A collapsed rib cage is wrong!!
One of the things we see a lot of singers do incorrectly is drop the rib cage. We call this collapsing and what that usually results in is a jutting out or sticking out of the jaw. Sometimes we say to students, “You’re leading with your jaw” It’s the wrong position to have your vocal instrument in. What you want to do is pick up your rib cage. It’s difficult to do this because under our rib cage is our abdomen and we don’t have a spine like we do in our back to hold us up. We can drop or collapse into the abdominal area which is really incorrect for great singing. Instead, imagine a string that is tied to your sternum and up to the ceiling pulling your rib cage up which automatically puts your head in a better position and gives you better posture through the vocal tract area. This will help you get a proper breath for singing and improve the quality or your sound! Make sure, by looking in a mirror you never collapse your rib cage while singing!
Singing easily on ALL vowels involves correct Jaw position.
Today I want to continue our discussion of correct jaw position. In our last blog we discussed the need to sing with a dropped jaw position and never compromise the space in the back. When you do this correctly you achieve a natural “AH” vowel. The question is how do we sing all the other vowels while maintaining the dropped jaw? Well, here’s how! Begin by gently pushing your fingers in between your back molars to drop your jaw. You now have achieved what I call the natural “AH” vowel. Again, you should feel a yawning sensation. If you want to sing an “OH” or “OO” vowel you need to simply use your lips without closing or moving your jaw. Now, again go back to the natural “AH” position. Move your tongue slightly up and forward to sing an “AYE” or “E” vowel sound. Lips and Tongue are what we call our Articulators and that is exactly and only what you should use to form vowels. Let us help you master the correct usage of your jaw and sing effortlessly on all vowels in all parts of your range. Contact us to get started on fixing the things that frustrate you!
Don’t settle for pressure in your singing, learn about Jaw tension.
At JVS we see jaw tension hindering singers natural beautiful sound and want to help you eliminate the incorrect usage of your jaw. First of all, your jaw needs to be dropped from the back more than the front. An easy way to achieve this is to take your index fingers, place them on your cheeks where your back molars are located and gently push in. This allows the back of the jaw to drop open. If done correctly you should feel a slight yawning sensation. This is the perfect position of your jaw and the key to maintaining the opening you need to eliminate tension. Vocal science has proven that when we drop the back of the jaw, our throats open. Try singing any one of your songs or arias with your fingers in this position. You will quickly discover how often you close or compromise that space when singing. We feel this is one of the biggest problems facing ALL singers today! If you want to learn how to master this extremely important skill and stop chewing your words, please visit the link in our BIO to start your lessons today!