#sixth octave

[i-remember-there-was-mist]

Do you have any tips for a mezzo trying to gracefully sing a C6? It's in my extension, and I can technically hit the note, it's just a matter of making it "prettier". How can I make it seem more polished and natural? Because right now it's a bit of a struggle to even let any vibrato through. Any advice would be very much appreciated!! Thank you!!

My technique does not focus on polishing the sound, because this can more often than not make us manipulate the sound to match what we want to hear.  That is, people will go for the sound rather than the feeling, which can be dangerous up on a C6.  So instead, my technique focuses in on safe singing, and nurturing our raw sounds rather than trying to control and squeeze our voice to match what we want to hear.  And if you have issues with your vibrato up there, that just furthers what I just said--that means you likely have support and tension issues up there, and that needs to be addressed rather than trying to polish the sound.  The polished sound will come as a result of strengthening your technique.

[i-remember-there-was-mist]

Do you have any tips for singing in tune when in the sixth octave? I sing E6's all the time without noticing. But when it's in a song and I know what the melody's like, or even if I play the key on the piano to sing it back, I tend to forget how it's supposed to sound like or sometimes even how exactly to sing it and end up hitting a note below. It's as if my body can't tell the difference between a D and an E, even though I obviously can if I just listen to them.

That’s pretty common up in that top range, because each halfstep up is such a delicate change and is tough to keep tuned!  I would work with a tuner and just keep working on those top notes in your sixth octave.  The tuner will help guide you when your ear is deceiving you, and eventually you will gain more control and finesse in that part of your voice, until you are able to sing it in tune more consistently!

[i-remember-there-was-mist]

Any advice on singing sixth octave notes staccato? I can sustain a C6, for instance, but singing a bunch of short, staccato notes on a C6 is VERY hard for me. Think, for instance, the Queen of the Night's aria. I assume it requires a ton of extra breath support!

It’s really tough, no question.  It’s going to be a matter of keeping your throat very relaxed, so that you’re not tightening it every time you reiterate the note, and keeping your support strong and sustained throughout.  I think it may help if you imagine that you’re not actually stopping the sound between each note, if that makes sense...So instead of needing to reset your position with each staccato note, you instead maintain your position and reiterate your notes through that.  If that makes any sense at all...

[i-remember-there-was-mist]

Hello friend! So I'm a soprano and my voice teacher told me to warm up to an E6 every day just to get up there and be constantly singing that high. Thing is, my last clear note is like D flat. It cracks and sounds painful after that, but it doesn't /feel/ painful. I warm up on arpeggiated "zee-ee-ee-ah-ah-ah-ee" every day when I dont have a lesson and that top note is pretty scary sometimes lol. Am I doing it right if it cracks and sounds crappy but doesn't hurt?

I personally don’t think it’s necessary to push yourself past your comfort zone every day.  Yes, gentle stretching is a good thing for increasing your range, but when it starts cracking and becoming uncomfortable, it’s no longer helpful.  If your last clear note is a Db6, that’s where I believe you should stop.  But that’s my personal opinion.

[i-remember-there-was-mist]

I´m in a production of the Rocky Horror Show and it´s great fun, but Time Warp is killing me. I´m singing the crazy C#6´s and they´re coming out squeezed and squeaky. I know I can sing that note just fine, but it´s not coming out very well in context. I think it´s because I have to sing all those tough lyrics ("but it´s the pelvic thrust" is the worst). Any tips for singing both super high and super fast?

You really shouldn’t have to be singing C#6s on words, it’s not really a viable option.  I’d ask if you could change it to “ahs” up there.  Ideally, if everybody else is singing words, it’ll add the sound they want, and it will help save your vocal chords from annihilation!

[countessalmaviva]

I feel like, when I'm referring to the notes A6 and B6 in music I have to get really specific, whereas with other notes in the sixth octave I can just say "oh high E" and everyone knows what in talking about. And then I start talking about A6/B6 but saying "high A/high B" and people think I'm talking about A5/B5. I know why it's done this way, and A6 and B6 are uncommon notes, but yeah I like procrastinating.

[i-remember-there-was-mist]

i've recently hit a really rough patch with my mental health and i stopped singing so much. i would constantly be singing before, but now my C6 sounds wrong and screechy and i used to be able to put a little bit of vibrato on it despite not being trained. i used to be able to hit a D6 and at a push an E6 and now i feel like my range has reduced and it's knocked my confidence and my mental health even more. do you have any exercises for strengthening my upper range again? i at least want my C6 :(

You can’t push those notes.  The very act of trying to push them out when your voice is not as strong is only going to make things harder and will put you at risk for vocal damage. Those notes need immense support, relaxation, and control in order to sing them safely, and as you can imagine, straining to get to them is the exact opposite of those three things.  So you’ve got to relax and work your way up slowly.  Patience is so key, and the moment you start to get frustrated, stop.  It will not serve you to push through frustration!

[i-remember-there-was-mist]

Hello! I've always felt like an alto because my belt range is really low, but my vocal teacher says I'm definitely a soprano. I was able to hit Christine's E6 (it is an E6 right?) a few times a while ago, but since then I haven't been able to. I'm currently really falling in love once again with the music and story of Phantom of the Opera. Do you think, with vocal training, I can hit it again, and well? I can hit every other Christine note, and the other notes on the title song (not well tho).

I can’t tell you for sure if you’ll be able to hit that note or not, because I don’t now you.  All I can say is be patient with yourself and slowly keep stretching that top range.  If you aren’t feeling it one day, don’t push it.  You can also check out my masterpost and look at the E6/sixth octave section for more tips!