Posts Tagged ‘larynx’

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HOW DO I FIX MY UNSTABLE VOICE?

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Question from Blog reader:

Chris, I am having a voice problem and need your input.  I’ve been using your training CD’s for a few years now and they have helped me a lot.  But, here’s my problem: When I first start a song I feel short of breath.  My voice feels unstable.  After a few words it gets better, but I still have a problem with my voice breaking or quivering. It’s not solid, or stable. Is this a throat problem, breathing or ???  Your comments would be greatly appreciated.

Vocal Coach Answer:

When a voice is unstable, wavering, tentative or breaks and quivers there are several possible causes.  Here are some likely ones and some solutions

1.  Anxiety. When you are mentally or emotionally unsure about what is going to come out when you open your mouth it can interfere with breathing, posture, diction, tone, expression . . . everything.  The solution will be found in being more mechanically solid than you are anxious.  In other words, having such secure technique in the posture, breathing, tone and diction that nothing can interfere. Solid muscle memory, of right techniques will be your friend every time.

2.  Posture. If your posture is bent or broken it will interfere with breathing, tone and self-confidence and how the listener perceives your confidence. By lifting your arms straight up over your head you will discover your balanced posture.  As you slowly bring your arms back down be sure to maintain the upright alignment. The shoulders should be completely relaxed, not pulled up or back.  The feeling is one of being “athletically alert,” with a comfortably upright chest. Feel like you have a long back of neck and a shorter front of the neck. The head is back, over the shoulders, with the eyes looking straight ahead.  Don’t let the chin lift for high notes or fall for low notes.  Keep the head position neutral. Once you can sing your songs comfortably in this position you can look anywhere you want.  Just don’t move the head to help you hit a note; it won’t.

3.  Breathing. Securing good breath management will help you sing through the nervous times.  The muscles will just continue to get you the right amount of breath.  Not too much; not too little.  Good breathing starts with good posture. A good first exercise is to get on your back, on the floor and feel what parts of the body are naturally engaged when you breathe in, and out. Then start sipping the breath in through an imaginary straw, and out on a SSSSSSS sound. After you have memorized where the breathing is naturally felt, stand, check your posture and repeat the exercise with a still chest and ribs.

4.  Tone. Getting your posture and breathing more secure opens the possibility for your best vocal sound, or tone quality. The physical sensations of good tone are a relaxed throat, and lots of buzzing resonance (harmonics and overtones) vibrating through the face, mouth, sinuses and nasal passages.  These are all sensations that you can physically feel, memorize and reproduce. A gentle hum will begin the sensation. Adding a chewing motion to the humming will keep the face and jaw more relaxed.  And, don’t be afraid of all the vibrating you feel in the face.  That’s a good sign, and means you are allowing the voice to work and not forcing it. These are aspects of your vocal sound you can “feel,” and that means you can reproduce them using muscle memory.

5.  Diction. Another important area is diction, pronunciation or enunciation.  It just means that the listener gets the message, not just the music. The other bonus of clear diction is this: As your own ears hear clear words coming out they tell the brain to tell the larynx to just relax and keep giving the pitch. If, on the other hand, your ears hear mumbled words they often tell the brain, and the brain (for some unknown reason) gets the larynx involved. That just leads to useless tension in the throat since the larynx can’t help diction.  So, when in doubt, over-pronounce a bit so that even the least attentive listener hears your message.

So, there you have it. A systematic approach, to freeing up an unstable voice by paying attention to your POSTURE, BREATHING, TONE and DICTION.  Needless to say, there’s a lot more to be said on all these topics.  If you want to go deeper, with principles and exercises just go to the main site at vocalcoach.com and look for the Vocal Coach Singer package, or individual subjects by title.

If you have thoughts or comments leave them in the space below.  Thanks.

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Posted in Ask the Coach, Breathing, Choir Directors, Diction, Duets to Groups, From the Coach, Performance, Posture, Singing Subjects, Tone, Voice Fatigue and Strain, Worship Team | 2 Comments »

Had A Conversation With Your Larynx Lately?

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

Had A Conversation With Your Larynx Lately?

Maybe it’s time you did.  Why?  Because many of us forget that there is are a number of physical and acoustical processes that make singing possible.  One the the key players is the larynx, and the closer you two become the better, and more consistent your singing will be.

Why, just th other day I listened in to a singer-larynx conversation that went like this:*

Singer: I just want to sing.

Singer: I just want to survive your singing, and sometimes you make that tough.

Singer: Sorry about that. I get so stressed and distracted I don’t even know what I’m doing until it’s all over, and by then I’ve abused you.  You actually hurt and get rough sounding.

Larynx: You got that right.  But, if you’ll stop physically stressing me, I’ll stop emotionally stressing you.

Singer: Sounds like a plan.  Where do we start?

Larynx: Well, since we’re kind of stuck with each other for the rest of our lives, with no replacement parts available, maybe we should get to know each other.  You know, abilities, expectations etc.

Singer: I’m game.  Why don’t you start.

Larynx: Well, to start with, I was designed by the greatest inventor of all time.  He created the entire universe and everything and everyone in it.  He also figured out the mechanics and acoustics of making sound.  He’s really good!  Here are some things you should know:

The vocal folds (sometimes called vocal cords) are designed to protect the lungs from foreign objects.  When something heads that way, like food or liquid, the vocal folds close to protect the lungs. They can also become a one-way valve allowing you to cough the threat away.  Rather clever if you ask me.

The cool thing, of course, is that these same vocal folds can vibrate as air from the lungs passes between them.  And, depending on the length and thickness of their leading edge, they can produce hundreds of different pitches.

Singer: Very cool, but why can some people sing the big high notes so easily and others look and sound like they’re screaming? And it doesn’t seem to matter if they’re male or female.

Larynx: You’re right about range not being gender-specific.  Most men, of course have lower voices than most women, but there are thousands of exceptions to that. If a woman has thicker and longer vocal folds she may be a natural tenor.  If a man has shorter, thinner folds he may be an outstanding high tenor or even alto.  The Creator gave everyone a potentially wide range, but not all the same range.  Kind of like the string family in the orchestra: Violin, viola, cello and double bass.  All have wide ranges, but all have different ranges.

The important thing is to discover how we were made and maximize that range. Then, to choose song arrangements that fit into our range.  And, remember: No matter what our range you need to develop the skills and habits that will make us the most consistent and flexible singer we can be.

Singer: But, what if I don’t like our range?  What if I’m really a bass and would prefer to be a tenor?

Larynx: You’ll have to talk to the Creator about that one.  I once overheard a cello asking the Creator if he could play a violin concerto. The Creator didn’t even bother to respond.

Note to self: Stay in touch with the larynx.  It’s good for both of us as well as our listeners.

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Posted in Choir Directors, Duets to Groups, Singing Subjects, Worship Team | No Comments »

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