Tag Archives: throat

What’s your larynx doing?

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There is a lot of information out there about the ideal position of the larynx for singing.

This post is to help shed some light on the “variables” associated with your larynx.

SLS (speech level singing) teaches you that the larynx should remain “stable” or “neutral”.

I’m not a big fan of this description, although I understand why it is described that way. Let me explain.

It is typical for an amateur singer to “reach” for high notes. The sensation of reaching for high notes is a choking or tight feeling in the throat. Basically what is happening here, is the larynx is going too high, and the muscles in the larynx are “gripping”. In these cases, the larynx is not tilting, and the false cords are engaging causing a tight or squeezed sound.

Singers who mix well in their high register are doing so because the laryngeal muscles are able to stretch and thin the vocal cords while the larynx is tilted. A good example of laryngeal tilt is the resonating sound of the puppy dog whimper, or nay, nay, nay in a high mixed voice. You will notice a buzzy, resonating sensation on your upper palate and high up in the back of your mouth. Some people describe it as a nasty or brassy sound.

When a singer is mixing well, the larynx is agile and flexible. The larynx will naturally tilt forward and rise slightly when ascending in pitch, and the larynx will naturally fall back into a more neutral position when descending in pitch.

Questions? Please let me know!

The belt zone

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Ladies, your belt zone is around B flat, B, high C, and high D. This is the area where we usually start pushing and tensing to make the sound more “powerful”.

One of the best things you can do as a singer is pay attention to consistency and tone of your voice. All the notes (below and above your passagio around A above middle C), should “feel” the same. They should resonate the same. You should not feel any undue strain in your throat.

What I mean by this is simply allow the sound to remain the same. Do not try and make the high notes more powerful or “more” than they need to be. They may appear breathy at first. That’s OK.

They simply need to stay connected.

Once connected, your power will come from focus that happens far below the vocal cords….deep within the body……the energy exhibited when holding back breath and creating a balanced pressure above and below the vocal cords.

Check out this head voice exercise to gain strength and power for belting.

oooo dynamic breath control exercise

Get that sound out of the back of your throat

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I know how it feels. I know you want to control it. I know it’s uncomfortable.

But, if you want to take your singing to the next level, you need to be willing to let it go.

That’s right, let go. Stop relying on the inside of your throat, tongue and jaw area to help you control your sound, and let the sound go. I know it’s breathy. That’s OK. Experience it. Let’ go of it and start in the correct places to get control of it.

Control start deep down….way down. When you breath in, visualize your entire belly and groin area expanding to allow your breath to go low and deep. Allow your abdomen to rhythmically expand and relax with the timing of your breathing.

Be sure to allow your body to maintain that bouyancy sensation of your ribs and abdomen slightly expanding as you breath in, and slightly returning as you exhale. But, don’t let this spongy, bouyancy feeling of breathing in your body leave you. You can control it. You can go about your daily chores and activities with this sensation all day long. It may be uncomfortable. It may feel like you are expanding your rib cage and your back, and your upper belly in an unusual way. Learn to welcome it, learn to engage it, learn to live with it. You are re-learning how to breath like you did when you were born….diaphragmatic breathing.

Next, is learning how to take in a quick, small sip of air that will accompany your breath support when you go to sing. Notice I said small. At this point, that’s all you really need to sing your phrases. However, if you need a little more, your body will tell you. Typically it’s not the amount of air you take in that matters right now, it’s how you are taking it in, and how well your body is controlling it. It’s the quick, rhythmic intake that sets you up for that first onset of making great sound happen.

Spend some time getting to know your breath. Your singing will thank you for it. It may not feel exactly like mentioned above, but if you allow yourself to get in touch with your own breath, amazing things can happen!

Knowing your “attractor state”

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We all have habits. Some good, some bad. When it comes to singing, it’s important to understand what you already do well, versus what you don’t do so well.

In my case, I have a habit of not “yawning” enough. I don’t open the back of my throat very well. I get lazy and forget. I need to remember every time so I develop a new habit every time I sing. I also have a habit of poor posture when singing at the piano. My back isn’t straight, and tend to hunch over.

What are your habits? Which ones are good? Which ones are not so good? What are you focusing on when you sing?

Great ladies of voice

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Why do we love Adele’s voice so much? Or Whitney Houston, Celine Dion or Christine Aguilera? Sure, it’s because they exude so much drama and passion when they sing, but how do they do that?

The ability to portray what you are feeling in a technically correct way is really what we are talking about here.  Once your voice is mixing and you are accessing your head voice with ease every time you open your mouth, then is the time to challenge yourself vocally with dynamics and different vocal textures.

These singers all display a wide variety of vocal textures and color, and a lot is due to their ability to change from thick cords to thin cords throughout their entire register. (Well, let’s just hope Adele is training to do more of this, so she doesn’t cause damage again to her cords on her next tour).

These singers can easily “back up” their voice to the “fry” level,  as well as, safely belt hard and strong. Their vocal cords are resilient and can withstand a huge amount of breath pressure.

IMHO, it’s only Christine who at times belts purposely without mixing. This is that dull yelling/groaning sound she makes in the back of her throat when she’s not allowing the resonance to go into the “mask” (in other words her head voice). But get this, Christine is no amateur. This lady chooses to do this coordination (pull chest). She knows her voice well. Christine can do cartwheels through her first passagio when she wants. In one phrase she’ll sing with thick cords and pull her sound as high as she can in the back of her throat. Then, in the next phrase, she’ll thin out her cords and soar easily through her first bridge and even up through her second!  Christine has her vocal ability mastered. Just listen to her speech. I detect no rasp or fry damage….just clean, crisp cords that haven’t thickened too much over the years from extreme use. She knows her voice is big business, and she takes care of it well.

