Have you tried all kinds of vocal exercises but you are still experiencing strain or
tension when speaking? You’ve tried everything possible but still no results?
In this video, I’ll share 3 tips to make your practice more effective.
Hi! I am Katarina, speech language pathologist 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 that bell notification icon so that you don’t miss any of my future videos.
In this video, I want to talk about 3 aspects of vocal practice that many people don’t consider
when training or improving their voice.
Tip #1 Isolate movements
Isolating the action of each structure in the vocal mechanism when making
sounds may seem complicated but let me give you an example. Humming. Simple humming exercises. They
appear simple but there is a lot that goes into this simple exercise. You can hum like this ...
and you can hum like this ... There’s the function of the vocal folds,
there’s the amount of breath that goes through the vocal folds, it’s the space above the vocal folds
or the lack of, it’s the position of the tongue and jaw when humming, it’s the height of the
larynx, it’s the engagement of the bigger muscles of the head and neck, it’s the body alignment,
it’s the resonating spaces above the vocal folds. As you can see, there is no one way to hum. You
can hum in many different ways and some of them may be giving you more resonance and vocal power
and some of them can be creating more tension or constriction. So when you do a vocal exercise,
that is not getting you any results, think about all of these structures and how they move when you
make the sound. Maybe there are some structures that don’t need to work for that particular sound,
maybe some structures can be working less or may be in a different position. I hope this
example is making it more clear what I mean by isolating the action of each vocal structure.
If you are experiencing vocal strain, tension or even pain when speaking,
and you are ready to work with me towards a free, strong and confident voice, you can apply to our
Vocal Freedom System coaching program. Check out the links in the description below this video.
Tip #2 Consider the goal Know the purpose of each exercise
you do - what it can do and what it cannot do for your voice. I hear this all the time: I am doing a
lot of straw exercises and my voice still hurts. That is because straw exercises are not meant
to help you with vocal pain. Or sometimes I get emails that say: I do lip trills every day and my
voice is still hoarse. That’s because lip trills can release tension and help with airflow but
these exercises don’t transfer easily to a speaking voice. You need an exercise that
helps with the particular cause of hoarseness that you are experiencing. Always ask yourself:
why am I doing this exercise? Don’t do vocal exercises just for the sake of doing something.
Tip #3 Do the work You actually need to do the voice work.
You may watch one of my videos and try an exercise once or even for a week. Or you
were given exercises by your therapist. You do them once or twice between your visits.
To see long-lasting changes in your voice, you need to do more than that. Therefore,
I don’t give any guarantees to my new clients because I don’t know if they are going to
do the work. But I always say: as long as you practice and stay consistent, you will improve.
And from my experience, the clients who show up, ask questions, try new things,
and practice, have the best results. I know that many people have the best intentions but then,
they don’t do the work, and they don’t get results. I know that in my membership program,
the people who do the exercises for 2 minutes a day have new insights into their voice and
move forward on their vocal journey. There are no quick fixes when it comes to improving your voice.
Bonus Tip: Consider your emotions
For many people, their thoughts and emotions can add to the tension they are experiencing.
They practice every day, they do the work but at the same time, they are stressed,
they have many doubts about the practice, they are very hard on themselves, they are worried about
their future. All of these thoughts and emotions can be the cause of vocal strain and tension.
And no humming or lip trills are going to fix it. If you are dealing with trauma, stress,
worries, and anxieties, consider getting help in this area. For some people it may mean working
with a mental health specialist, for others it can be as simple as regular meditation,
breathing exercises or other activities that help improve this aspect of your life and voice.
We are all different and some people carry their worries in their voice, others in their stomachs.
These were 4 areas to consider when doing vocal exercises for your strained voice. But of course,
there may be other things at play. If you want to know what other factors you need to consider
to finally free your voice, click the link here or in the description below this video, and get
access to a walk-through video with 7 steps that lead to a strong voice without tension..
If you found this video helpful, click the like button and share it with your friends.
And check out my other videos right here below. I’ll see you there. Bye.