Brandon-
When you mentioned the '7 week program', what were you referring to? I missed that. Do you mean doing the excercises for 7 weeks that are in RYV or is there something else?

I was basically refering to the idea that you might not have progressed through the entire thing yet, and that you might be pushing it too soon, but as I read along, I can see that's not the case. I'm gonna go with James on this one. If your problem is occurring somewhere in the "mix" then try starting out with higher falsetto notes, and then DESCENDING to the problem area to smooth it out. Jaime has mentioned in RYV that there will come a point where you feel like you're at a plateau with your range growth. This might be it for you. If so, it unfortunately means that the progress you've made will simply start slowing down now. This isn't a bad thing, it's just more time consuming.

bryan, can you take your full chest voice voice past the b above middle c up to the e note? im trying to make my high tones as full as i can

All this talk of taking chest voice up and up and up scares the livin shit outta me. I was always taught that if you sang in the chest voice above an F or F# (for me, as I am a tenor), then I was doing something potentially damaging to the voice. I was taught to allow the voice to go into the mix which resonates in a split way: some of the tone at the soft palate, some behind and above the soft palate. Then as you ascend, more and more of the resonance will take place behind and above the soft palate with the reosnance sensations going higher and higher into the head. This is what would accomplish cord zipping and allow one to stay in a connected tone all the way up the range without any strain. But the tone will thin and lighten naturally due to the physiological changes taking place. You know, the cords thin, stretch, then zip up with less and less of the cord length vibrating the higher you go.
So now Im hearing people talking about singing the B above Middle C in chest voice and thats what made me go to voice lessons in the first place! I used to belt/pull up chest to D above Tenor C before I trained my voice. Luckily, I am a light tenor, so I got away with it with just a lot of muscular tension, bad habits and such and not nodes. But now Im seeing people going for chest on these high notes and Im wondering what gives as, as far as Im concerned, this is what got me in trouble way back when.
Could someone enlighten me please as I am sure I am misunderstanding what is going on here and know Jaime wouldnt advise people to damage their voices. Thanks much! :=)

Yours In Music,
Denis J. Lanza
Tenor Metal Vocalist
http://www.myspace.com/denisjlanza

Jaime is definitely not advising anybody to pull chest all the way up there. All that's been said in this thread has been in favor of mixing resonance instead of pulling all that chest up there. He preaches the full voice, of course, but a lot of people look at it differently.

If what Bryan wishes to accomplish is to sing higher in a full voice, based on what he says, I believe he has to bring head voice into it. It sounds like what he's doing is pulling his chest voice as far as it will go and not letting the vocal folds adduct. His inability to go any higher without breaking into AC/DC screams is his vocal cords going, "I've had enough!" and finally zipping up, but he has not the strength to hold the position in full voice.

I'm only 19 years old so I don't know what it's like to live, let alone SING for 25 years, but I do know that unless I've completely missed everything I've read and been told about singing, brick walls like that, where one simply cannot go higher in full voice, only happen when you're using improper technique and engaging the wrong muscles. Even after I've only understood what I was doing when I sang for less than two years, I can get uncontrolled, unreliable but nonetheless connected singing up to an E5. Since I started studying maybe a year and a half ago, I have been told, even by my high school chorus teacher who, if he knew anything, knew this; to treat the voice as one big register that takes on different qualities as it goes higher and lower. That rudimentary idea seems to be missed here and by a lot of people.

I completely forget the point of typing what I was typing now though. Ahhh I need sleep.

Sorry I didn't get back-
Sorcoress, I'm not sure I understand the question there. That B is as high as I can go (legitimately) in chest. My head voice goes way beyond that, but it just doesn't seem useful.

I'm pretty sure that I DO mix my head and my chest and just don't realize it. I sing Another One Bites the Dust in the same key as Queen and hit all the notes in the song fine. (Just to give you a guide)-
Actually, here's a sample of my voice... Not sure this helps... http://www.themachineband.com/sounds/hopeclip.mp3 it's all me (voices, instruments, etc.). Maybe that'll give you a clue to where I'm at...

