music with the performer's voice range. For a singer with a high voice - a composition with high notes.

Singing voices

The classification of singing voices is determined by the gender of the performer, range, timbre and tessitura. Timbre is the individual coloring of sound caused by overtones. An overtone (German: “upper tone”) is a part of a sound that is of a higher frequency than the fundamental tone.

• Soprano is a high female voice, which is characterized by sonority, mobility, and brightness. Dramatic soprano - a dense and even voice, the lowest of the sopranos; They also distinguish lyric-dramatic, lyric, lyric-coloratura and coloratura soprano, characterized by a high voice similar to the sound of a violin;
• Mezzo-soprano – deep, rich notes. Varieties: lyrical and dramatic mezzo-soprano;
• Contralto is a low female voice with a velvety sound.

Male vocal ranges:

• Tenor is the voice of choir and opera, the highest, closest to the female sound. Divisions: altino, lyric, mezzo-characteristic, dramatic tenor;
• Baritone - a voice of medium height includes: lyric baritone, lyric-dramatic, dramatic and bass-baritone (powerful voice close to bass);
• Bass is a low singing male voice. It can be high, central and low.

Frequency range:

• Bass – 80–350 Hz;
• Baritone – 100–400 Hz;
• Tenor – 130–500 Hz;
• Contralto – 170–780 Hz;
• Mezzo-soprano – 200–900 Hz;
• Soprano – 250–1000 Hz;
• Coloratura soprano – 260–1300 Hz.

How to expand your vocal range

There are three zones in the vocal range: the primary zone - notes in the center of the singing voice range; the working range zone in which the performer plays notes without effort; zone of non-working range, including closing notes vocal capabilities. The range should be expanded gradually, moving up and then down from the primary sounds.

Basic exercises and rules for vocal development:

• Look after yourself. Keep an even posture and refuse bad habits, practice good oral hygiene. Before classes, do not consume dairy products, replace them with water at room temperature;
• Practice your diction. Read aloud, with expression, repeat tongue twisters;
• Sing before class;
• Breathe correctly when you sing;
• Don't strain your larynx.

In addition to home practice, consult with a phoniatrist, attend classes with vocal teachers, this way you will maintain your health and achieve success faster.

• Georgia Brown is the owner of the widest vocal range among women - 8 octaves, this figure is included in the Guinness Book of Records. The second record is the highest note played by a person.
• Tim Storms - Guinness World Records: the widest vocal range among men - ten octaves. The lowest note ever struck by man.
• Our compatriot Tatyana Vladimirovna Dolgopolova, whose vocal range is 5 octaves + 1 tone, entered the book of records. Tatyana also has the deepest soprano voice in the world.
• Speaking of bright music artists Russian stage, it seems impossible to ignore the charismatic singer Grigory Viktorovich Leps. Grigory Leps was awarded the Golden Gramophone and Song of the Year awards, as well as the title of Honored Artist of the Russian Federation (2011). Grigory Leps sings baritone, vocal range is 3 octaves.
• Eric Adams, who performs in the band Manowar, also sings baritone. Vocal range is four octaves. Adams' voice is rich and multifaceted; it is worth listening to his performance of the aria “Nessun dorma”, designed for tenor.

Singing voices like musical instruments must respond to a given note. The path to staging vocals and creating a bright individual style takes years. The vocal range should be expanded from the age of 18, when the body has formed.

Success in vocal career depend on the health of the artist, watch your diet, exercise, do breathing exercises and regularly practice singing. Don’t lose your desire for development and perseverance, remember, your vocal range does not determine the presentation of your performance; with one and a half to two octaves you can captivate the audience with the purity and fullness of your voice.