To portray the high-pitched Galinda in the film adaptation of “Wicked,” Ariana Grande put in “a lot of vocal work.” But just what kind of effort is needed to make one’s voice higher for a role? Before you reach for a helium balloon, here are a few (safer, more long-lasting) alternatives.
- To be heard: While there’s no doubt everyone loves a rich, sultry baritone, voices that are too low don’t seem to carry in the same way that a well-placed, higher-pitched one does. If you find yourself working hard to project your voice, you may want to try taking things just a touch higher.
- For specific parts: Characters who are more energetic, spirited, or youthful may require that actors use a higher voice. This can especially be true in the world of voiceover, where actors are often asked to play characters much younger than they are.
What affects how high a voice can go?
Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you see it), how high your voice can go is basically predetermined, mostly due to one’s sex and anatomy. The pitch of any voice is determined by the construction of the vocal cords. Put simply, the thinner the cords, the faster they can vibrate and the higher the resulting sound. This means that, in general, women tend to have higher voices than men.
While pitch ultimately comes down to individual anatomy, there are still ways that any actor can work to access the higher end of their voice (even if it doesn’t come naturally). And you may be surprised at what you’re working with: Most people, especially women, are socially conditioned to speak lower than they did in decades past, despite no actual anatomical changes.
How to Sing High Notes
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- Kristin Chenoweth: Probably the first performer to come to most people’s minds, Broadway legend (and original Galinda performer!) Chenoweth has a distinct, practically helium-pitched speaking voice. But actors hoping to emulate her signature twang should know that it isn’t something she’s actively cultivated—it’s just how she sounds. Chenoweth says her voice teacher had encouraged her to lower her speaking voice to better match the timbre of her singing, but she eventually just had to own it. “I now accept the fact that my speaking voice is me,” she told us. “And that if I speak out of my range, I will damage my voice.”
- Tituss Burgess: Another actor who’s made a career off a signature sound, Burgess is renowned for his high tenor range. Combined with his vibrant personality, his recognizable voice has made him the obvious choice for many over-the-top roles, including the eponymous Titus on “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” and an upcoming stint this spring in Cole Escola’s “Oh Mary!” on Broadway.
- Melissa Rauch: Viewers who only know Rauch from her role as Bernadette on “The Big Bang Theory” may be surprised to know that her natural speaking voice isn’t particularly high-pitched. Regardless, she found that she was able to play the character for a decade with relative vocal ease. “Her voice is way easier on my vocal cords than my own voice,” she explained on costar Mayim Bialik’s podcast. “It’s crazy. I think there’s something about the higher register for Bernadette’s voice that doesn’t rub up against the vocal cords in the same way.”
- Kristen Schaal: Even if you don’t know Schaal’s name, you’re likely familiar with her high yet gravelly sound. In addition to having a successful television career, Schaal has used her recognizable voice on dozens of animated shows, including “Bob’s Burgers,” “Big Mouth,” and “BoJack Horseman.”
1. Relax.
Before you do anything vocally taxing, make sure you relax your whole body, not just your face and vocal cords. Take a few moments to check in with yourself and stretch out or release any tension that you find yourself holding.
2. Gently warm up your voice.
Humming, lip trills, singing through a straw, and any other vocal warmup exercises will help get your vocal cords moving without taxing them too much.
3. Slowly take it higher.
Once you’ve warmed up your voice a bit, it’s time to attempt to move your speaking range upward. If you’re used to speaking a bit lower, your voice may feel more situated toward the back of your mouth, with a very open throat. To take this up a step, you’ll want to shift all that open space forward and upwards, keeping your placement toward the front of your mouth, just behind your teeth. For singers, think about working in a more mixed or forward-placed range.
4. Keep it comfortable.
If at any point you start to feel strain or difficulty, stop and reassess. Remember: One of the main perks of using a slightly higher voice should be vocal ease. If things feel difficult, you’re probably starting off a little too ambitiously.
- Sing: There’s no distinction between your singing voice and your speaking voice when it comes to range, so warming up and (safely) pushing the limits of your upper singing register will translate to your ability to access it in your speaking voice.
- Take care of yourself: If maintaining a high voice requires thin, healthy vocal cords, then anything that can cause inflammation should be avoided. Drink your water, don’t smoke, and avoid overuse to keep your cords in tip-top shape.
- Warm up your nasal resonators: One easy way to access a high pitch (especially if you don’t have a lot of time to do so!) is to focus on putting the sound through your nose, since the resonance can in turn make your voice sound higher. John Turturro used a similar warmup (watch him demonstrate here) to play the high-voiced Herb Stempel in “Quiz Show.”
- Work with a coach: If you have the luxury of time, the best thing you can do—especially if you’re hoping to raise your voice for a specific role—is study with a vocal training professional who can make sure that things are moving safely and efficiently on the (vocal) up and up.
