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.

Special message female Pop and Broadway singers

We need to address the female pop and Broadway singers.  It is essential that you learn how to sing in a  “mix” range.  The mix range is needed when what you are singing is too high to sing in straight chest voice or in “belt voice” and too low for straight head voice. Taking the chest voice or belt voice too high can lead to vocal problems and damage over time.  Just like a car needs to shift gears in order to go faster with less wear and tear on the engine, your voice also needs to shift gears in order to sing in a way that causes less wear and tear on the voice. Pop and Broadway voices have 3 different gears.  The lowest gear of your voice is called your “chest” voice, the middle gear would be your “mix” voice and your highest gear is your “head” voice.  In order to use your mix correctly, you need to take a bit of chest voice and combine it with a bit of head voice. When you sing something that makes you feel you are straining your voice by forcing it into chest but  feels too low for your head voice, then the mix you use would be an 80/20 split meaning 80% chest and 20% head voice.  When the range is still to low for straight head voice but much too high for chest voice then you use a 50/50 split which means 50% chest and 50% mix and for your highest notes in mix where it is still to high for straight head voice but way too high for chest voice, go for a 20/80 split meaning 20% chest voice and 80% head voice.  When you sing in the highest part of your range you should be using 100% head voice. It is essential for long-term vocal health and a long healthy singing career to build a middle register or mix range.