In the first three episodes of this exciting chronicle, we heard about the wonderful adventures of "CAPTAIN VOCAL"!!! You'll remember dear readers, Episode I and the importance of always being polite to your elders and STANDING UP STRAIGHT! Remember how CAPTAIN VOCAL said "Rangers, having the right posture is VITAL to your physical and VOCAL health and it will help you breathe better, too!"
Then, in Episode II, the CAPTAIN told us all about BREATHING IN! WOW! What fun! With our little chests expanded and an All-American posture, we took in our breath low and slow and E-X-P-A-N-D-E-D all around our little belts as we did so!<
Next, in the thrilling Episode III, we found out all about how we can fight the enemies of our American Way of Life AND combat tooth decay by INCREASING THE SIZE OF THE VOCAL TRACT as we breathe in! Remember, we open the throat, drop the jaw, let the tongue relax forward in the mouth (where else?), gently raise the soft palate, and extend the lips off the teeth in a nice oval shape ALL AT THE SAME TIME!
Now in this episode, gentle readers, we are ready to SING! What, after only three short months of preparation, we can now EXHALE and MAKE SOUND WHILE WE DO IT?! Read on!
There are several ways you can think of this action, so experiment until you find one that's right for you. They all have a couple of elements in common, though. Throughout the exhalation process:
Keep that erect posture with the chest raised.
Maintain the RELAXED openness of the vocal tract and the shape of the mouth.
Now,
you may feel firmness – NOT tension - in the stomach and back muscles while
they slowly lift under the breath, OR
you may think of maintaining the expansion of the lower rib cage and back
muscles while the diaphragm (muscle in the lower middle) rises under the
breath. No matter which method you use,
always monitor the larynx to make sure that no tension from the breathing
process is being communicated to the singing apparatus. Your neck, throat, larynx, jaw, etc. should
ALWAYS be free and relaxed.
Most people prefer to bring the stomach muscles slowly up under the outgoing air, but some folks get good results by trying not to let the ribs and chest collapse as they sing. Both methods work. Experiment to find the one you can do best. In fact, some great singers feel that they’re pushing the diaphragm AWAY and DOWN as they support the breath and tone. The point is, SOME management of the breathing muscles is essential to control the tone. Through it all, you should be completely RELAXED from the chest up and feel the work being done ONLY below there.
A caveat: the key here is “firmness” in the lower abdominal area, not “tenseness” or “tension”. Throughout the process of managing the outflow of breath, you should be able to move your stomach wall with a fairly gently push in. If your “abs” are too tight to be moved, you’re setting up tension in the larynx. Try this: tense your stomach muscles REALLY tight. Notice what you then feel in thelarynx. TENSION, right? Well, tension is ALWAYS wrong. So, don’t overachieve.
One last check as you sing a tone. You should be able to gently cradle your chin in your hand and feel the space between your teeth with your thumb and first finger (one on each side, Silly!). RELAX your jaw and tongue. Remember, UNWANTED TENSION is the singer’s worst enemy.
Get help from someone on the Music Team and watch for the FINAL CHAPTER in our thrilling saga next month. Good luck and good singing.
back to Craft
back to Aids for Bulletin Editors