Could TENSION actually be the secret to relaxation? In fact, YES! A helpful way to eliminate tension is to contract a muscle group for 10 seconds or so and then release this contraction. Sustained contractions allow muscles to release in an exaggerated way. Take a minute to contract and release muscles in your feet and legs, then your abdomen, followed by your arms and shoulders, and finally your neck and head. Do you notice any difference? Do you feel looser? Is your awareness of muscle relaxation heightened? Functional muscle tension is necessary for maintaining optimal body alignment. Yet, unwanted muscular tension hinders optimal vocal production. So, make tension the victim of its own trap! Use TENSION for newfound vocal freedom!
Remember to REWARD your singing! Singing involves muscle coordinations that only get better with practice and time. Yet, we often refuse to reward ourselves until we sound “perfect” or until we achieve something that we perceive to be a monumental accomplishment. Remember though - every time you practice or take a lesson, you're taking a step forward on your vocal journey. Every time you study a new artist, you're developing your stylistic potential. Every time you show up for an audition (even when you don’t get cast), your career is moving forward. Every time you sing to make someone else happy, you’ve given a precious gift. Don’t wait to reward yourself. Celebrate the amazing steps forward that you're making each and every day! If you do, you’ll soon remember that singing is its own reward!
Do you know what it’s like to be a sound engineer? How about a freelance bassist? A theater producer? You don’t need to be an expert in every field, but it's very helpful to know what it’s like to work in other areas of the Music Industry. Learn more about the kind of hours your colleagues work, how they're paid, and how they go about finding jobs. It will help you grow both as an artist and business person. It will also help you understand circumstances that may seem frustrating or difficult. Often these are the result of factors from another facet of the business that you didn't know about. So, learn about your colleagues! You'll be happier, more professional, and others will value the fact that you know where they're coming from!
Should the larynx be high or low? Neither. And both. Contrary to old beliefs, different larynx positions are actually a healthy and viable way to produce different vocal styles and timbres. Lower larynx positions provide a darker tone while high larynx positions enable a brighter vocal quality. However, the larynx should NOT be a pitch changer. Often a raised larynx is used to assist with singing high notes when the voice has not been developed or trained. This should be minimized as it can lead to major limitations and tensions in the voice. When developing your vocal technique, ensure that higher notes are accessible without hiking up the larynx. Once this has been achieved, if you choose to raise the larynx for stylistic purposes (like in a pop/rock tune), then feel free to raise it up! Explore all the possibilities your larynx has to offer!
Speed up your vocal progress by improving the way you LISTEN! First, make sure you RECORD your Voice Lessons and then revisit them. From there, record your PRACTICE sessions as well. How do they compare to your lesson or other recent practices? Are you addressing the nuances of your technique in each practice? Are you starting to hear the things your instructor hears? Are you noticing any consistent habits? The discipline of listening will accelerate your progress. Don’t judge yourself harshly. Instead, be objective and listen for pitch, timbre, resonance, and breath. Use your ears to listen, your heart to hear, and your soul to grow!
Your voice and body are ONE! It’s easy to REMEMBER that our body is made up of organs, muscles, tissues, blood, and many other components. Yet, it’s easy to FORGET that the voice is part of this equation. Your voice can be affected by a variety of factors, such as hydration, fatigue, humidity levels, emotional health, fitness, and overall physical well-being. The next time you are wondering about your vocal health, consider your entire body and take stock of how you’re doing physically, emotionally, and spiritually. As a singer, your top priority is to take great care of your body and voice together. After all, it’s all ONE instrument!
Letting go of TENSION is as easy as INTENTION! The tension that builds up in our bodies throughout the day often translates into vocal tension when we sing. Thankfully, you can work on eliminating vocal tension even when you aren't singing or in a practice session. It just takes intention! Stuck in traffic or in a crowd with a tense neck and shoulders? RELEASE! Do you sit at a desk all day and notice your body slumped forward for hours on end? RELEASE! Are your legs and feet tense from standing and walking around all day? RELEASE! Are you talking or shouting all day long and find your jaw, neck, and tongue are tense? RELEASE! Instead of only addressing vocal tension while singing, start thinking about it throughout the day so that you're already loose for your singing session! You can even start right now as you read this… RELEASE!
Consider the tools that artists use to create. A painter uses paint. A potter uses clay. A carpenter uses wood. So, what do singers use to create? A MULTITUDE of vocal tools! These tools include vibrato, straight tone, breathiness, rasp, larynx positions, mouth shape, tongue positions, twang, nasal resonance, volume, diction, and register shifts. And this is just to name a few! So, be creative as a Vocal Creator. Experiment, explore, and exaggerate. Take risks, take liberties, and take Joy! You’ll be surprised what amazing, unique, and soulful sounds you can make. You won’t end up with a painting, a pot, or a table. But, you’ll discover what it means to be a vocal artist with your own creative STYLE!
Do you have the STAMINA for Sustains? Try singing one pitch for as long as you can, nice and steady. Ok… GO! Keep going! You can make it! Alright, how many seconds did you last? If you lasted 30 seconds or more - WOW! Congrats! A vocal triumph! If you had trouble lasting 10 seconds or even less - you have a little work to do. Sustaining long phrases requires not only Breath Stamina, but Breath Management as well. Breath Stamina is how long you can last between breaths. Breath Management is expelling the proper amount of air at any given time during your exhale. Think of it this way: at the beginning of your exhale you have more air you need to hold back. At the end of your exhale, though, you need to let more air out. Practicing this will help you keep an even flow throughout your singing - and will give your Stamina a boost!
