Been watching some straw phonation vids. This is the best, the most logical, the proven one. Practicing straw phonation for a few weeks after watching this video, i feel the difference. Instruction is cristal clear. I speak and sing without pain now. This channel deserves more likes. Those who use their voice profesionally should follow Jay's method
I have watched this video at least 15 times, and i will still watch this. Not because the explanation is unclear; simply because i enjoy the way you explain sentence by sentence. Now i understand why you mentioned "unforced", "should be easy", "gentle". These keys are the golden rules. I experimented with different diameters of straws, now i understand, the smaller it is, the more gentle i should blow it. This explains why sometimes i felt "strangled" at my neck, i must have blown the straw way too hard. after i blew it softer, it didn't feel like tense, and to my surprise, my speaking was more relaxed after practicing your suggestion. Thank you so much Dr.Jay, i wish you joy and happiness in your life the way you make me a better speaker.
I immediately tried something after doing this exercise. I spoke without it, but I imagined, in a sense, that I was speaking into it. And that helped to keep a steady breath and voice.
Dear Dr. Jay Miller, this strong phonation now reminds me of a set of practices i read from an article written by an expert from Japan long-long time ago, i think it must have been in 1990s. He offered 3 kinds of practices to train a strong voice; 1. Blowing a whistle (it can be the one made of plastic or metal) done for a few minutes, 2. blowing a straw as strongly as possible to move a ping pong ball at the other end of the straw tips and 3. balloon blowing. I remember practicing these practices but discontinued practicing as i did not know where those practice would lead to e.g. the benefit, how to do properly etc. . The difference between those practices and the practice you explained here on straw phonation is that those 3 practices didn't involve voicing as yours does. I have a question at the back of my mind: will blowing a straw as hard as one can do damage or put the vocal cord at risk? Do you have any experience with those practices? or can you share your thoughts on those techniques and whether these are good or effective practices? I would appreciate your explanation which is always quality. If you think those practices are good, maybe it will be a good idea if you can make a youtube video on how to do those practices properly. As usual your explanation is always clear and easy to understand, which benefit your viewers. Thank you very much Dr.Jay Miller.
From my perspective, the exercises you describe might work to strengthen the muscles of exhalation. As long as you're not making sound (phonation), it shouldn't stress your vocal folds. I'm not convinced of the overall benefit, though. Yes, several minutes of exhaling through a lengthened and/or narrowed opening (SOVT) will tend to relax and open your vocal tract. That's good. But when you're producing sound, you definitely don't want to be working that hard. Remember, in voice training, you're always cultivating a sense of ease, no more effort than a sigh of relief, at least at the beginning stages. So using the energy required to inflate a balloon, or blow through a straw as hard as you can, is using way too much force. If you don't know what you're doing, making sound under those conditions could definitely stress or damage your voice.
Hi, this is a very informative video Thank you! I wonder how many minutes should be suggested for patient to do at home per day? How many sets per day?
You're welcome! It's recommended that you do 5 minutes at a time. The number of times per day is up to you. Just don't overdo it. Pay attention to how your voice feels.
Hello, i am new to this straw phonation, is it okay to use a narrow-diameter straw directly? I tried a 3-mm diameter straw yesterday, and to my surprise, i felt that my neck was somehow "tense", i felt like "strangled" by my own vocal cord. is this normal? or did i do it wrongly? thanks for your reply
Yeah, you're starting with a straw that's too narrow. Find a larger straw (I started with two straws side by side) and gradually move to smaller straws as you get more proficient. It should always feel easy.
I'm not a singing teacher so you might get better advice from a different coach. I do know that straw phonation helps to smooth the transition from lower to higher registers.
Been watching some straw phonation vids. This is the best, the most logical, the proven one. Practicing straw phonation for a few weeks after watching this video, i feel the difference. Instruction is cristal clear. I speak and sing without pain now. This channel deserves more likes. Those who use their voice profesionally should follow Jay's method
Wow, what a lovely comment to read first thing on a Monday morning! Thanks, Andri! I'm so glad to hear about the progress you made.
