Improve your vocal range with this lesson from Gianmarc (4 octave range!)

[maiutzica]

Thank you. this was very helpful

[Xiox047]

He wants to fall in love haha

[Official7Records]

For the life of me, I can NOT find my head voice! I always just break into falsetto. What am I supposed to be doing when I switch registers? And where am I supposed to switch registers? I can go up to an F4 in chest voice, but that's kinda strained... I can comfortably go up to about an Eb4. Should the break into head voice start below the maximum note of chest voice? But more importantly... I don't know what to do in order to switch registers... so confused!

[GJaunz]

@Official7Records: My philosophy is to throw out the idea of your vocal range having separate parts, head, chest, etc. The only distinction I make is between singing full voice and falsetto. What many call head voice is really just learning to control air pressure so that you can hit the notes in your falsetto range full voice. So my advice to you is to keep practicing this sliding exercise, focusing on decreasing air pressure when you feel like your voice wants to slip into falsetto. Good luck!

[MrKailchi]

hi, may i know would it hurt my voice and throat if i practice everyday until i feel the it's hurt?

[GJaunz]

@MrKailchi: I wouldn't practice every single day, but somewhere between 3 and 5 days per week should be about right. Don't make a habit of singing until hurts either. Once you get the hang of it, you should be able to practice without hurting your voice at all. Good luck!

[KingJoOfficial]

How often should this been done? and when would I notice the difference ?=)

[GJaunz]

@KingJoOfficial: It's a great daily exercise as well as a nice warm-up. I used to do this before every gig, The big thing is to go by how you feel. If it starts to hurt or you're starting to lose your voice a bit.

[KingJoOfficial]

@GJaunz thanks for the answers 

[KingJoOfficial]

Hey..this video is awesome..I just wanted to know that: Does this work also with people that have a low talking voice?

[GJaunz]

@KingJoOfficial: Hey, thanks glad you like it :-). It should work fine for any voice. Granted, you should keep in mind that everyone's voice is different, so if you're naturally a baritone or bass, it'll probably take you longer/more practice to reach the really high notes. So there's definitely a natural ability piece to this, but the only way to find out what your range can be expanded to is to keep practicing and see where it takes you :-). 

[hippiechik126]

Great job! For someone like myself, I am self trained, this is so helpful! Please keep them coming!!!

[GJaunz]

@hippiechik126: cool beans, I'm self-taught as well. I'm glad you found it helpful :-)

[wackyfun512]

now to practice this when nobody's around

[GJaunz]

@wackyfun512: hahah, yeah, it's a bit embarrassing to do this sort of exercise when people are around. Definitely find somewhere to practice where you feel comfortable though, as you won't get nearly as much out of the practice if you're holding back at all (although that goes for any singing really). Good luck!

[EmoKittyValentine]

I F*CKING LOST IT AT RUN TO THE HILLS xD

[GJaunz]

@EmoKittyValentine: haha, glad you enjoyed it :-D

[EmoKittyValentine]

@GJaunz I'm glad that you're glad that I enjoyed it :D

[RyanSTH94]

Thanks to this, I was able to sing Jeff Buckley songs in full voice!

I can't get do it today tho.... At least I know that I can actually sing that well and I can keep practicing and working up to it!

If you keep doing this will there be a point where you're so used to it that you don't need vocal exercises (or very little) before every time you want to sing?...

[GJaunz]

@RyanSTH94: That's awesome! I'm glad to hear this is helping you. Jeff Buckley is one of my personal favorites. I've got a cover I did of Last Goodbye posted on my youtube channel. I think you'll probably find that you'll always need to warm up like this some before you sing in order to feel like you're at your best. As you improve with practice, you will get more consistent though (no more episodes of "I could totally sing this yesterday, what happened?? :-)

[RyanSTH94]

@GJaunz That's cool. Thanks for responding, that's what I wanted to hear! Your Buckley cover is brilliant by the way :D

[GJaunz]

@RyanSTH94: No problem, and thank you for the kind words :-D

[GJaunz]

@RyanSTH94: No problem, and thank you for the kind words :-D

[GJaunz]

@RyanSTH94: No problem, and thank you for the kind words :-)

[ABeastlyBass]

Thank you SO much!

[GJaunz]

@ABeastlyBass: You're very welcome :-)

[10000hrs]

Thanks a lot for this clip. I appreciate the way you explained things.

[GJaunz]

@10000hrs: No problem, glad you liked it :-)

[GJaunz]

@10000hrs: No problem, glad you liked it :-)

[GJaunz]

@10000hrs: No problem, glad you liked it :-)

[GJaunz]

@10000hrs: No problem, glad you liked it :-)

[MagicMikeMusic591]

hey man, i just wanted to know with this exercise if i practice it every night, morning and afternoon for half an hour how long would it take for me to smooth over my break?. also, i was wondering when i smooth over my break will i be able to go into my mixed voice/full voice?. any help would be great.

thanks :)

Michael

AKA

MagicMike

[GJaunz]

@MagicMikeMusic591: Hey Michael, I wish I could give you an estimate for how long it'll take, but it's different for everyone. Once you've got that down though, yes you'll be able to sing those high notes full voice :-). Another trick you might want to try for accessing that full voice sound is to try yelling "Hey!" in different pitches. Don't scream it, just yell it like you would to someone across a room. As with all vocal exercises, don't do it 'till it hurts, take breaks!

