How To Hit High Notes (Falsetto)

Published by 
Singers Corner Team
Last updated: 
December 21, 2023

You’d think women would have a natural advantage against men when it came to learning to hit high notes, but that’s not necessarily true. 

Singing high notes or falsetto is all about the control of your voice and vocal chords – and it can be learned.

With a little bit of vocal training, any singer can hit beautiful high notes perfectly on pitch.

How To Do It

Psst… Want a Shortcut to Singing High Notes? Watch This Video Now!

Most people feel like they need to reach hard when trying to reach a high pitch or hit that certain note.

This is all wrong.

One thing to remember: straining your voice to reach high notes won’t help.

become a better singer

Singing should be as natural as talking.

Think about it… Your speaking voice is smooth and connected, never requiring strain, and always seeming natural. That’s how it should be even when belting out vocals. You need a balanced vocal mechanism. That means having:

  • Proper Vocal Cord Closure – no air leaking out when making a sound
  • A Level Larynx – making sure it doesn’t rise too high

How do you achieve this?

Breathing

I know, I know…this isn’t the magic bullet you’re hoping for…

(but wait… because I do have a shortcut to success I share below)

Breathing and vocal exercises are key to being able to hit the notes you want without strain.

By doing these exercises you help to strengthen your vocal cords and work more efficiently when it sings.

Steady air flow is very important when singing higher. It may seem weird, but it’s true.

Not Too Much Though

That doesn’t mean you should force too much air through your body – that has the opposite effect of what you want: added resistance and pressure.

Contrary to what you might think, you actually need less air to hit high notes, not more. 

Straining or breathing to heavily will cause your larynx to go higher and your voice to crack – we’ve all been there when trying to belt out those high notes.

But You Still Want Enough

On the opposite end of the spectrum, too little air won’t give you enough power.

You need to learn how to work your diaphragm when breathing. You should feel your stomach rise, then your chest. 

Stand up tall and straight then try saying “ha” a few times in short, powerful bursts.

That’s the feeling of breathing and speaking with a supported voice.

Another way to avoid using your throat (as opposed to your stomach) when singing is to push your stomach out (so it sticks out more). It’ll help you fill your lungs with air and use your diaphragm.

All About The Mix

So if you don’t want to use too much breath, and not use your throat as much, but kind of use it, and not your chest, but also kind of from there…..

What do you do??

You need to learn to use your mix voice (which is a voice that combines your head register/voice, with your chest register/voice – hence, mix voice).

Practicing

When you’re practicing it’s a good idea to start your vocal runs or exercises in your middle range, and gradually move higher and higher.

Also, try singing the word “yawn” in a high register.

Take note of the position of your mouth when you begin to say the word in each vocal range you use.

That position is exactly how you need to position your mouth to hit that particular note.

Warm tea or liquid can help relax your throat and vocal cords, so try to keep some handy when practicing.

And remember – it’s not all about reaching higher and higher and straining your voice when you’re trying to hit high notes.

So avoid this tendency at all costs when you’re practicing.

Some Breathing Exercises to Try

In case you didn’t know, using staccato (short, accented notes) makes it easier to hit high notes.

Unfortunately most songs are sung in legato (melodic and long phrases that tie together).

So with this exercise you’ll start by doing staccato notes and gradually transition to legato, all while moving higher along the vocal register (i.e. using higher notes/pitches).

What to Do:

  • You’ll be singing the words one-two-three-four-five-four-three-two-one up and down a musical scale
  • Start with staccato (short bursts)
  • Once you’re getting good with hitting high staccato notes, start making them more legato (flowing together)
  • Once you’re comfortable there, move up higher in pitch.

Of course, this requires a lot of practice time and work. No one said it would be easy But once you do this over and over again, you’ll notice a big improvement in your ability to hit higher notes.

But who wants to wait forever? We wanna reach higher notes now, am I right?!

The Shortcut to Singing Better High Notes Fast

The quickest way to be able to effectively reach high notes is through the structured training and practice provided by online lessons.

There’s no getting around it – you can search all you want online for free information but that in itself takes forever.

You have to wade through all the fluff and garbage out there and piece together separate bits of info.

Online vocal lessons are an inexpensive way to get the proper training to reach higher, and eventually perfect your voice in any vocal range.

The best options available right now are Singing Success and the Superior Singing Method. You can read all our online voice lesson reviews here.

Anyone who’s tried these lessons can testify that they help you immensely, so I recommend looking into them.

They are MUCH CHEAPER than actually hiring a professional vocal coach and work the same way.

You get a series of video lessons and audio exercises that you go through over the course of a couple of months (depending on your speed and pratice time).

You also get additional resources that help you train your voice properly. People see improvements in a matter of days/weeks, not months.

Seriouslycheck them out – it might be the closest thing to a magic bullet you’ll ever get.

A Nice Video In Case You Didn’t Want To Read All The Above

How To Use Falsetto

What Exactly is Falsetto?

Having a higher pitch (especially for male vocalists) is known traditionally as falsetto. The word itself is very old and actually means “false voice,” as many men do not have a voice pitched that high naturally.

The technique allows male singers to reach notes and vocal ranges that are often sung by women naturally. The origin of this term is a rather morbid one…

Fun Fact

Back then some male singers were castrated so that they could perform in a higher tone. The “castrato” falsetto had been used in many European choirs throughout the 16th to 19th centuries.

All you guys out there – don’t worry – that craziness ain’t necessary no more! So how exactly can you learn how to perform falsetto without the uh… unnecessary surgery? Here are a couple tips that will help you along the way.

Tips on Singing Falsetto

Take Deep Breaths

A singer’s main source of “power” comes from his or her breathing. Whenever you breathe you must do so through your diaphragm.

It will be hard to do this at first, but with proper training you should be able to get this technique down in no time at all. And you should also remember to take some deep breaths before you start using falsetto (if possible) as this will help you warm up.

Use Your Upper Throat, Not Chest

Most singers are used to projecting their voices from their chests instead of their throats. If you want to learn falsetto then you are going to have to make some necessary adjustments.

Projecting your voice from your upper throat instead of your chest will allow only the outer edges of your vocal chords to vibrate instead of the entire vocal chord.  This will help raise your voice in the process.

Try Putting Your Hand On Your Chest

It might look like you are singing your country’s national anthem, but trust me when I say that it can help a lot, especially when practicing. Place one of your hands on your chest while you start using your vocals.

If you feel any part of your chest vibrating as you are singing, then you are still using your normal voice range. Remember that you need to project your voice from your upper throat and not your chest, or you’ll end up using your normal voice register.

Practice Adding More Styles

If you want your falsetto voice to adapt to different kinds of music, then you should try to practice adding more styles and tonalities.

If you practice this long enough, then you should be able to use falsetto in other musical genres whether it is metal, R&B, hard rock, or even opera.

And remember, the best way to hit perfect high notes is to use a structured online singing lesson. I’d definitely recommend trying out Superior Singing Method or Singing Success – they both come with risk-free money back guarantees, so you’ve got nothing to lose.

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