Do you experience throat muscle tension when singing or talking?
Throat tension can be a temporary annoyance but if you experience throat tension on a
regular basis, it can lead to hoarseness, vocal fatigue or other vocal issues.
In this video, I am sharing 2 tips on how to deal with throat muscle tension so that
you can sing and talk in a healthy way.
Let’s start.
Hi!
I am Katarina, speech language pathologist from How 2 Improve Singing and here on this
channel, I share practical tips about using your voice in a healthy way.
So, if this is a topic that interests you, consider subscribing to this channel and hitting
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There are many reasons why your muscle can feel over-worked, tense or strained.
Maybe you experienced increased tension when singing high notes, or when trying a new vocal
technique or when adding more breath pressure, or when talking too low or when you are too
stressed.
In general, throat tension happens when there is too much physical and muscular effort in
the systems of respiration, phonation or resonance.
Yes, muscle tension can be brought on by improper breathing technique, by inefficient voice
production at the level of the vocal folds as well as by using too much muscle activity
in the rest of the vocal tract above the vocal folds, including your tongue or jaw.
So, throat tension can come from any part of the vocal mechanism, not just from the
vocal folds themselves.
If you feel discomfort or even pain at the level of your larynx, it does not mean that
the cause is in your larynx.
It may be but chances are that the cause is outside the voice box.
In this video, I want to share two tips on how to decrease muscle tension when singing
or talking.
Tip#1 Massage it Laryngeal massage is a very effective method
for many people.
I have to say that it does not work for everyone, especially for people who are sensitive to
touch around their voice box and neck.
I used to be one of them but I slowly taught myself to be more tolerant to deep touch and
now I use vocal self massage on a regular basis.
Why would you want to massage your voice box?
Your voice box or larynx is contained in your neck, surrounded by many muscles.
Some of these muscles are on the surface and their muscle tone can be affected by manual
massage.
These so called extrinsic muscles can cause tension inside your larynx, which in turn
will affect the voice quality and ease of sound production.
Increased muscle tension in these muscles can also cause the larynx to be naturally
positioned higher than normal, which is not desirable for most singers and voice users.
With manual massage, you can release tension from the superficial muscles of the larynx
and improve the function of the intrinsic muscles inside the voice box.
How do you know if the muscles surrounding the larynx are tight?
Here is one easy way to know.
Find the thyroid cartilage on your neck.
It is the biggest cartilage in your larynx.
Men will have no problem finding the peak of the thyroid cartilage because it is their
Adam’s apple.
Ladies, you may need to take more time to locate it because it is not as prominent as
in men but we still have it.
The thyroid cartilage is the second bump when you slide your finger down from your chin
to your throat.
Put your thumb and pointer on the sides of the thyroid cartilage.
It has flat sides that meet in the front and form the Adam’s apple.
Now, very gently move the thyroid cartilage from side to side.
This may be uncomfortable.
And if you have a lot of tension, it may be even challenging to move it from side to side
or you may feel some resistance to move it sideways.
Apply only as much pressure as it is comfortable for you.
Be gentle.
If you feel “clicking” while doing this, it is quite normal.
The cartilages are rubbing against each other and make the clicking sound.
This side to side movement is therapeutic on its own.
It releases some tension from the vocal mechanism but this maneuver is only a small part of
a more comprehensive circumlaryngeal massage that I introduced in one of my previous videos.
I will link to it at the end of this video so that you can check it out.
And you can also check out this link for more vocal massage for voice users.
Another way to find out if you have tension in the larynx is to give the full massage
a try and if you feel less tension, or your voice is clearer and freer afterwards, that
is a good indication that the massage released unwanted tension from the vocal mechanism.
So, head over to my other video, try it and see for yourself.
Now, let’s continue with: Tip #2 Move it
Let’s address throat muscle tension by moving your body or parts of it.
Why would you want to do that?
Well, as I said before, throat tension often has its causes outside of the voice box.
The cause may be increased muscle tension in your neck muscles, jaw or tongue muscles.
By moving these body parts, we decrease tension in a more holistic way.
Let me give you an example.
Have you ever experiences a muscle cramp?
A muscle cramp is a strong, painful contraction or tightening of a muscle that comes on suddenly
and may last a few seconds or minutes.
I sometimes get muscle cramps in my legs in the middle of the night.
If you’ve experienced this, then you know that stretching and moving your leg is the
only way to get rid of this painful muscle spasm.
So, when I get a muscle cramp in the middle of the night, I jump out of my bed, put weight
on my leg and try to walk.
Because a moving muscle cannot stay tensed and contracted.
And the same principle applies to reducing throat muscle tension.
Move the body parts that are adding to the increased tension.
For example, if your jaw is responsible for increased tension, use chewing movements to
release the tension.
Here is what to do: first, practice chewing motion in front of a mirror without making
sounds.
Once you know how it feels, add simple vocalization to this motion and alternate between silence
and vocalization while chewing.
Then, you can do a simple vocal exercise while doing the same chewing motion.
Sound production and chewing movements should be independent.
You should be able to keep the same pace of chewing motions whether you sing at a slow
or fast tempo, high or low notes.
So, don’t do this.
If you want to challenge yourself, chew in the opposite direction while keeping the same
pace.
You can use chewing movements even during singing a song to release tension.
It is a silly exercise but it works.
Other examples of releasing throat tension while producing sounds is to move your tongue
independently of vocalization, or closing and opening of the mouth, or turning your
head from side to side, or moving your whole body, for example walking while vocalizing.
The key is that these actions are being performed independently.
So, establish a good pace of the movement and then add vocalization.
But maintain the same pace of the movement throughout the vocal exercise.
These are all very silly exercises but they are effective in releasing throat muscle tension
when singing or speaking.
I hope you liked these tips, if you did, click the like button and share this video with
your friends who may benefit from this information.
Check out my other videos right here below and I will see you in my next video.
Bye.