[Kylan0728]

@GJaunz I voted down on accident, but the hey tip is a really good tip.

[GJaunz]

@Kylan0728: good deal, glad that helped!

[Kylan0728]

@GJaunz Also, this video helped me realise that I can hit the whistle register.

[GJaunz]

@Kylan0728: Sweet! Congrats!

[deeestroooy]

This video has been very helpful, I'll practice every day and hopefully i'll get it :) Do you think anyone can achieve reaching their head voice without going into falsetto? And if so, will I only be able to hit a certain note or go all the way to the top? PLEASE COULD YOU DO A VOCAL COVER OF STARLIGHT BY SLASH FT. MYLES KENNNEDY? I'd love to hear your voice in that song!. You're an inspiration my good man!

[GJaunz]

@deeestroooy: I'm glad you enjoyed the video :-). You've got the right attitude, practice is everything, you just have to keep at it and you should be able to get it! Always warm up (some gentle scales and some gentle slides like in this vid should be fine), and make sure you pay attention you pay attention to what your body is telling you, if it hurts, take a break until it doesn't. I'll check out Starlight, thanks for the idea :-)

[deeestroooy]

@GJaunz Awesome, please update me with the starlight cover if you decide to do one, have you checked it out yet?

[GJaunz]

@deeestroooy: Yup, checked it out, great song! Miles Kennedy is an awesome singer. I'm not planning to cover it, but I appreciate you throwing the idea out :-)

[deeestroooy]

@GJaunz Oh and also check out 'We All Die Young' by Steelheart, it's an amazing song by one of the best (in my opinion) singers in hard rock

[GJaunz]

@deeestroooy: That's a great song! I thought that was the best track on the Rockstar soundtrack. The singer is definitely the guy from Steelheart, but I think he worked with Zakk Wylde on that. As for Miljenko Matijevic of Steelheart, I'm right there with you, he's one of the best singers I've ever heard. "We All Die Young" is actually one I've been considering covering. If I do, I'll let you know :-). In the mean time, I've recently put out about 16 songs, you might like some of them.

[deeestroooy]

@GJaunz Yeah i watched that film again today and got my best mate into rock n roll, he loved it! And sure i'll be sure to check back every now and then, you seem like the best singer on youtube and one who replies! haha. I'll check out those songs now :)

[GJaunz]

@deeestroooy: Nice!  Yeah, that's a great movie. Thanks a lot! That's very nice of you to say :-)

[montresor2]

Nice maiden examples

[milroy56263]

Hello GJaunz. I am trying to increase my chest voice range and I really can't find anywhere that helps me with that. Like yours helps the transition but do you know how to simply increase the chest range? Sorry if its a stupid question. Thanks

[GJaunz]

@milroy56263: Hello milroy, not a stupid question at all! I think the best approach here is to change the way you think about your range.  I know many singers and vocal coaches divide the range into chest, head, etc, but I think the best approach is to go for continuity of sound, ie, just focus on developing the ability to be able to sing full-voice over your entire range. Don't worry about whether the note sounds like "chest" or not, hope that helps!

[ipiccaxlol]

WHAF DAAJ HAYELLA!

[tbnterprises]

Great Video!

[GJaunz]

@tbnterprises: Thanks a lot!

[staceyluvshim]

Made me laugh. AND helped me :3

Automatic subscription.

[GJaunz]

@staceyluvshim: Awesome, that's exactly what I was trying to do :-D

[tasurbanfk]

I am sort of mono toned and when i try to go higher my voice in a way just goes horse... any tips on how to get my voice to actually get over that point? because i play guitar and sing and i have a hard time doing certain covers such as things by breaking benjamin because his voice is so much higher than mine

[GJaunz]

@tasurbanfk: If you're going horse, it seems to me that you're probably pushing too hard. I'd recommend you try this exercise at a lower volume (no louder than you'd speak to someone who's right in front of you). Once you've got it down at a low volume, try increasing the volume a bit, and don't forget to focus on diverting the air pressure down into your diaphragm instead of up into your throat as you go higher.

[tasurbanfk]

@GJaunz thanks man i will try it

[Dalbeeeeeee1]

if i slide over my break point and it doesnt break does that mean im doing it right? because im a bit confused about the holding back thing cause im not absolutly belting it out but im certainly not being quiet, should i be doing this slide quietly or is what im doing now right?

