by Demetria
(USA)
Hello. My name is Demetria and I just want to ask you a question. First, a little background about me. I have loved music since I was a very young child. I've always wanted to take piano and vocal lessons, but that never happened.
I am now 37 years old. I have been on the praise and worship team at my church for 2 years now. I sing tenor, but I am much more comfortable with alto. I can sing a little soprano.
The question I have for you is... What can I do to increase my vocal range in the upper and lower registers? I do some vocal exercises, but I don't see where my range is increasing.
Thanks for your time and any advice you can offer.
Be blessed,
Demetria
Dana:
IN MY OPINION, as long as you continue singing tenor at church, your vocal range will not stretch much up into soprano range. Perhaps you are singing the tenor part because you CAN, and there is no one else who will or who does a decent job!
But focusing your voice down in that range, which is almost surely not comfortable for long, is going to make it hard to adjust to higher notes. You should try to become an alto at church, at least if you are serious about singing & developing your voice.
There is a part of your vocal range known as the "tessitura," which is where your voice is most comfortable and probably sounds strongest. Check out VocalWisdom.com for good discussions of problems with the voice. I recommend checking out the "Blog".
You should vocalize every day, starting in the middle of your range, and working towards the outside "edges" of your range. The more you do this, the easier high notes will become. Your voice will eventually take on a relaxed quality, IF YOU VOCALIZE EVERY DAY. When you get into middle-age, it is very easy to lose flexibility in your voice.
Have you considered taking voice lessons? If you have never done this, I RECOMMEND IT HIGHLY.
Good luck!