Adele has very thick cords (a naturally big and loud voice) and I don’t think she had ever really learned the importance of thinning them out regularly to allow for flexibility and endurance while singing so hard on the road. Everyone knows about the vocal problems she has had.  Hopefully she will still be able to amaze her audiences with her huge voice, and stay away from vocal damage on her next tour.

Whitney’s voice was superb in her day. The problem was, of course, her lifestyle choices and simple lack of attention to details to maintain a  healthy voice over the years. Her ability to thin out the cords deteriorated. What was once an easy soar through her entire range, became a huge challenge because the cords were no longer able to master this co-ordination. This is not unlike maintaining good physical technique and stamina to achieve a long list of physical abilities. For example, playing the piano, ballet dancing, perfecting your golf swing. The list goes on.

I admire Celine Dion. This woman is in total control of her vocal destiny. She is known for not talking before shows, mastering warm-ups, cancelling shows when she knows she is not healthy. Here is a singer who pays close attention to her technique and abilities on any given day.

I hope this post has inspired you to continue your journey to sing better every day. Keep learning and keep addressing your vocal issues, so you become the best singer you can be!

 

Vowels

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A great deal of singing better is dependent on your ability to form vowels which involves the entire throat, the soft palate, the tongue, and the mouth all the way out to the lips.

Your efforts in perfecting your vowel formation can make dramatic advances towards your goal to become a better singer.

There are tons of tiny muscles pulling and pushing simultaneously as you form your words. Your strict attention to detail in this area will engage these muscles, eventually allowing you to raise the soft palate higher, move the tongue with ease, keep the throat open, etc.

The oo vowel (as in “boot”)  is especially helpful to allow the up and down changes in resonance. In other words, it helps you access your head voice. Work with oo everyday, and continually try to elongate and narrow the vowel even more. Relax your jaw and lift your soft palate as much as you can…..think of the beginning of a yawn and raise your eyebrows, and you will be well on your way. Again, exaggerate these movements to engage muscles that you don’t regularly use.

Another important vowel is ee (as in “beet”). Careful that you don’t squeeze this and make it thin and reedy. Instead, start with oo and keep that elongated open feeling in the back of your throat. Now, simply change the vowel to ee without changing the position of your jaw. Let the back of your mouth, tongue and soft palate do the work. Think of the ee as a horizontal line at the back of your throat. Be careful not to close the throat. This can be very challenging for some singers, but it’s very important work.

Any questions? Please let me know.

How to Become A Vocal Athlete

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To become a better singer, you must simply exercise. You must exercise with correct form and attention to detail. It’s no different than going to the gym to workout your body.

We have all seen people who go to gym and simply go through the motions. Their form is not disciplined, and therefore the correct muscles are not activated when doing the exercise.

This is the same situation when singing. If you are not activating the correct muscles and coordination within the throat and larynx to do the exercise on hand, then you are simply wasting your time. Other muscles are doing the job instead……..and that is what we are trying to change in the first place!

 

 

Sing above the pencil

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For those of you still wondering if you are “mixing” with your head voice resonance, try this.

Visualize you are holding a pencil lengthwise between your teeth (or actually put a pencil between your teeth!). Now, direct every note you sing above the pencil line. In other words, “think” your sound into your face.

If you are pulling chest, you may notice that it helps you relax in the throat. Indeed, sometimes this is the only thing that needs to change in order to “allow” your head voice to join your chest voice…………Voila! You are mixing!

Are you singing with too much breath?

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There is a delicate balancing act happening in your body while you sing. Your breathing pattern is responding to how you just spent your last breath. This happens automatically and we don’t really need to think about it. Or do we?

Speech Level Singing takes the emphasis off of breathing technique, and puts it at the vocal cord  level. The student is encouraged to make “correct” sounds at a volume that is least breathy and most manageable throughout their entire range. I like this approach because singers learn to control the voice throughout both registers at an even volume at the same time. Endurance and strength is built on a foundation of blending and smooth transitioning from the singer’s lowest note to their highest note. This blending (mixing)  is a great technique for all genres of music.

Once a singer is mixing, it’s time to step up the workout and maximize effort and balance thoughout the body. The vocal cords are getting a great workout. Now the body needs to learn how to help the vocal cords control breath pressure. The better breath management a singer has, the more control is achievable by the singer.

There are many “visualizations” and exercises that can help a singer with breath control. One easy visualization is the sensation of picking up a suitcase in each hand. Notice how your abdominal muscles and rib cage engage as you “pretend” to do this. Be sure your neck and throat do not engage as well. This body anchor feeling is a great way to understand and sense how the body can help your breath control. Now, sing any vowel on a comfortable pitch without this body anchor, and then again with this body anchor. Did you notice a difference in your tone? Most likely the tone is less breathy with your body anchor (or at least it should be!)

The back, neck and head can also assist in breath management. This sensation is not tense, but simply anchored. In other words, the body, neck and head are engaged and ready to help the vocal cords do their job (which is closure). Be sure to embrace your entire “self” as you sing. There is no need to force the voice to make sounds that don’t happen easily when you are anchored well.  Instead, repeat, repeat, repeat with different approaches. Try to take in more breath. Try to anchor more. Did it make a difference? Singing well is very physical………….the trick is putting the “physical” in the correct parts of the body!