If your larynx is high when you sing, your voice jams up and sounds squeezed and tight.
You can keep the larynx down with special Low Larynx Singing Exercises.
Inside this video, I’ll give you 5 simple exercises to keep your larynx down so your
singing is easier and sounds better than ever before.
Hi I’m Chuck Gilmore, International Vocal Coach and Founder of Power To Sing.
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As you sing higher, it’s easy for your larynx to go higher and higher. When this happens
you’re going into swallowing mode. That means as the larynx rises, the outer neck
muscles surrounding your larynx, cinch tighter and tighter.
This pulls the larynx higher still and singing gets difficult to do. Now you’re really
straining and reaching for the high notes. Your pitch goes flat and your tone suffers.
Pretty soon it sounds like you’re yelling.
In contrast, with the larynx staying in a neutral or resting level, the same level or
position where you speak, singing can be as easy and effortless as speaking, even when
singing high notes.
But it’s hard to break old habits of reaching and straining as you sing higher.
Here are five amazing exercises that will help you retrain your nervous system to stop
grabbing and squeezing. The exercises will keep your larynx at your speech level where
it rests when you’re having a comfortable conversation with a friend.
Allowing the larynx to rest comfortably low while you sing has a powerful effect on your
singing.
First, it helps eliminate the squeezing and grabbing as you sing higher. This eliminates
tension and makes high notes easy so your voice sounds natural and strong.
Second, singing while your larynx is resting lower allows the vibrations to shift easily
from chest to head voice. This helps the high notes sound easy and effortless.
Third, it stops you from pulling your chest voice higher and straining your voice.
Here are five Low Larynx Singing Exercises for you to practice. They will help you retrain
your larynx to stay lower instead of going higher as you sing.
The closer you can do the exercises as demonstrated, the better and faster will be your results.
Do all the exercises at medium or medium soft. We will do men first then the ladies.
Exercise One - Bubble Lips - 1 ½ Scale
This scale sounds like this. [Demo]
Find your jaw and with your fingers lift your cheeks. As you say “uh”, start the bubble.
[demo]
Men begin on the Bb2 and go up to the F#3. Drop out where you need to. There’s no need
to sing as high as the tenors. [Demo] Ready men. Begin.
Ladies you begin on the F#3 and go up to Middle C. [Demo] Ready ladies. Begin.
Exercise Two - Dopy Goo - 1 ½ Scale
We’ll use the same notes for men and women as above. The dopy goo sounds like this. [Demo]
There are three secrets to doing this exercise. The first is the dopy sound. Say “duh”
as dopy as you can. [demo] Not normal like this. [Demo] But dopy like this. [Demo]
Now combine that dopy sound with the word “Goo”. [Demo] That’s secret number one.
It physically lowers the larynx.
Put your hand on your Adams Apple which is the top of the larynx. Now say “Goo” with
the dopy sound. Can you feel your larynx move downward? Please let me know in the comments
section below this Youtube video.
Secret Number two: As you do the exercise, if you maintain the dopy sound the word “goo”
starts sounding hooty or hollow like this. [Demo] If you lose the dopy sound, or in other
words, if the larynx starts to come up, it sounds like this. [Demo] If this happens your
larynx is coming up. You must maintain the dopy feeling which slightly imposes the larynx
down. As you do, your tone will begin to feel hooty or hollow as you sing higher. [Demo]
Secret Number Three: When singing “goo” make sure you form “oo” on your lips.
Relax your jaw so it drops as you sing higher.[Demo] Don’t let the vowel spread to “guh”.
[Demo] Keep it on “goo”. “Oo” lips will help.
Men. [Demo] Ready begin.
Now Ladies. [Demo] Ready ladies. Begin.
Exercise Three - Dopy Gee - 1 ½ Scale
Instructions for Dopy Gee are the same as Dopy Goo. In fact, say “ Gee” with “oo”
lips like this. [Demo] Keep the dopy/hooty sound as you sing higher. [Demo] If your larynx
starts to come up it sounds like this: [Demo]
Men. [Demo] Ready, begin.
Now ladies. [Demo] Ready begin.
Exercise Four - Dopy Goo - Octave Repeat Scale
This exercise sounds like this. [Demo] Men begin on the Ab3 and go down to the E3. Maintain
the dopy/hooty sound on this exercise just as you did above. Remember to stay with that
dopy sound even on the way back down into chest voice. Don’t let it go normal on the
way down like this: [Demo]
Men. [Demo] Ready men, begin.
Ladies you begin on the Eb4 and go down to the A3.
[Demo] Ready Ladies. Begin.
Exercise Five - Dopy Gee - Octave Repeat Scale
This exercise sounds like this. [Demo] Instructions and pitches for this exercise are the same
as the Dopy Goo. Maintain “oo” lips and the dopy/hooty sound just as you’ve done
before.
Men. [Demo] Ready men, begin.
Ladies. [Demo] Ready, begin.
Here’s a link to download these exercises. The above exercises were only the first half
of the exercise to save time. As a bonus, this MP3 will give you the complete exercise
and take you back to the start.
You can get the free MP3, Low Larynx Singing Exercises, here or in the description below
this video. This will make practicing these exercises easier.
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I’m Chuck Gilmore with Power to Sing. You can sing higher with beauty, confidence and
power. I’ll see you inside the next video.