[GJaunz]

@Dalbeeeeeee1: Yup, if you're able to slide over the pitch where your voice used to break, you've got it. Nice job! Whether or not you're belting it out enough depends on what sort of sound you're going for. If you want to add some volume, just try gradually singing over the break louder and louder. Good luck!

[Dalbeeeeeee1]

@GJaunz oh ok sweet thanks, this helped heaps i usually struggle to get to A5 but concentrating on the slide i managed to get up to C5, you explained the technique way better then my friends who sing cheers.

[GJaunz]

@Dalbeeeeeee1: Cool, glad to help!

[Dalbeeeeeee1]

@GJaunz oh and one other thing, do you know the band steel panther? there a joke band but the vocalist does some cool high rock scream, do you know if thats a certain technique or voice register? or is it just singing high with certain tone? do you think you could explain how to do those sort of rock screams because i cant find any good videos on youtube

[GJaunz]

@Dalbeeeeeee1: Steel Panther is awesome, so funny! The technique I think you're talking about (David Lee Roth also does it well) is called a whistle tone. That's a tricky one, I actually haven't figured it out yet! Look up Emotions by Mariah Carey (it's on youtube), she's got the best control over whistle tones I've ever heard (some crazy ones around 2:50). It's definitely on my list of things to figure out, I'll be sure to post a whistle tone vid once I do figure it out.

[Mike1GH]

@GJaunz I'm a male and accidentally hit the whistle register once while cruising down the hill in a supermarket trolley :D no chance of studying the phenomenon on four wheels with no ability to steer though

[GJaunz]

@Mike1GH: lol, that's great! Perhaps if you try bombing down that same hill on the same shopping cart, you can have a repeat performance. I'll have to try that :-P

[IKEBIKE121]

thankyu!~

[GJaunz]

@IKEBIKE121: You're very welcome :-)

[eddievega77]

if only gianmarc had been my music teacher....

[GJaunz]

@eddievega77:  :-D

[rickyvangooberblat]

Why aren't you in a power metal band.

Awesome lesson.

[GJaunz]

@rickyvangooberblat: Haha no power metal band, but I do have a bunch of solo stuff out on iTunes under the name Gianmarc. A lot of my music is metal though, if you'd like to hear a sample, search "Daylight Fades by Gianmarc" on Youtube. That one could probably be considered power metal. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the lesson!

[GJaunz]

@1juliemccloud: Hey Julie, checked out your cover of Breakeven, really nice job! I like your vibrato, very smooth and controlled. Your transition to head voice is nice and smooth as well. I wouldn't change anything :-)

[GJaunz]

@1juliemccloud: No problemo :-)

[pyote5]

^_^ Loved the iron maiden example. Im guilty of that when nobodys around.

[GJaunz]

@pyote5: lol, yeah that song is great for that.

[Lailanisurflove]

yayyy thanks for shairng :)

[GJaunz]

@Lailanisurflove: No problem, glad you enjoyed it :-)

[IWZWrestling]

Whenever I sing a higher note, my neck always contracts like hell, and it's almost impossible to hit high notes without sounding natural, any advice please?

[GJaunz]

@IWZWrestling: One thing that can really help with breaking the habit of tensing up when hitting a higher note is to practice vocal excercises like this one while looking in a mirror. This way you'll be able to see it as soon as you start to tense up and you can focus on the area of your range where you first start to do it. From there, keep working to slide the note higher and higher without tensing up. Hope that helps!

[IWZWrestling]

@GJaunz Alright, thanks for the advice and Ill try my best to work on that. I love how you respond immediately. Your a pretty good teacher! :)

[GJaunz]

@IWZWrestling: Thanks :-)

[theplayingdays]

That stretch you did covered 3 octaves and a semi-tone....

[GJaunz]

The four octave stretch that I refer to is the fact that I hit G#2, G#3, G#4, and G#5, four different octaves of G#. I did scoop up to the G#2 from G2, so there is an additional semitone in there. However you want to count octaves (# of 1 octave scales vs # of octaves of one note) I've sung everything from Bon Jovi to Journey to Rush in bands, and I never had to fake it with a falsetto. The point of this video is to teach others how to expand their belting range to be able to do the same.

[theplayingdays]

@GJaunz Yes, I do want to count it like that because that is what the title of the video is implying. I think that it is misleading.

[theplayingdays]

@GJaunz Yes, I want to count them like that because that is what the title of you video is implying. It's misleading. Just because you are singing in 4 octaves doesn't justtify having "4 octave range!" in your title. What exactly do you mean by "belting range"? belting to me implys a pulling of the chest register, which is unhealthy, unless you are using it in the context of the outdated CVT terminology. I also don't get the relevance of "faking it with falsetto"...?

[brywool]

Ha, funny stuff- and accurate.

[OpulenceOfKnowledge]

Good lesson, really useful. Thanks.

[GJaunz]

@OpulenceOfKnowledge: Sweet, glad you dig it.