Best way to increase your vocal range and strength ??

Question

I impersonate Elvis and I do alot of 70's songs when his voice was very mature, deep and had a heck of a range. I take vocal lessons but does anybody know of additional excercises that are good for strengthing and increasing breath intake ?

Answer 1

Alright, you have gotten a lot of good advice so far, but you do need to understand that you will have an end on your range at some point - you won't be able to extend it eternally. Therefore, you need to take this slowly and not overextend and do damage. The vocal folds are a very delicate instrument and if you shock them by over-stretching they will literally stop allowing you to go to the outer boundaries of your range.
If you are not taking from someone with a classical vocal background, or a teacher with studies in vocal pedagogy I would think seriously of changing, for the sake of permanent vocal health. I am not saying give up your style, by any means, just make sure you will be able to sing well for a long time. A good teacher will not "cramp your style" unless it is going to ruin your voice.
Now to the exercises. 1)The BEST things to do for breath control is to eat healthily an do daily aerobic exercise.2) Do not drink sodas - it takes 32 cans of water to neutralize one can of soda. Dehydration can bring down so much in performance.3) Any kind of breath extending exercise is good. And (sorry) lying on the back can be very good if used with other breathing exercises. It aligns the shoulders, back, and body in the way that you should breath and sing. Standing strait against a wall is also good for the same reason. 4) Always warm the voice slowly (30 minutes) DO NOT start full throttle - you will "scare" your chords.

I hope I have helped - Good Luck! Viva la Voce!!

After I submited my first answer I read the thing on Menthol - DO NOT USE MENTHOL!! It dries the chords VERY badly! I try to stay away from that stuff even if I am sick!

I just read the next answer - Mongolian throat singing! NO WAY! I'm sorry guys... but no. Period.

Answer 2

As you know, range and intensity are both products of breath control. I agree and expand on the person who gave you the first answer. My primary breathing exercise is this:
Using a metronome set on 90 bpm, take a deep breath through the mouth, filling the lungs completely (make sure that you do not allow your shoulders to rise much as this cuts off air flow to the lower parts of the lung) in 4 beats. Hold that breath for 4 beats, then exhale through the mouth with a constant stream of fast air (like blowing on food to cool it), completely emptying the lungs. To maximize breath output, tighten the diaphragm muscle to help push the air out. You should almost have to gasp for breath when you are finished. If you get dizzy, sit down. It is nothing to worry about, your brain is just getting more oxygen than it is used to. Repeat this exercise at least three times daily. Once you are comfortable, increase the duration to 8 beats, then 12, 16, and so on. I do not personally recommend laying down to perform this exercise based on my philosophy of "practice like you will perform". Try it in different ways and use what works best for you.
The best exercises that I have found to build range are simple scales. Do this after the breathing exercise: Pick a note in the middle of your range (preferably the key of a piece that you are working on). Sing the scale using the syllable "ah" starting piano, and crescendoing to fortissimo by the octave. Come back down the same way, decrescendoing, and then go to the octave below your starting note, cresendoing again (breathe as needed because this is a long exercise). Starting on that lowest note, sing the arpeggio (1,3,5,7,9) up to the highest octave, and then back to the lowest, following the cresendo/ decresendo pattern. Then, repeat the exercise on a different note. For scale studies, I recommend following the circle of fifths (begin on C, then G, then D, and so on). It doesn't really matter if you are using a major or minor scale for this exercise, so I would suggest using whatever you have been working on. Just for fun though, you could try it using different scales and modes to improve pitch consistency. You will notice that your upper and lower range will begin to extend as you do this exercise through the different keys. *** If you cannot sing multiple octaves in a given key, do what you can within your current range. Improvement will come, but do not force yourself to sing higher or lower than what you are comfortable with as this can result in serious injury to the vocal cords. I hope this is helpful. Feel free to email me for more info if you wish.

Answer 3

Find a good teacher to teach you Mongolian Throat Singing. It will do wonders for your range and strength.

Answer 4

practice, practice, practice. Scales are a good way to test your range and push it farther, if you can. But, don't abuse your vocal chords by pushing them too far. If you can see a vocal coach who has experience, they can help you to find your best range and work on improoveing your tone and pitch. Open wide and smile while singing, it helps too.

Answer 5

Before you start a class or just for fun drink some honey water w/ a little bit of menthol.

Answer 6

lie down on the floor and breathe in for 8 counts, hold it for 4, and let out for 8 counts while your hand is on your diaphragm.

Answer 7

u could try this
breathe in water through your nose and let it go thru your mouth
sorry my englih is very bad
if u couldn't undrstand it, just ignore it....sorry :(