- There are few things more important
than tension management when it comes to singing technique.
But what is tension management and how can we learn
to sing with less vocal strain?
I've got a few practical ideas coming right up,
so I hope you'll stick around to learn more.
(upbeat music) - Sound check.
- [Woman] Check one, check two.
(cheering) (gentle music)
- G'day, my name is Dr Dan.
Welcome to Voice Essentials,
the YouTube channel where everybody sings.
And while we believe it is the birthright
of every human being to sing, that doesn't mean
that we are all born with the natural inclinations
towards free and easy singing.
For most of us, the development of our singing voice
requires specially designed singing exercises
that help refine our tone, pitch and general technique.
One area of technique that is super important,
that is when it comes to learning to sing
is that of tension management.
The all-encompassing term, Tension Management,
accounts for those aspects of our singing
that might lead to stress and strain
on various parts of our vocal instrument.
In today's video, we're going to look at five areas
of tension management that every developing singer
needs to master to ensure a free, agile and healthy voice.
Each of the five areas accounts for different aspects
of our vocal production.
They are subglottal, supraglottal, vocal tract,
extrinsic musculature, and hydration.
So, starting with number one,
let's first define this nerd word, sub-glottal.
Quite simply it means everything below,
think submarine, the glottis.
The glottis is the label given to the space
in between the vocal folds.
The focus of today's video is tension management,
and an area of tension for many contemporary singers
is the sub-glottal pressure, the amount of pressure
sitting directing beneath the vocal folds during phonation.
Dr Scott McCoy, when writing about breath pressure
notes that, "While sub-glottal pressure varies
"as widely as airflow among successful singers,
"there still is a common factor,
"professional singers virtually never need
"to use the maximum pressure that can be generated
"by the pulmonary system."
It's been my observation that many beginner singers
struggle to adjust the high levels of pressure
being fed to the larynx by the pulmonary system,
and this in turn causes the larynx to brace,
or what some voice scientists refer to as valve,
to hold the pressure back.
Once the voice enters a valve like state
because of high sub-glottal pressure,
the larynx will struggle to create free and easy sound.
Yes, there are times when higher levels
of sub-glottal pressure are required,
such as belt and pressed phonatory patterns
for genres like heavy rock for example,
but in my experience more often than not,
even these applications generally
require less air pressure
than the singer's body wants to naturally employ.
If there is too much sub-glottal pressure,
then a knock-on effect
can be heightened supra-glottic constriction.
Supra-glottal refers to that which
sits immediately above the glottal line.
Supra-glottic constriction can also be caused
by acoustic factors further up the vocal tract
as well as muscular issues such as tongue root tension.
While discussing the training of singers,
Sataloff, Baroody, Emerich and Carroll write,
"Vocal exercises increase neuromuscular strength
"and coordination at the laryngeal level,
"improving not only range, quality, and vibratory symmetry,
"but also smooth control over changes
in subglottal pressure, registers, and other variables.
"The supraglottic vocal tract is also trained,
"developing optimal vocal tract position
"and shape to create the desired harmonics
"without unnecessary muscle tension
"and with improved resonance."
And I think that is one of the apex goals
of every skillful singer, improved resonance.
A full and developed resonance
gives the singer access to artistic choices,
choices that empower better communication of the lyric.
But as the previous quote suggested,
developing optimal vocal tract positions
to create desired harmonics without unnecessary strain
requires intentional work.
The vocal tract, our third area of tension management,
involves everything from the glottis
through to the lips and nostrils
and includes the pharynx, nasal and oral cavities.
The vocal tract is a wonderfully engineered marvel
that can both advance and hinder the singing voice.
Arguably, the vocal tract's greatest asset,
its malleability, also presents the singer
with their greatest challenge.
Language and lyric are constructed using vowels
and consonants and other linguistic tools.
The challenge facing every singer
is the ever-changing landscape of the vocal tract
according to the note being sung in combination
with the sound being formed,
whether it be consonant or vowel,
as well as the dynamic required
and the applied aesthetics such as phonatory texture.
Every aspect of the vocal tract is susceptible
to tension and needs consideration.
One way that you can workshop
your vocal tract tension management
is to download Dr Dan's Voice Essentials
using the link in the description section below.
Each exercise will direct you along a pathway
of skill building and better tension management.
Stepping outside the vocal tract,
it's important to address the extrinsic musculature
of the neck, shoulders, and back.
Tension management is a whole-body process.
I'm often saying to my students
as we do singing exercises in the lesson,
to be mindful of tension.
It can be helpful, especially during breath flow activities
to run a mental audit of possible tension locations.
Tension management first starts
with awareness of the point of tension.
Once you are aware of muscular tightness
you can work towards alleviating the strain.
And the fifth area of tension management is hydration.
Your body's hydration levels play a key role
in supplying and maintain vocal fold lubrication.
When the vocal folds are poorly lubricated,
the phonatory threshold pressure,
the air pressure required to activate
and sustain vocal fold oscillation increases.
Essentially, this fifth area of tension management,
phonatory threshold pressure, brings us full circle
back to the first area, sub-glottal pressure.
You see, tension management
is never a singular area of stress or strain.
Whilst we've discussed five areas
of tension management in today's video,
it's important for me to highlight
that all five areas must be addressed
and continually monitored.
Tension management is never a matter of set and forget.
The reality is, you'll be working on your tension management
for the rest of your singing life.
Now, if your keen to do some practical exercises
designed to build your tension management skills,
then click on this playlist link.
The five videos in the playlist
will walk you through each area of tension management
and help you to develop the skills required for free
and easy singing.
I'll see you in a short moment.
I'm Dr Dan, sing well.