How does on aquire a larger singing range?

Question:

How does on aquire a larger singing range?

Before any of you say get a vocal teacher, I just want to know how the body does it. Say that you only have a 2 octave range and you want to go an octave higher. Do you get the higher octave by gradually strecthing the cords to hit the notes (until they stretch far enough to get the note and you get muscel-memory), or is it all about breath support and your vocal cords are already capable of hitting the notes? I hope this isn't confusing.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: You do not "stretch" the vocal cords. You manipulate them. It is mostly about breath control and openness in the throat area. You must also avoid thickening your vocal cords in any way, this leads to the lessening of elasticity and therefore of range.