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Hey singers!
It's Justin Stoney the founder of New York Vocal Coaching
joining you for another episode of Quick Singing Tips.
Today we're hanging out on Canal Street.
Canal is one of the only streets that can take you from
Jersey through Manhattan and out the other side to Brooklyn.
So it's no wonder that it gets backed up
with people, traffic, and congestion.
It's a major artery!
Which leads us to our question for the day
from Isaac N. in Phuket, Thailand.
Isaac writes, "Dear Justin, is it okay for veins
to pop out when you sing?"
That's a bloody good question, Isaac.
And the answer is yes.
But also, no.
Let's investigate!
Why do veins pop out?
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Veins tend to pop out when our blood pressure is increased.
The most dramatic example is called the valsalva maneuver.
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[buzzer]
The valsalva maneuver happens when
we trap air in the body on purpose.
Something like this...
What I'm doing is closing my vocal folds
and using some breath pressure against those closed folds.
Now maybe you did this when you were a kid.
You did the valsalva maneuver until you were red in the face.
That's not so great for you, so please don't do that.
But the valsalva maneuver isn't bad.
In fact, it's natural.
It's something we do every single day
when we lift heavy objects, go to the bathroom,
or cough.
The valsalva maneuver helps us to do these everyday tasks
by exploiting subglottic pressure.
And subglottic pressure is essential for singing.
What is subglottic pressure?
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Subglottic pressure is another fancy vocal term
but it's really quite simple.
"Sub" means below,
"glottic" is the space between your vocal folds,
and pressure is pressure.
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So subglottic pressure is the air pressure that builds up
below closed vocal folds.
Now, we need this to sing.
With no interaction between breath and closed vocal folds,
we get no sound at all.
In general we need more subglottic pressure
for hitting high notes...
♪ Woo ♪
and for singing stronger notes...
♪ Ah ♪
However, too much subglottic pressure will result
in a pinched, pressed, squeezed sound.
♪ Oh ♪ no!
Okay, gotcha Justin.
But what about them veins?
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Well if we use maximum subglottic pressure
we get the valsalva maneuver.
We spike the blood pressure, might turn red in the face
and veins might pop out the most.
Likewise, singers who use too much subglottic pressure
run the highest risk of veins popping out when they sing.
Suuuuuuuuuuuuub
glottic pressure!
But, are the veins bad?
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Not necessarily.
Interestingly, the lower your body fat percentage
the more visible your veins will be.
Not just in your neck but in your arms, your legs,
your chest, and throughout your entire body.
So, singers with low body fat might be singing with
healthy amounts of subglottic pressure
and still have veins popping out of them.
Or a singer with high body fat percentage
might be singing with lots of subglottic pressure
and you can't see the veins.
In any case just because veins pop out when you sing
does not mean something is going wrong.
Plenty of singers have veins popping out
without it being a sign of poor technique.
Bottom line is this,
it's not the veins it's the subglottic pressure.
Make sure you don't sing with too much.
If you've got a problem with veins or subglottic pressure.
Here are five steps to fix it.
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One, don't over compress your vocal folds.
Two, watch out for extrinsic tension in the neck, jaw, and tongue.
Three, don't take enormous inhalations.
Four, don't sing with forceful exhalations.
And five, avoid trying to sing with maximum volume.
Make sure a moderate volume is your default.
If you follow these five steps
I promise that your efforts will not be...
in vain.
[drums]
You'll instantly reduce your subglottic pressure
and the veins won't bulge as much when you sing.
Here's some more things that will keep your vocal journey...
flowing.
For voice lessons or Skype lessons with the NYVC staff
visit us at NewYorkVocalCoaching.com.
If you'd like a vocal course that you can do at home check out the
Voice Lessons To The World Vocal Course.
This twelve part program takes you on a singing journey
from beginner to master level vocal exercises.
You can find it at VoiceLessonsToTheWorld.com.
Or, if you'd like free vocal tips sent to you each day
sign up at DailyVocalTips.com.
And now, here's Justin with this week's vocal benediction.
Sometimes it's easy to feel like everything
is getting backed up and everything we do
is forced and strained.
In those times we have to do less and trust more.
But "decrease your subglottic pressure"
doesn't really have a very good ring to it...
How about,
"go with the flow"!
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