My voice changed so why do I now have a small vocal range???!
Question:
My voice changed so why do I now have a small vocal range???
About a year ago, my voice went from a high pitched kid to a much more mature sounding kid, but in the process, half of my vocal range dissappeared. I can barely hit any high notes, and I have NO falsetto voice anymore. I used to be able to hit high notes all the time. Will my vocal range ever come back? Do I have to kind of break in my new voice? Thanks.
Answers:
you are experiencing something that every young man goes through as he matures into his adult form. the technical classical term for it is mutation, but don't let that throw you. You will probably experience some difficulties for a year, maybe more. It depends on your genetic background. Ask brothers, your father, uncles, male cousins about how long it took them to get through their voice change. That will give you a ball-park time reference. Whatever that answer may be, you want to pamper your voice a little right now: don't strain for your high notes. As a matter of fact, don't strain for anything, singing-wise. Since your body ( including your whole vocal mechanism) is in a state of growth, the tendons and tissues are growing and stretching in a way that is not predictable. you don't want to throw in something stressful on top of that.
In the meantime, learn all you can about music: theory, piano, guitar, reading music, etc. When you finish growing and are ready to tackle your voice afresh, all this knowledge will make the job that much easier. if you are interested in classical singing at all, you might even want to learn some Italian during this time, because it is a very useful tool.
Be aware that your voice will be a different creature after you are grown. All the things that you were able to do as a kid have now changed: many things will be gone, to be replaced by new abilities that you will want to get to know about. Think of it as an adventure rather than a loss- nobody can stay a kid forever. ( Besides, there are a couple of interesting things to do as an adult besides singing....)
for now, take it easy, and get used to singing in a lower range than before. Learn to accept the squeaks and cracks that will inevitably occur- they are quite normal and are the proof that you are growing. If people try and kid you ( which they will) try not to take it too personally.
Best wishes to you, and enjoy the adventure.