Well, no, not really. Don’t squeezzzeee. That’s taboo for a singing teacher to say. You never squeeze….or do you?
In a previous blog I talked about finding your head voice. Have you found it yet? If not, try again with a light sigh…in your high voice…If you still are not sure if that’s your high voice then try talking like a little small …. ? something …. with a slight nasty or nasally rise to your voice. Keep it light. You should feel it in your nose and under your eyes. Keep it higher than your speaking voice. Even you guys with the big deep heavy voices should be able to find this light, higher, slightly airy voice.
This is your head voice, and yes for some it’s not actually going to be your head voice, it’s going to be your falsetto voice. It’s a start, but a true head voice is achieved with the vocal cords staying together…and with inexperienced singers this can be difficult because they may have never experienced this sensation before. They have only ever achieved falcetto which means the vocal cords are blowing apart too far when singing high notes. This is not an ideal way to sing high but it is a great effect and many professional singers use it. Falcetto uses a lot more air than your head voice, and your range is limited. A true head voice will just keep going higher and higher and higher as the vocal cords zip up.
So how do you get that falcetto voice to be your head voice. Well, it takes practise and persistence. Try this…..visualize that you are squeezing or sandwiching your high voice. This should help with the breath pressure that is required to keep the vocal cords from blowing apart. Try this at a low to moderate volume. Having any luck yet? Are you noticing any difference? Now here is the problem…when I said “squeeze” I didn’t mean squeeze anything else. You cannot use any throat muscles to help achieve your head voice. You must stay totally relaxed throughout the neck and shoulder area. Remember to start light and do it every day. Go around making high light humming sounds and try to increase the pressure a little at a time. If you are uncomfortable in any way at your throat then you are doing it wrong. It’s a process. The vocal cords are not use to making these sounds. It takes time…….and of course, now the trick is to connect your head voice up with your chest voice to create the “beautiful mix!”
Please leave a comment or question. I’d love to hear from you! Susan
hey susan ive been study with my vocal coach for 6 months now
and i still have high larynx ,my coach is certified SLS too
i know this technique is a very good one but i wanted to know from other sls teachers what do u think i should do to make my larynx balance ?
and why does it takes so long to get it neutral ?
b.t.w im from asia, thaks in advance
Hi Mel, Thanks for your post. It’s good to hear you are studying with a certified SLS coach. We are trained specifically to deal with habits like a high larynx.
The process of singing with a stable larynx can take some time. Your vocal cords need to learn how to reach any note within your range on their own. In the past, I suspect you have been using more than just your vocal cords to reach those notes. This is usually the case with a high larynx.
Remember, you are trying to break a habit that you have probably had your entire life. In the words of Seth Riggs himself, “Resist assisting the Pitch”! Susan