I think we believe all sorts of things that we pick up from different places.

At once point, I was sure that there was something physically wrong with my voice because I just couldn't get any higher than f#4 without pushing hard. I suppose I thought that my cords were unable to zip or something. So I figured a good way to either prove or disprove that is by trying to see if I could do a whistle voice. A few frustrating days later I was able to manage some terrible sounding whistles but they were pretty strong and I got up to b6. It was pretty funny actually because my wife came busting into the room and asked if our little four year old girl was ok. lmao. Needless to say I came out of that having proved that my vocal cords could zip just fine.

But I still couldn't do a siren because the muscles which allowed me to sing the comfortable f#4 were preventing me from going any higher. Those muscles had served their purpose up to that point but I realized they had to go. That's where the switching gears thing came in handy. I finally managed to drop the "extra baggage" as Jaime puts it. I stopped trying to go a hundred miles an hour in second gear and found another higher gear. It felt like my voice was dropping down but it was actually the muscles I didn't need dropping out. It reminded me of a spaceship breaking apart, jettisoning extra parts so it could punch through the earths atmosphere or something. lol.
I can finally do sirens about 7 notes beyond my break because I drop the extra baggage before I get to my break. If I'm too late dropping the extra muscles then I hit that old familiar wall. But I'm quite happy with 3 out of 4 of my sirens now. I very nearly gave up.
Long story short. All limitations are self imposed. It's your voice and you are the only one who can determine what is possible and what is not.

Loved how you put that, gtrnflames.
Because we are our only limitations.

I was at one point able to sing full voice C6s with extreme power and it felt as easy as anything. Now I've got to work back up to that.

There's a quote that says something like "whether you think you can or can't you're right"

it's actually more possible to sing higher than lower since your vocal cords are only a certain length which determines how low you can go, but highs are determined by the smallest amount of vibration.

I don't agree, believing that with work you can hit any note you want is a fairy tale!
Each and everyone of us is born with his specific vocal folds characteristics (lenght, thickness...)
I agree that with work, you can step by step hit full-voice notes that you were only been able to sing in falsetto... to a certain point where you are physically limitated by your anatomy. The same thing with falsetto, there are pitches you will never be able to hit.
Each and everyone of us is born with legs, muscles... and in theory each and everyone of use has the tools to run 100 meters races under 10 seconds. But practical, only a few of us is birth-given with the right body to do it, even with hard work.
So I agree, due to lack of work, technical stuff and mental restriction, we are limitated ourselves, but only to a certain point where mother-nature made us as we are.
Famous high tenors can hit A5-B5 in full-voice, but they can hit C6 only in falsetto. Do you really think they have mental restrictions, lack of work or technics? I think they are born with the ability to sing high, they worked the hardest as they can, but at one point I think it's impossible to go higher.

I disagree with that. Trust me , when it comes to singing , the sky is the limit. You can always go higher , always go lower and always get more powerfull. Anatomy what? With proper training only the mind can limit you , and thoughts like oh i guess i am just not designed to hit that note. Oh well. None of that. Practice practice practice.

Maybe I'm wrong, but for me it's nothing but fairy tales!
I am baritone, no matter how hard I will work, I'm sure I'll never hit C6 full-voice!
With years of hard work, I extend my full-voice from something like C5 to E5, and now it's really hard to go higher.
For instance, James Labrie from Dream Theater has an incredible range. I think he can hit A5 full-voice and something like E6 non-modal. If one day you meet him, would you tell him "come on James, this is only mental restrictions, with work you'll be able to hit E6 in full voice cause you can do it non-modal"?!!
I agree that depending on how you are made, you can extend your range with work and proper technics with several notes, but I think it's only fairy tales to think that you'll be able to go as high as you want. The higher you'll go, the harder and the longer it will be to gain only 1/2 note, to a point where it would be useless to insist.

Jaime is a baritone , Jim Gillette is a baritone ... and yet they can go higher than C6. I am a baritone , i cant hit G5 no matter what ... but i know that with practice i am gonna get there.

Val, that is correct. They are baritones and you probably are a high baritone. You also sound best singing in the baritone range. That Billy Idol song you did was killer, bro. Definitely your best work. People can work on whatever they want, but I singing high doesn't always mean singing better. Jim can sing high, but that doesn't mean that every Baritone can. Jamie sounds terrible when he screams "Back in Black" real high on one of the lessons in my opinion. It just doesn't sound natural. I'm the same height as Mike Mentzer, but I'll never be a champion body builder no matter how hard I work at it. My opinion only, bro. Please don't get upset. I think that there are limitations for most people. I think that telling everyone they can do whatever they want with their voice is just setting them up for disappointment and frustration.

Depends on what you Call fullvoice, in ryv mixed register and headvoice is considered fullvoice. Your teacher is probably correct, just using à diffrent terminology, he/sheis basicly saying dont sing c5s with tomuch vocal mass.