Regarding the 25 year comment- yeah, it takes it's toll on you, especially if you're making mistakes. BUT you learn a lot over that time too. I'm definitely a better singer than I was as a kid, but my voice is a bit rougher in some spots. (I'm 43)

Thanks for the help!

One more question- On the excercise where you start in falsetto and switch to full voice on the same note, I can only do like 5 of the notes in the excercise before I can't switch to chest voice. I CAN do it all in head or falsetto, but I don't think that's what I should be doing. How are you guys doing that?

If I'm asking too many questions, lemme know.

One more question-
Excuse my ignorance, but what's "Tenor C"? Is that the C above middle C?

I'm 99.999...% sure that's correct. Tenor C is an octave above Middle C.

Dennis- I'm still in learning mode and that's why I'm pulling up to that B. ;)

bryan,
Sorry if I confused with the use of the term Tenor C instead of C5 but the number system confuses a lot of people that arent piano players. I mean when I told my guitarist that my highest sung note is C6, he was like "Huh? What the hell is a C6?" LOL! Then i said "Soprano C?" Still no dice. So i had to say "20th Fret on the High E string." That one he understood. So, its all the same note but differnet ways of saying it I guess.
In terms of the whole chest thing: I definitely wasnt trying to chastize you in the least! I just want to be sure no one is damaging their voice. I know that path well my friend. ;) I thank God I discovered SLS. I highly reccomend the technique without any reserve for any singer of any style. It unlocked my voice and its potential and put me on the ocrrect path I needed to be on. LataH! :=)

Yours In Music,
Denis J. Lanza
Tenor Metal Vocalist
http://www.myspace.com/denisjlanza

I probably have damaged my voice...
I know that after a weekend of singing in clubs 4.5 hours a night with me doing 98% of the songs, that Sundays and Mondays afterwards are rough and I usually take those days off on my voice or only lightly work on it.

The whole reason that I'm following the Jaime deal and others is because of my vocal stamina. It's always been a problem for me. After 2 days, I'm toasted. However, over the last year with Jaime's stuff and others, it's getting better and my recovery time is MUCH quicker.

i was wondering if singers like soundgarden or skid row when they high scream are using chest voice cause it sounds really full, im thinking 'no', but i am unsure, i hope its a no cause i really dont feel like pulling my chest voice that high, he he

I'm positive Chris Cornell uses a mixed voice, and i'm thinking bach does for his high stuff too

Im not familiar with Chris Cornell's technique but I know Bach's vocal background and training. His main vocal teacher was Don Lawrence in NYC of whom Tony Harnell also worked with. I took a few lessons from him as well but he just didnt click for me. At any rate, Bach uses the resonance sensations to guide his tone and really puts the tone in the mask making sure that the front of the face vibrates just like Jaime says. He thins out the tone a lot but it is full voice or, if not, like really heavy mix which, sometimes, I cant even tell aprat in myself. At any rate, he then adds the rasp to the tone which makes it sound alot heavier and meatier I think. Melissa Cross calls this technique "Heat" and it is covered to some extent on her DVD, "The Zen of Scremaing", and in much greater depth on her supplemental CD, "Scream Extra". BTW, I freakin' luv Bach! "Wasted Tine" - holy shit. Nuff said. ;)

Yours In Music,
Denis J. Lanza
Tenor Metal Vocalist
http://www.myspace.com/denisjlanza

Amen!

hi, thanks to all whos helping me, im sorry for all the questions. when people say mixed voice is that adding as much low end of your voice to your high tone without exerting your vocal chords?, or on the high tones more air power=fuller voice. im about to throw vocals on my song 'glory' at http://www.audiostreet.net/artist.aspx?artistid=35064
im ready to rock lol

Mixed is the chest voice mixed with head voice.
Roger Love has a great book and CD called ... Oh crap! What's it called?? Oh yeah, "Set Your Voice Free" which has good excercises for achieving that mix. Jaime's book (OF COURSE!!) also has that stuff. Roger Love also has a dvd that I rented from Netflix that, while it was presented kind of lamely, had some good exercises on it for this. Seth Riggs, Roger Love, and others really preach about the mixed voice. I think it's very cool and Bach uses it, Augeri uses it, most singers of any range use it.