Are you scared of singing high notes? If you are, you’ve come to the right place! In this blog, I’m going to show you how to sing high notes free from fear and with ease. If you’re not sure of the answer, I’d like you to look in the mirror as you sing a five note major scale exercise throughout your range. I’d like you to pay particular attention to what thoughts come up for you and how you feel especially as you sing the notes in the higher part of your range.

As you start to sing higher, do any negative thoughts arise like “I can’t do this” or “It’s too high”? Do the higher notes just feel outright scary? Do you start getting anxious when you know high notes are coming up? Do your shoulders start tensing up? Does your gaze lift? Do you start lifting your chin up or do stand up on tiptoe?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you’re not alone. Many singers face this challenge and try to overcome it by simply trying harder or focusing intently on vocal exercises and the physical mechanics of singing. But often, singers overlook a crucial element to learning how to sing high notes: the mindset. You see, no matter how much you train the physical aspects of your voice, if you carry a fear of high notes, you’ll always struggle to sing them no matter how many vocal exercises you try.

The fear of hitting those sky-high notes can create a mental block, leading to tension and strain. It’s a vicious cycle: the more you fear, the harder it becomes to conquer those notes which can lead to all sorts of problems and bad habits including straining your voice. But what would happen if you could change your perspective and high notes were no longer scary?

Wanna know how to sing high notes?

Learning how to sing high notes with freedom and ease starts with a shift in your mindset because if the thought of singing high notes is scary, those soaring top lines will always feel like a stretch too far, always slightly out of reach.

You can start by simply embracing singing higher notes with a sense of curiosity and play, rather than dread. This mental shift can transform your approach, allowing you to trust in your ability and, ultimately, your voice. It’s not just about learning how to physically hit the right notes; great singing starts with believing you can.

Of course if you don’t know what your beliefs or thoughts are when you sing, how can you change them?If you haven’t already done the exercise I mentioned above, here it is again, don’t skip ahead, read it then go and do it now:

🎙️ Look in the mirror as you sing a five note major scale exercise throughout your range paying particular attention to what thoughts come up for you and how you physically feel especially as you sing the notes in the higher part of your range.

🎙️ As the notes get higher, do any negative thoughts arise like “I can’t do this” or “It’s too high”?

🎙️Do the higher notes just feel outright scary? Do you start getting anxious when you know high notes are coming up? Do your shoulders start tensing up? Does your gaze lift? Do you start lifting your chin up or do stand up on tiptoe?

Let’s get physical

If you noticed tension creeping into your body as the notes got higher, your shoulders lifting, an urge to lift your chin or your gaze, addressing these bad habits and your body’s stress response is going to be a big part of your teaching your body how to sing high notes with ease and the good news is that the fix is super simple.

To help prevent general tension from creeping into your body, keep moving! You could try walking around the room, you could try swinging your arms, swaying/bouncing in time with the music, you could try lightly squatting at the top note of each scale.

If you noticed a tendency to lift your chin or your gaze as the notes went higher you could try gently looking left a right, (the key with his technique is to keep your head moving), again you could try lightly squatting at the top note of each scale. Rather than thinking/seeing the notes go higher, try imagining the notes going down like a lift or picture the notes swinging down and to the side like a swing (swinging your arms works well with this imagery).

Play with the techniques I’ve suggested, see which ones resonate with you and maybe try a few of your own, ultimately, the goal here is to teach your body to stay loose and relaxed when singing notes in the higher part of your range.

AND… I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, awesome singing starts with the mastery of diaphragmatic breathing and breath management so make sure don’t forget to breathe!

Now how to deal with that pesky inner critic

If you noticed negative thoughts pop into your head when you sang high notes like, “That note is too high” or “I can’t do this” or “I sound terrible” we need to address these. Changing negative beliefs and thought patterns can be done but it takes consistency, time, commitment and focus. The good news is that by bringing your awareness to the negative thoughts that pop into your mind when you sing, you’ve already started the process of changing your mindset and you’re on your way to learning how to sing high notes with freedom and ease.

Make sure you always have a pad and pen to hand for your singing practice sessions and make a note of any negative thoughts that pop into your head. At the end of each session take a look at your list of negative thoughts and for each one, ask yourself the question, “Does this thought serve me”? If it doesn’t, make the conscious decision to throw the old thought out and replace it with a new positive affirmation.

So if the thought was “That note is just too high” maybe replace it with the affirmation “Singing high notes is fun and easy”. Once you have your new list of affirmations repeat them everyday regularly with feeling like a silent mantra, mean it! You could even write your affirmations on post it notes you stick around the house (the bathroom mirror is my favourite).

If you feel uncomfortable when you start using your new affirmations don’t worry, that’s actually a good sign, it means you’re challenging an old negative belief so stick with it and kick that inner critic, the Gremlin who tells you you’re no good to the curb.

If you’d like to learn more techniques to help you develop the positive, winning mindset you need to learn how to sing high notes with confidence and ease so you become the singer you’ve always wanted to be <<<GO HERE>>> to download my free ebook “How To Sing Without Fear”

And in conclusion

The holistic approach outlined above to help you learn how to sing high notes with ease is the essence of what I teach in my Voice Unleashed Program: a complete, mind-body-soul approach to singing and performance. If you’re interested in learning more, <<<GO HERE>>> I hope these insights serve you well and help you take your singing to the next level. Looking forward to helping you unleash your voice.