The sky is the limit when it comes to range, the problem is always quality. Its aloteasyer to get à five octave bad range then 3 octaves and sounding great.

When i started My voice sucked and My range was small, now i have more Than i need and use.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is called correct practice :)
I always love it when a singer admitts that his (her) voice sucked at
the beginning and how they practiced until they archieved greatness!
congrats, man :)

Brennan, your coach is incorrect. Sadly, that is the philosophy of many. It was the philosophy of my very first vocal coach. Because of her, I worked to prove her theories wrong. it takes work, but you can get there;)

When i started out i never got above E4, sent through loads of Coaches until i saw jaime on mythbusters. I instantly purchased ryv and to My suprise jaime added me to msn rigth away(he thougth i was Jens johansson from stratovarious) ;)
But im not, but still he gave me loads of great tips, and now years later range is My least concern.

Www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7WsrtWsahc


Www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fa3uKAiEqu8

Cheers jaime and thanks for all the help

Hahaha Jens I'd forgotten about that. You should take up keyboard too;)

You vocal coach is wrong. If I were you I would try to look for someone else who understand the voice better.

Just do what Mike Mentzer did. Do boatloads of Crank and Steroids for 30 years, and then run naked through the streets letting people know,"The End is Nigh!"

LOL

One of my friends competed professionally, and he naively told me,"Dude EVERY single one of these guys is Juiced!"

No DUH!!!

Like he couldn't look at them tell they were not natural BB?

That's why they quit looking like Steve Reeves, Reg Parker, Dave Draper and the other guys in the 50's and 60's looked, and started looking like all the steroid monsters that most people associate with bodybuilding.

Even if someone juiced and did crank I would never be that big. It is not possible. Only someone that already has the genetic potential to get that bit THEN juices and lifts like crazy can even come close to being built like that.

The point is that everyone has a certain type of voice naturally. Trying to work against that and sound like something that isn't natural is foolish and counterproductive. You are never going to sound as good as you could by doing that. You may not have a similar genetic make up to be a Steve Perry, so don't try to force it if you don't. Try to sound like the best you that you can.

Im sorry buti think thats bull :p à standard phrase all say. Sure there is some truth to it, but the voice is capable of so much more then what it can do now.
Your speakingvoice did you get by mimicing your parents, it's not your natural voice it's something you learned, something you copied.
There are so many factors to be taken into consideration and so much can be done by activating the right muscles.
Look at the copycats WHO can mimic famous peoples voices, tonal qualities ect

Some vocal coaches are convinced that everyone has a break and above that you have to go in falsetto, other think that you can go full voice as high as you want, personnaly I am somewhere between the 2 points of view, but everyone is free to have is own point of view!

Respect !!!

The more important is that we have tools to work, to improve and to be free with our voice, but personnaly even if I'd love to have an incredible range, I think it would be dangerous to sing like someone else or to work with the main goal to sing like someone else.

I agree you. Everyone has to work within the genetic potential they are born with. Not everyone can gain super high notes. Some people with the genetic penitential can do it just like there are very very few people with the genetics to become top tier body builders. No matter how hard I train and what drugs I take, I will NEVER EVER be Arnold Schwarzenegger or Mike Mentzer, I just don't have the genetic potential for it. I can be a good looking well built dude with training and proper diet. Just because some baritones train to sing really high doesn't mean that they all can. I think it sets people up for failure and disappointment to say that everyone can do this or that if they work hard enough. Everyone can improve tremendously with a lot of practice though. Everyone can learn to be a good singer. Even if a person with a low voice can learn extend their range, to me it sounds crappy most of the time when they sing outside of their natural range. People should try to do whatever they want, but it helps to have realistic expectations. In my opinion, spending extra time learning to sing properly, emote, focusing on getting great tone, breath control, learning to sing harmony and/or play an instrument while you sing are much more satisfying endeavors than just working on range all the time. I think too many people automatically want to start working on getting a higher range before they learn how to sound good with what they already have, and it is a mistake. Please don't roast me for my comments. These things are just observations and opinions of mine.

If you've never sung in whistle voice it can seem impossible if you're used to singing in your lower range. But I've done it plenty of times and it's all about getting the cords to zip up. Right now I have to train to get those notes back, but they came easily. And naturally with training.

I agree that with training some people can do those things. What I am saying is that I don't think that everyone can. I am not knocking anyone else's method or theories. That is just my opinion. It is going to be a lot easier for a female to sing in whistle voice than a male bass singer. I'm not saying that it can't be done. I just don't buy into the idea that anyone can do anything they want with their voice. If you can't get within miles of sounding like Stevie Wonder, you probably never will. That doesn't mean you don't have a great singing voice.

The views of this commentator do not reflect the views of the author of Raise Your Voice or most of the great singers, and teachers on this board. They are merely my own observations.