If a student is feeling vocally fatigued during their song, they are probably experiencing a high- positioned larynx. The larynx is where vocal sound originates, where the vocal cords are housed, and is what some people refer to as the “voice box”.
If the throat muscles or jaw muscles or tongue are tight, then the larynx will begin to rise and start to cause a loss in freedom of tone, a pinched or choking feeling, or tightness in the throat.
This brief article is by no means trying to cover all aspects of dealing with tension when singing. That is a book n itself. This article is only meant to be a starting place of knowledge when it comes to dealing with
singing and tension.
How to Get Rid of Tension When Singing
In order for a student to experience the feeling of a low laryngeal position, I have my students start by exhaling with “Kah” and then inhaling with “Kah”.
The student should automatically feel cool air hit the back of their throat ( this means that the throat is totally open) and their larynx will lower.
This is to establish a relaxed position of the larynx. DO NOT try to push the larynx down, this will only cause more tension when singing as the throat will try to resist this.
Now Describe the Sensations.
I ask my students to describe the sensation to me so that:
1.) I hear that they are understanding the exercise and yielding a correct response to the exercise and
2.) They can recreate it when I’m not there.
Once they’ve established a low larynx sensation, they ascend a 3-note scale. The exercise pattern is as follows: exhale “Kah”, inhale “Kah”, while keeping the same shape of mouth and throat, singing 1-2-3 on “Ah”.
Avoid Tension When Singing by Finding Ways to Relax.
As mentioned briefly about the throat in the last exercise, it’s very important to feel a relaxed throat throughout all the exercises. The throat is the first responder to the vibrations of the vocal cords, so it only makes sense that this area be open and free of tension. Of course, this is easier said than done as all people tend to carry their stress and tension in their shoulders, neck, and jaw.
As mentioned briefly about the throat in the last exercise, it’s very important to feel a relaxed throat throughout all the exercises. The throat is the first responder to the vibrations of the vocal cords, so it only makes sense that this area be open and free of tension. Of course, this is easier said than done as all people tend to carry their stress and tension in their shoulders, neck, and jaw.
Working out tension in the shoulders, neck, and jaw, are the easiest places to address since they are areas of the body we stretch and deal with on a daily basis. What is even more abstract is tension in the tongue when
singing. This is the last point I would like to address.
Singing Tension & The Tongue
The tongue is a huge muscle in our mouths and more often than not, it likes to sneak its way in and shows up in the form of tension when singing.
Easy ways to tell if a student has tongue tension are through two tests:
1) Place your thumb right underneath your chin (DON’T PRESS). In resting position, it should feel squishy and meaty. Now sing a descending
3 note scale. If this spot begins to harden or move (quiver, pulse with each changing note), then we are dealing with tongue tension!
2) Have the student hold their tongue out of their mouths (never force it out by pulling on it). It should sit comfortably out of the mouth, resting gently on the lower lip. If in this position the tongue begins to shake or quiver, then again we’re dealing with tongue tension.
Again, this is by no means an extensive place of information on dealing with tension when singing, but we hope that it has been informative without being overwhelming.
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