The singing voice is ONE-OF-A-KIND! What differentiates the vocal instrument from other musical instruments is our ability to tune and shape our RESONATORS! Altering the vocal tract can be done for purposes of dynamics, style, timbre, or efficiency on any given note or vowel. We can actively change the shape of our resonators by opening/closing the jaw, rounding/spreading the lips, lowering/raising the larynx, lowering/raising the soft palate, or by positioning the tongue in many ways. Mastering these resonance alterations is the very thing that can make your voice stand out and become ONE-OF-A-KIND!
What is RESONANCE? Resonance is “sound waves vibrating within a space”. Those spaces are the pharynx, larynx, nasal cavity, and mouth. Yet, Resonance can often cause sensations and vibrations in other parts of the body too. Simple spoken exercises can help you locate these vibrations. Find Chest Voice by calling out a strong “YO!”. You'll likely feel a slight vibration in the chest. Nasal Resonance can be felt by humming on “MM”. You should feel vibrations behind your nose. To experience Head Voice, make a high-pitched owl sound on “HOO”. You should feel slight vibrations in various places in your head. Your Resonance is beautiful. Hopefully, you FEEL that this is true!
Don’t know much about HISTORY? Well, there’s no time like the present! Think of one artist who inspires you. Have you ever researched an artist who inspired THEM? Or, maybe even researched the artists who inspired THAT artist? It could go on and on. However, there’s tremendous value in seeking out this type of musical history. This discipline reveals a wealth of artists, songs, styles, and information that can be used to enrich your vocal and musical life! Go to the library or go online and start investigating. Find interviews of artists you admire. Read biographies, autobiographies, or books on fascinating music history topics. Listen to recordings from a specific year or decade. If you take this journey to the past, you’ll become an artist brimming with appreciation, nuance, depth, and soul! And who knows? You might even make history YOURSELF!
Any TRACHEA fans out there? Well, fun fact! It has been shown in studies that a deep breath will often cause what is known as “Tracheal Pull”! This is a chain reaction that occurs when the diaphragm flattens out during a large inhalation. As the diaphragm flattens downward, it pulls the lungs, the trachea (windpipe), and the larynx downward as well. They are all connected! The common benefits of Tracheal Pull for singers include a lowering of the larynx and a loosening of the vocal folds. So, Tracheal Pull can be a very effective strategy for singers wishing to explore deeper and looser sounds in their voices. All you’ve got to do is breathe DEEPLY and also remain aware that your breaths are truly interconnected to the opening of your throat. Isn’t it time you became a FAN of your Trachea?
When learning a song, it’s tempting to listen to ONE artist’s version and mimic them. Imitation is an excellent way to explore new sounds and develop your craft. But, there are things to be aware of as you do. The artist you are mimicking may be using vocal coordinations that took them years to execute. It’s easy to try to copy their aesthetics without considering the PROCESS that allowed them to create these sounds. Listening to multiple artists sing the same song is one way to minimize the chances of falling into this trap. This is also a great listening exercise for discerning diverse stylistic and technical choices. Expanding your listening horizons will lead to broader resources in your own singing. No one artist should be on your vocal pedestal. Put MANY up there and you may find yourself lifted up as well!
Why do Voice Teachers say that it’s bad to breathe with a HIGH Breath? (A breath that lifts the shoulders and collarbone). First of all, this kind of breathing usually causes us to have too MUCH air. With all that air in the tank, we are very likely to PUSH. Second, many neck and larynx muscles connect to the collarbone. With the collarbone lifted, there is a high likelihood that those muscles will become engaged. Third, a High Breath is difficult to control. Good singing requires a small, steady stream of air. It is challenging to regulate the exhalation with the upper body lifted. What goes up wants to come down! So, let your deep abdominals, your lower rib cage, and your lower back take your inhalations. Breathe LOW and you will hit the HEIGHTS!
Don’t be a One-Style Wonder! Many singers start to feel confident in one style and then IDENTIFY with it. This is quite natural and ultimately positive. However, many of us then become afraid to move away from this style for fear of not sounding our best. Staying in our comfort zone robs us of countless opportunities to grow. Even if you never plan on performing more than one style, it is essential to practice several. You’ll find your technique, confidence, expressiveness, and artistry all improving almost as if by magic. The best part is - your preferred style will also improve simply by practicing something very different. So, never wonder what could have happened if you’d gotten out of your comfort zone. Try something NEW. Don’t be a One-Style Wonder!
TICK TOCK. Your number’s been called. TICK TOCK. It’s your turn in the audition room. TICK TOCK. Nerves are jumping, your mind is racing, and it’s tougher than ever to catch your breath. TICK TOCK!!! Before you launch into your song... slow time down. Pause….not with held breath or tense muscles, but with your imagination instead. Imagine time slowing nearly to a halt. Listen to your heartbeat and acknowledge it. Take a moment to breathe, to take in the room, and to really SEE your scene partner - imaginary or otherwise. What will seem like an eternity to you will really only be about 3-5 seconds of real time. Yet, you'll have allowed the INFINITE to join you in the room. And, this cool, collected, calm focus will last your ENTIRE audition. … tick … tock…
"How do ye go from note to note? Let me count the ways!" The next time you’re listening to an amazing Riff or vocal improvisation, notice how the singer goes to and from notes. Some musical lines flow smoothly from one note to the next. Others include scoops, slides, or big leaps. Still others have grace notes, repeated accents on one note, or double or triple turns around a note. Each kind of musical movement has its own challenges. And, different movements are easier or harder for different singers. But no matter what you choose, a wide variety of movement gives your Riffs their sparkle, their character, and their life! Want your Riffs to love thee? Practice ALL the ways!