When I sing, it feels like my voice has to strain or be forced to go down to a low note, and it sounds horrible. Like, if I’m singing along to a low part in a song, I have to sing it higher because my voice doesn’t seem good with low notes….But sometimes I hit them and make them good. Any tips on how to somehow "open up" my throat to make them come out easier?
The easiest way to hit those low notes are to do vocal exercises that go 5 notes down at a time. Moving down a half step each time. A vowel that lowers the larynx (voice box) is the easiest, usually a "ya" worked really well! Each time relaxing your throat more and more. One thing you can do is gently massage your throat as you sing as a reminder to keep your throat relaxed. Whatever you do, do not push your voice beyond what is comfortable. That is how damage is done!
Just keep in mind that everyone’s voice is different. Some people can sing high, some low. Listen to your body, it will tell you when you are straining.
Sounds like you need to expand your range. Practice is really the only way to do this. Be sure you’re warmed up before you sing and try practicing with songs that are just outside of your comfort range to start with. Over time, you can probably add a few notes to your lower range this way.
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practice singing just a little lower than is natural for you. do the "do re mi" excercise backwards. each time, just go a little bit lower. eventually, you’ll strengthen the lowest part of your voice.
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Make certain you are supporting really well and drop your jaw…not just forcing it to open but allow it to hang from the hinge and sing on vowels before adding consonants. If it feels unnatural, it may be that you just don’t have those notes. But try really relaxing the jaw, it’s amazing what it does for low notes.
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Professional opera singer/ musical theatre singer: My suggestion as another contributer suggested was not to ‘belt’ any notes that are low but to relax into them. I had to do it playing Eva Peron in Evita. Not easy but manageable once I relaxed. You don’t want to be ‘light’ in your low notes as someone suggested. I would get your instructors opinion on any of this before beginning to stretch your range. Take good care of yourself and your voice.
Practice practice practice. Go to the lowest (cleanest, and easiest) you can do and everyday, slowly and gradually go down the scale until you master each note. That’s how I expanded my range for higher notes.
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warm up extra good, use the "down to the bottom of the sea we go" warm up. tuck your chin into your chest and open your mouth really wide
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there’s such thing called "your natural range". even though with age and other factors a person’s range may shift lower or higher(mostly lower) but you are not going to go from a soprano to a contralto. any attempt without correct knowledge to expand your range could potentially damage your voice(nodds on your vocal chord). If you are really serious about singing, go to your local music stores or universities or community colleges to find a decent voice teacher who can give you "real" help. Any one who writes two stinking pages to tell you how to sing is just a joke!!!
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First you have to really open your mouth and throat, and practice scales going lower and lower. think of singing these notes through your chest, like your chest is the resonator. don’t strain your voice, just practice scales going lower each day until your range gets broader! good luck
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personal experience
Pretend that you have an egg, in its shell of course, in your mouth. And make sure you are pushing the air from your diaphragm/stomach. At least that’s what worked for us in choir.
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Well I am a guy so im not sure how much help I will be. However, when i was dealing with my range transition in my pre-teen –> teen years i found that opening up your jaw a lil more than needed helps making the low notes sound a little fuller. Also, practicing a certain part also helps the range. Do alot of exercises for the low range of your voice it may help the uncomfortableness. I hope this helps
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YES YES YES!!! The best tip for singing anywhere in your range (or just slightly outside) that you are uncomfortable with is to open your mouth…BIG TIME!!! Not doing so also keeps you vocal chords constricted which makes it hard to vocalize anything
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I’m playing devil’s advocate here. Don’t open your mouth so wide. The "outer mouth" ( lips, teeth, tip of the tongue) are not so involved here as the inner mouth. Find a mirror and watch as you start to yawn. You’ll notice your uvula stretch up and away, and the velar palates form a triangle at the back of your mouth. You can control this consciously. Try it after you finish yawning
. that’s what we use for high notes, all that big space back there. That’s too much for low notes, plus we lose air that way. Think of that space ( oto-pharynx) as being as small and comfortable as when you speak. It will be small, but not tight, not clamped down. You’ll feel the breath flow come farther forward in your mouth, and a lighter, headier feeling to the sound. Keep low notes slender, light, bouncy. Resist the urge to belt them out ( unless it’s called for in the music). You won’t get to the bottom of the piano keyboard this way, but who wants to anyways?
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25 years singing 7 years teaching
The easiest way to hit those low notes are to do vocal exercises that go 5 notes down at a time. Moving down a half step each time. A vowel that lowers the larynx (voice box) is the easiest, usually a "ya" worked really well! Each time relaxing your throat more and more. One thing you can do is gently massage your throat as you sing as a reminder to keep your throat relaxed. Whatever you do, do not push your voice beyond what is comfortable. That is how damage is done!
Just keep in mind that everyone’s voice is different. Some people can sing high, some low. Listen to your body, it will tell you when you are straining.
References :
Bachelor of Music Degree – Choral and General
Private Voice Student 8 years
Private Voice Instructor
Public School Music Teacher