So, I've got a few of his songs on a CD and have been singing along most of this week. I love his sound and technique, and I can sing comfortably in his range, but I can't quite figure out how he does his signature higher notes. It sounds like falsetto, but with this grit/vibrato thing that gives it a very powerful sound. I can't really emulate this at all. I can sing the high notes without a lot of trouble, but mine are a flat tone and weaker.

So, what exactly is he doing that makes it sound so cool? Is it even falsetto or some sort of mix?

pretty sure he uses a full head voice with a lot of chest resonance and added grit. Its also worth noting that he has lost it alot these days. So you should mimic his sound if you like it, but follow safe techniques.

yeah, you kind of have to define "signature high notes" because to me, his signature sound on the Soundgarden albums is WAY different (and way better!) than what he's more known for now with Audioslave and the newest solo album. By the way, just to through this out there I have to say his FIRST solo album (Euphoria Morning) is absolutely spectacular. Great songs, amazing singing and lyrics, far superior to any audioslave or his new album. (just my opinion)

I still think he's a great singer, expressively, lyrically, etc, but to me his instrument sounds damaged.

I agree. His stuff with audioslave is severely lacking power in comparison to the soundgarden days. I listened to jesus christ pose and then Cochise right afterward, and it was a big eye opener as to how important it is to actually take care of your voice.

I love Euphoria Morning; I was listening to it just last night Cornell has a cool sound but he is known for voice problems so his technique might not be the best to emulate even thought he does sound pretty cool and he really put a stamp on that type of singing in the 90's...

Chris Cornell has always been one of my favorite musicians. To emulate his sound you really need to slowly build up to that. I used to be able to hit his highs years ago but I had to literally scream to do it. I knew nothing about relaxing my throat and neck muscles. I would tense up just about every muscle in my body to reach those highs. It really took a toll on me. I'm better now and have learned that I can hit really high notes (not as high) with power and without muscle tension. If only I knew then what I know now. Anyway, I think one of the keys to singing high notes like Chris Cornell is to first develop your falsetto then learn to transcend falsetto into full voice (Jaime has a great exercise for that) ultimately blending your falsetto with your head and chest voice in order to have one connected voice. If you listen to any good artist it's hard to decipher if they are using head or chest voice (even on low notes). It sounds consistent and that's what you should shoot for throughout your entire range.

Great reply Greg. Ya know, I don't think Cornell is really using good technique. I think he just learned to sing like a street fighter, just full on out doing it. He is mainly full voiced but I hear spots where he mixes it. That's okay, you should have the choice to sing with any tone you like;)

Yeah he probably is singing somewhat wrong. Either way, he got pretty big doing it. And his voice is still better than most peoples.

I don't know about that Andrew. He USED to be fantastic, but he's clearly had some negative effects in more recent years.

Well he's not amazing, but he's still really good. I actually don't like any of his stuff aside from the song "spoonman".