Relieving Lip tension

The topic for this blog post is a problem that that plagues almost every singer.  Tension in the lips can occur for a variety of reasons but the most common is that singers are actually supporting their voices with their lips rather then their breath.  If you don't believe me, try this fantastic exercise for relieving lip tension.  Gently pinch and hold your upper lip with one hand and your lower lip with the other hand. Then take a good low breath and start singing. I guarantee you will experience an immediate improvement in your sound and will also have the added benefit of forcing yourself to use your breath support more efficiently. The next step in learning to sing without lip tension is to start singing while holding your lips, then let go of them while still singing and keep that relaxed feeling going. Be sure not to sing too high in this position because if you are woman you will pop into whistle voice and if you are a man you will probably pop into falsetto.  If you are having a hard time finding your whistle voice this is another great exercise.  We would really like to help you find a way to release your lip tension and experience much more relaxation in singing.  A relaxed production and understanding the proper usage of the breath is imperative to healthy singing no matter what style you are singing in.  Contact us and start your vocal journey to a successful career and a healthy voice.

The correct position for your singing voice

To give yourselves the greatest chance at singing your best, think of always putting your instrument in the correct position for the best possible sound. This includes the position of your larynx. The larynx, which houses our vocal chords, should sit in a relaxed, low position at all times while we sing. When the larynx is low you will feel that yawnie, deep stretch in your throat. The problem with the larynx is it tends to rise with the pitch…pitch goes higher, larynx wants goes with it. When the larynx rises it tends to squeeze our throats producing that strangulated feeling that is not good for healthy, beautiful singing. So, in good vocal training we work to keep the larynx low and relaxed. For men, especially lower voiced males, you can see the larynx pretty easily. For women and higher voiced singers it can be difficult to see. Here’s what I suggest-Gently place your index finger on your throat and take a yawnie, deep breath. Most likely you will feel your larynx lower. Keeping your finger there can aid in revealing what your larynx is doing. When I learned about this critical aspect of vocal technique, my whole voice and world changed. I believe yours will too!!

Tongue tension Issues?

I want to talk to you today about something we all need to tackle as singers and that is tongue tension. When we lack adequate breath support we tend to use other body parts to support our voices and one of the the most commonly used is our tongue. In order to have that beautiful sound we are all striving for with our voices, we need to maintain a very relaxed tongue position. So, how do we get there? Let’s imagine that you fell asleep in a chair with your head falling back. In what position do you find your tongue? Chances are the tip of your tongue is resting at the front of your bottom teeth and is slightly up in the back. This is the most relaxed position your tongue can ever be in. Another way to identify the correct tongue position is by singing in an (EE) vowel. The (EE) position of the tongue is the same relaxed position as the falling asleep in a chair position. It is also important for you to know that the base of your tongue is attached to your larynx. It is because of this laryngeal attachment that we must have our tongues as relaxed as possible which will also help you have the correct laryngeal position. Practice keeping your tongue in this (EE) position while singing and start to visualize that relaxed tongue position on all of your vowels. We do not want you to distort your vowels but if you can sing through that (EE) tongue position on all your vowels, you will achieve a much better overall sound in your voice. To fully tackle your tongue tension you also have to tackle the lack of adequate breath support. Everything with singing builds on each other and all of this requires guidance from a well trained voice teacher. Contact us to help you to find a more relaxed and beautiful sound.