- Singing is and should be a wonderful physical experience.
Why then do so many singers look like they're in pain
every time they open their mouth?
It all looks so effortful,
but does singing need to be such hard work?
- [Woman] Sound check.
(feedback)
Check one, check two.
(upbeat instrumental music)
- Hello, everyone, Dr. Dan here
with another Voice Essentials singing tip.
I'm pretty sure we've all seen that singer.
You know the one, they look like
they're in excruciating pain whenever they open their mouth.
Well, the reality is their singing
may well be causing them a great deal of discomfort
because they haven't learnt to differentiate
between energy and effort.
So, what's the difference?
Well, when explaining this to my students,
I often get them to think about
a 100 meter foot race between me and Usain Bolt.
No points for identifying which runner
represents which orientation.
When the starter's gun is sounded,
not only will Usain Bolt win the race, by a country mile,
he'll do it with a relative ease and grace.
While my long, drawn out journey
down the 100 meter strip will be most certainly effortful,
not to mention a little embarrassing.
Energy beats effort every time.
Energy looks like it's working less than effort,
but it always produces superior results.
So, how can you sing with greater levels of energy
without exhausting your voice with too much effort?
(crowd cheering)
- [Woman] Sound check.
- Without seeking to beat a well-worn drum,
it will come as no surprise to you
that a solid vocal technique is
the gateway to reducing your vocal effort
and enhancing your voice's energy.
And when you boil it right down,
the two areas that require specific attention
when seeking to reduce vocal effort
are breath management and tension management.
Now, in order to keep this video short and snappy,
we won't tackle the subject of breath management today.
Actually, for those of you who missed it,
we looked at breathing last week
so be sure to check out the video at the end of this clip.
I'll also place a link in the note sections below.
Now, that's leaves us with
the subject of tension management.
Muscles want to do, and indeed can
only do, one thing, contract.
By design, activated muscles are tense muscles,
but that doesn't mean they need to
be constricted and continually tight.
Many of our muscles, including our
laryngeal muscles work in a tandem team.
When one muscles contracts, its opposite
and opposing muscle retracts.
Our aim as vocal athletes is to manage
the many and varied muscular activities
of our entire instrument in order
to achieve an energetic balance.
Think about Usain Bolt again.
When he runs, it has a wonderful muscular flow.
No one muscle is out of balance with the others.
His actions are beautifully coordinated,
and that's our aim as singers,
a coordinated physical flow.
So, how do we achieve this high and lofty goal?
(crowd cheering)
- [Woman] Sound check.
- Well, I've got a really simple activity
that you can team up with virtually any singing exercise.
This body alignment awareness activity
really helps us to become mindful
of our entire instrument as well as
delegating muscular responsibility
away from your shoulders, neck, and throat.
So, firstly, lets set up your physical position.
Standing with your feet close together,
bring your left foot in front of your right.
Now, if you're left-handed, take
your right foot in front of your left.
Now, slide your front foot
out to the width of your shoulders.
Rotate your rear ankle in on a 45 degree angle.
Next, soften your knees by unlocking
them with a slight bend, good.
Now, with your hips remaining square with your front foot,
allow your balance to fall ever so slightly
forward until you feel your weight
evenly distributed over the both balls of your feet.
It should feel a bit like a boxing stance.
Awesome, now, we're ready to move
this position over a scale.
Using a simple five note scale,
like the first activity on my vocal exercise cd,
Dr. Dan's Voice Essentials, simply start
to bend into the ascending notes
and up again over the descending notes.
Let me show you.
(singing scales)
When I do the activity, I feel far less
muscular strain through my shoulders and into my neck.
Less physical stress equals a better sound
because my throat is carrying less tension.
I want you to give this a try once the video has finished.
Remember, the exercise is all about
learning to differentiate between effort and energy.
So, practice it multiple times over the coming weeks,
and be sure to leave a comment about
how the exercise has impacted your sense
of tension management.
Before we finish off, I just want to say
a quick hello to everyone who's watching
one of my videos for the first time.
Here at Voice Essentials, I wanna develop
your voice and improve your sound.
Each week I upload new videos
that are designed to do just that.
I'd love you to subscribe to my channel,
and join our ever-growing family
of singers from across the globe
who, just like you, wanna raise their voice in song.
I look forward to interacting with you
here at Voice Essentials.
I'm Dr. Dan, sing well.
(feedback)
(crowd cheering)