subject: How to Improve Your Singing in Steps - Bend Your Knees [print this page] How to Improve Your Singing in Steps - Bend Your Knees
What the heck do your knees have to do with singing? How does improving your singing have anything to do with something no where near the throat? Just ask any middle-or-high school choir director!
A choir director told me a great story a few years ago that was worth quite a chuckle. It seems that middle school and high school choir kids, especially the young ladies, stand with their knees locked much of the time. I'd seen this pose on women my whole life, but was used to the version with one knee locked and the hip jutting out. I thought "Well, it's awful for singing, but what's the big deal?"
It turns out that two locked knees is the real problem! Since most choral singers stand evenly balanced on two feet, two locked knees significantly decreases one's ability to breathe. Since choral singing requires an oxygen deman far beyond the normal resting rate, "standing + locked knees + singing" often has kids faint!
The choral director got used to every once in a while looking up and seeing a pre-teen heading towards the floor. After a while he learned to train them not to lock their knees and the problem was solved in his class. But what about how to look at this problem in terms of improving singing?
To really use your body strength and energy when you sing, your knees need to be relaxed, or slightly bent. That means absolutely no locked knees when you sing! Locked knees means your knees are back as far as they will go and your legs are fixed in place. When your knees are locked, you cant take in as much air or use it completely in the voice. So check your knees. Make sure they are not locked while you sing. If your knees are slightly bent, you will sound even better.
