Do them from the top of your register; not to the top of your register. Start as high as can – that should be your falsetto. It doesn’t matter if it sounds good, it just has to be a legitimate note.
If that doesn’t work, try imitating a woman’s voice. You’ll likely take on a breathy, airy tone, vaguely reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe. This is likely your falsetto. It’s possible you’re going into head voice, which is different. That voice will sound a little stronger and a little more like Minnie Mouse. If this sounds accurate, try finding a register that you can’t feel in your throat – many singers speak of feeling a “muscle relief” with falsetto.
You may find that if you try to sing louder, you’ll fall into head voice. Does the resonance of your voice change? Do you start to feel it in your body? Then you’re not singing in falsetto anymore.
On this vowel, slide around from top to bottom. Do you hear how the timbre of your voice changes? When it gets really light towards the top and you feel fewer vibrations internally, that’s your falsetto.
It’s also a forward. If it’s placed in the back of your mouth and subsequently in the back of your head, you’ll have a very dark, muffled sound, which is no good for falsetto. Keep your tongue forward on the tip of your teeth and make sure it stays flat – if it’s spatulated, it’ll cover your sound.
Generally, you want to keep everything open. Singing should be a relaxing endeavor that involves no tension. To produce a good sound falsetto or otherwise, your centre should be open, your lungs need to be open, and your mouth needs to be open, too.
This will differ from person to person, singer to singer. If you’ve been relying on your “chest voice” or “real voice” for as long as you can remember, doing this will be difficult for your vocal folds – they’re just not used to that kind of free vibration. But don’t worry – if you keep practising regardless of how it sounds, it will get better. [4] X Research source
Once you get the hang of it, you can try using your vibrato with this voice, though be prepared for it to be difficult. You’ll likely want to gravitate to your head voice – which is very similar, but different.
Walk up to the person who knows nothing about singing and they’ll tell you it’s something some people can do and something some people just can’t. Walk up to someone who does it for a living, and they’ll tell you that it’s a conscious effort of placement and focus to get the sound just right – it’s by no means something you can do correctly off the bat. Good singing is generally learnt. Everyone can do it, but somehow not everyone knows how.
Always, always, always let go. Of everything. Loosen up, shake it out, and relax. Being tense and listening to your voice as it comes out of your mouth will only result in you holding your breath and not producing the best sound you’re capable of. A lot of singing is actually in the mind – you are your only obstacle.
Take a look at Broadway in the recent decades as compared to in the earlier parts of the 20th century and you’ll see a huge movement toward belting, using chest voice. No voice is better than the other – but they do go in and out of style.
Singing over your break is something that takes practice and diligence for many. With time and usage you can strengthen weaker areas of your vocal folds and correct old habits that have you jumping from one voice to the other and never bridging the two.
This opens up your throat, allowing air to flow through unobstructed. It also pulls your tongue flat and down, working to the same end. A high larynx (go on, try it) feels tight and taut, and sound is much harder to produce in this position.
It’s a good idea to join a choir or get a vocal coach. If for some reason neither of those are available, even just watching videos on YouTube is a good start. What’s more, plenty of voice teachers do online lessons if that works out better for your schedule.
