Singing Techniques - Is Your Face Getting In The Way Of Your Singing?

Get yourself a mirror and sing a song while watching yourself

. (This won't work without a mirror) Notice how the muscles of your face work to help express the feelings and meaning of the song. This is a natural thing. Watch a baby when it is happy, content or angry, and you'll see just how naturally our face muscles contribute to the feelings.

But as you watch a baby doing this you will eventually see them throw a temper tantrum. Veins pop out, tension occurs throughout the face, and often sound will actually stop coming out because of the great amount of facial and throat tension.

Almost like they're screaming soundlessly.

What's going on there? The contorted facial muscles are actually getting in the way of the sound. The baby is trying so hard to make a big sound that they are unable to do so because their facial expression is getting in the way.

Facial expression can seriously curtail your singing if you let your face have its way. Try singing a very high note and notice what your face is doing. Chances are, your jaw and throat become very tight. The veins stick out. You might even raise your head as if physically reaching for the note. NONE OF THIS IS HELPING YOU HIT THAT NOTE. In fact, your face is making it much much harder to sing it than if you used no facial expression at all.

Raising your head to "reach" for a high note makes as much sense as the guitar player raising the guitar above his head to play the high note. Nothing is accomplished except tired arms.

The muscles needed to sing are located on the inside, not the outside of the body.

"But Al, (I hear you say) facial expression is key to a good performance. I can't just stand on stage and look dumb." True, but facial expressions used for "acting" on stage are very different from those used to "help" sing loud or high notes.

This may be a little difficult to understand, but the same facial expressions, when used only to help the visual performance, are actually not causing vocal tension. It's only when they join in to push or force the sound you are trying to make that they get in the way.

So what can you do about this? Practice often in front of a mirror, keeping a "poker-face". When you do your daily exercises (you do practice with exercises, right?) be aware of what the face is doing. This is much harder than it sounds, since we reflexively try to help our singing by screwing up our face muscles. Keep that straight face. Don't even let it change to express emotions. Practice "dramatic" facial expressions another time. Then, when you are actually performing, your facial expressions will be used only for the show, not for trying to help hit the high notes, etc. In performance, facial expressions should come naturally, according to what you are feeling or trying to convey. That's ok.

by: Gen Wright

POST COMMENT

Singing Techniques- Vocalizing Is Not Stupid - Not Vocalizing Is Get Ripped Fast - Quick Technique to Getting Ripped The Best Available Control Technologies Herrmann Whole Brain Technology Things To Do For A Career In Science Techniques To Help Fight Traffic Tickets GreenCell Technologies -The Science Seo Techniques To Remember Some Press Brake Bending Techniques Real Science: Why Graphics Are Needed At Trial Cost-effective Ways To Pursuing Courses In Science New Discovery about FM Transmitter Technology Different Types Of Touchscreen Technology