Arm Tension

We have been talking to you about ways to relieve tension associated with singing.  We talked about relaxing your tongue, jaw and lips but another common tension for singers is in their arms.  One of the best tests for determining arm tension is to have a friend come up to you while you are singing and raise your arms with the goal for you to just let them fall back down to your sides.  If they do not fall, you definitely are carrying tension in your arms.  To help you release that arm tension, try swinging your arms forward and back while you are singing or practice tossing something between your 2 hands while you are singing. You can also pretend to draw on the wall with your pointer fingers of both hands. If you find yourself stopping the movement for a high note for example, then you are definitely using your arms to support your voice rather then your breath.