One of the most common places to experience tension when singing is the neck.
Your vocal folds are housed in your neck so any tension in the neck area can negatively
affect tone quality of your voice.
In this video, I am going to share 3 steps to keep your neck tension in check.
Stay tuned, I’ll be right back.
Hi, I am Katarina from How 2 Improve Singing and if you are here for the first time, subscribe
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In today’s video, we are continuing to talk about tension.
In my previous video, I told you to make tension your friend, not your enemy.
If you have not watched that video yet, you can do so right after you finish watching
this one.
I will post a link to it so that you can find it easily.
Let’s talk about neck tension and how to deal with it.
Your neck is made of many muscles but they all work together to be able to rotate your
head, move it side to side, and front to back.
The purpose of neck muscles is to allow these movements or to provide structural support.
When we sing, the neck muscles should be relatively relaxed but provide support to the head.
Because the head is constantly moving, there will be some observable subtle movements of
the neck muscles.
However, big movements or tension should not be visible or should not be felt.
There are two main causes of neck tension: incorrect alignment and incorrect movements
when singing.
Don’t forget that your habitual head and neck alignment throughout the day may make
it difficult for you to maintain proper alignment when singing.
Your head and neck alignment may be sub-optimal due to bad habits, such as habitual slouching,
head in a forward position, curled shoulders and other examples.
This will affect your voice and presence of tension.
Also, if you move your head out of optimal alignment during singing, for example by moving
your chin up when singing high notes, or by lifting your shoulders when breathing in,
or by engaging neck muscles when singing louder, you can be creating tension by these unnecessary
movements.
So here are 3 steps to deal with the neck tension when singing.
Step 1 Become aware.
The first step in changing our behaviours is to become aware of the head, neck, and
shoulder alignment and movements when singing.
I have a video about this topic, so I’ll link to it here and at the end of the video.
Watch yourself in the mirror while singing or even better, record a video of yourself
singing and then observe your neck alignment and movements.
Also, don’t forget to evaluate your habitual alignment because that will have a huge impact
on how you are moving your body during singing.
Step 2 Create a plan.
Create a plan how to improve your neck, head and shoulder alignment and movements.
Use positive and constructive vocabulary.
So, instead of telling yourself “don’t lift the shoulders” or “don’t move the
head forward”, tell yourself to maintain your shoulders wide and feel tall.
Once you have a plan, execute it in very small steps.
It takes time to build new habits and it helps if you attack it step by step.
To improve your habitual alignment, you can do an exercise called “constructive rest”
This is an exercise from the Alexander Technique, during which you lie on the floor in the semi-supine
position for 15 – 20 minutes every day so that your body can experience and relearn
proper alignment without tension.
I’ve done these exercises myself and it helped me tremendously to improve my habitual posture and get rid
of pain and tension. It really works.
Step 3 Do neck stretches.
If you already experience tension in the neck even before you start singing, include neck
stretches into your regular singing practice.
If you spend a lot of time on the computer or looking into your smart phone, it is a
good idea to do these exercises as a part of your regular warm-up routine to prevent
neck tension.
Here are examples of neck stretches.
Hold each position for 30 seconds and don’t forget to breathe as you do the stretches.
I do these stretches myself every day
First, bend your head forward and place one of your hands gently on the top of your head.
Don’t pull your head down, just let the weight of your hand and arm help stretch the
back neck muscles.
Then, bend your head to one side: ear to shoulder.
Again, place one of your hands on the top of your head and let the weight of the hand
and arm do the stretching.
Don’t push your head down towards the shoulder.
You can stretch out the opposite arm.
Feel the stretch on the side of your neck.
Do the same stretch on the other side.
Finally, rotate your head to one side slightly (about 45 degrees) and then bend it down.
Place one of your hands on the top of your head and let the weight of the hand and arm
do the trick again.
Feel the stretch on the back and side of the neck.
Repeat the same stretch on the opposite side.
It really feels good.
Sometimes, you may feel immediate change in the voice quality.
And don't forget, breathe and hold for 30 seconds.
And that is all for this video.
We will continue discussing the topic of tension in the next video.
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Have a wonderful rest of the day.
Thank you for watching. And I'll see you soon. Bye.