Teaching Your Voice to Fly

 

A bird we caught stuck in our vent

 So many, many people think that singing takes a lot of effort. Back when I was striving to become opera lady I told myself "PUSH!" with the constancy of my mother when I was having my baby. But getting a great sound doesn't take as much exertion or pain for that matter as having a baby does. But it can give you a sense of accomplishment and joy like child-bearing.

   The times that we most "push" our voices, and therefore tense unnecessary muscles is when

• We go higher
• We go lower
• We go louder
• We go softer
• We want to be more powerful
• When we're nervous

And many other times.

   But guess what? We don't need to push! In fact, you'll find that when you don't push your voice, you can sing better (ie. higher, sweeter, more resonantly, etc.).

 Our vocal cords were created to make noise, and it only takes a few tiny little muscles to create sound. It is not necessary to push, or tense, or hold things certain ways. We can just let go and RELAX.

   What would it be like to let go of the fear of sounding bad, or cracking or controlling the sound and know that your vocal cords can take it from here? To get there, there are a few exercises and techniques that can help your vocal cords remember how to work by themselves--without all that unnecessary help.  Getting all that extra help is like helping a baby bird break out of it's shell. It actually does harm. Notice that when a baby bird breaks out of its shell it isn't easy. It takes patience. So too will retraining your muscles. You may encounter your voice cracking or going breathy or breaking off altogether. Give yourself time to get out of the shell of tense muscles and learn how your body works.

Hummingbird Hatchlings

 Let your vocal cords do the work they were made to do, and you'll find that soon your voice will be flying just like that baby bird.