I have watched this video at least 15 times, and i will still watch this. Not because the explanation is unclear; simply because i enjoy the way you explain sentence by sentence. Now i understand why you mentioned "unforced", "should be easy", "gentle". These keys are the golden rules. I experimented with different diameters of straws, now i understand, the smaller it is, the more gentle i should blow it.
This explains why sometimes i felt "strangled" at my neck, i must have blown the straw way too hard. after i blew it softer, it didn't feel like tense, and to my surprise, my speaking was more relaxed after practicing your suggestion.
Thank you so much Dr.Jay, i wish you joy and happiness in your life the way you make me a better speaker.
I immediately tried something after doing this exercise. I spoke without it, but I imagined, in a sense, that I was speaking into it. And that helped to keep a steady breath and voice.
That's smart practice, Chris.
Extremely helpful
Glad to hear it! Keep up your practice.
Dear Dr. Jay Miller, this strong phonation now reminds me of a set of practices i read from an article written by an expert from Japan long-long time ago, i think it must have been in 1990s. He offered 3 kinds of practices to train a strong voice; 1. Blowing a whistle (it can be the one made of plastic or metal) done for a few minutes, 2. blowing a straw as strongly as possible to move a ping pong ball at the other end of the straw tips and 3. balloon blowing. I remember practicing these practices but discontinued practicing as i did not know where those practice would lead to e.g. the benefit, how to do properly etc. . The difference between those practices and the practice you explained here on straw phonation is that those 3 practices didn't involve voicing as yours does.
I have a question at the back of my mind: will blowing a straw as hard as one can do damage or put the vocal cord at risk?
Do you have any experience with those practices? or can you share your thoughts on those techniques and whether these are good or effective practices? I would appreciate your explanation which is always quality.
If you think those practices are good, maybe it will be a good idea if you can make a youtube video on how to do those practices properly. As usual your explanation is always clear and easy to understand, which benefit your viewers. Thank you very much Dr.Jay Miller.
From my perspective, the exercises you describe might work to strengthen the muscles of exhalation. As long as you're not making sound (phonation), it shouldn't stress your vocal folds. I'm not convinced of the overall benefit, though. Yes, several minutes of exhaling through a lengthened and/or narrowed opening (SOVT) will tend to relax and open your vocal tract. That's good. But when you're producing sound, you definitely don't want to be working that hard. Remember, in voice training, you're always cultivating a sense of ease, no more effort than a sigh of relief, at least at the beginning stages. So using the energy required to inflate a balloon, or blow through a straw as hard as you can, is using way too much force. If you don't know what you're doing, making sound under those conditions could definitely stress or damage your voice.
@@voiceandspeech I will follow your suggestion, thanks a million!
Hi, this is a very informative video
Thank you!
I wonder how many minutes should be suggested for patient to do at home per day? How many sets per day?
You're welcome! It's recommended that you do 5 minutes at a time. The number of times per day is up to you. Just don't overdo it. Pay attention to how your voice feels.
Hello, i am new to this straw phonation, is it okay to use a narrow-diameter straw directly? I tried a 3-mm diameter straw yesterday, and to my surprise, i felt that my neck was somehow "tense", i felt like "strangled" by my own vocal cord. is this normal? or did i do it wrongly? thanks for your reply
Yeah, you're starting with a straw that's too narrow. Find a larger straw (I started with two straws side by side) and gradually move to smaller straws as you get more proficient. It should always feel easy.
I need high notes... So this exercise help me?
I'm not a singing teacher so you might get better advice from a different coach. I do know that straw phonation helps to smooth the transition from lower to higher registers.
I have phonatory gap? How can i cure this??
That would be a question for a speech therapist, not something I'm qualified to address.