This is just brilliant. It's so concise and thoroughly explained it's a work of art! I'm so glad you advised caution with the yawn direction. It's something I've struggled with for years. Trying to yawn without actually yawning closes my throat, so I appreciated you shouting that out!
I trained as a speech therapist and am learning to sing - this is detailed and very helpful in avoiding bad technique and strain and I would struggle to get this anywhere else, let alone for free - thank you!
Excellent presentation! As a retired 68 yr. old RN I appreciate the anatomical discussion. I sing 2nd soprano with large chorus & in a small group with a community orchestra. I have recently resumed classical training, as need to improve upper range, tone... Several of your videos are exactly what I am experiencing & studying. Jeanne
I guess I have had some tension in my tongue and hyoid bone area for some years now as I had noticed breaking in my speech when I am emotional. Now it's worse and I experience shortness of breath, difficulty swallowing and singing. I had two cervical discs between C3 and C4 as well as C4 and C5 caged as they were bulging to touch my spinal cord in 2019. I have been doing some of the neck stretches my speech therapist has given me. I also have a hiatus hernia which would have developed when I had to wear a brace around my waist to support my spine which has a lateral curvature (scoliosis). Anyway I shall try these exercises as well to activate my tongue. I also had a lot of hard mucous around the throat and esophagus, which releasing now with medication from the ENT. I used to have acute dizziness with nausea. I hope and pray I do find relief from all these soon.
Thank you for this video. It gave me a lot of food for thought for exercises I could use to iron out some point of tension that have been stubborn to go away. Even after a few minutes isolating these micro-movements I can hear an improvement in my sound.
Karen. I have two questions: 1. Will you be posting videos of you singing? I know on your website it says that you sing with your church and stuff but I'd really like to see your singing! 2. Do you have any before/after examples of some of the students that you've taught, just so we can see what that progress with you would look like?
This was such a thorough and technically sound video! I’m really amazed and grateful. Have you done any videos on vowel shapes during singing and vowel modification for high sopranos? I’m searching for information! Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
Amazing lol- I'm still finding it near impossible to do D sounds without moving my jaw up and down like I'm talking lol! K/Gu sounds are np! Fantastic video, cheers!
why do I find female vocal teachers much more helpful than male vocal teachers? 1. They always explain technicalities so I understand the why, where, what, how 2. They're explanations is clear 3. They do not travel the ego trip into making me sing something I'm not into
I have found that when i press hand on my sternum, my tone becomes smoother and tone production becomes generally much easier and i dont understand why. I have heard from old books of Tetrazini and many others that breath should be leaned against sternum but i have never been able to do that(i just dont get how you press your breath anywhere really). I wonder if this hand pressing is same phenomenon as what old school singers talked about.
I think that the feeling of leaning against the sternum is what is experienced when we maintain the sternum in a moderately elevated position, even as the air in the lungs begins to decrease. In order to do that, the lower ribs and intercostals (back) need to remain active and open, so that is what probably further contributes to a better supported tone. If you're gently placing your hand on the sternum and exerting a slight OUTWARD pressure against it, that may help maintain evenness of breath pressure. (Sorry about the delay in answering this!)
There are some voice teachers and speech therapists who advocate this practice. I think it's fine to manually monitor the thyrohyoid space and even massage the suprahyoid ('swallowing') muscles during singing to help them release. (I never think it's it's a good idea to try to manually hold the larynx down, though!) But in the end, we need to learn to release those suprahyoid muscles without using manual manipulation.
Hi again, love your vids as usual, I did have a question about tongue tension issues. If Muscles under the chin are engaging is it always due to tongue tension/ placement? I ask because It is difficult for me as i seem to have tongue Independence when doing your exercises and making no sound. But I have noticed that in my upper range when i start to make sound for some reason i ingauge those muscles under the chin and the higher i sing the stronger the reaction there. (LOWER RANGE IS A ok) Is there a point in the singing range which these muscles just engage? sort of like larnyx raising when one sings very high? or should there always be no tension under the chin what so ever? I am also wondering why i sometimes notice this phenomenon when i try to sing louder or with more force? I feel like my posture is pretty good, and continue to work on it , Is there another component that can cause this to act up? I.e Breath support? or? Hoping these exercise tips will help alleviate my bad habit and issue so i can sing more freely :)
From what you're describing, it does sound as though you have some unproductive tensions. Those suprahyoid muscles do move when we're articulating our speech sounds, but they should be no more tense/stiff during the singing of high and/or intense notes than they are when you're singing lower or more softly. Typically, the tongue root becomes engaged in an attempt to stabilize the larynx as pitch ascends. I always say that these muscles should be 'working' - they have jobs - but not tensing (becoming stiff and rigid). And yes, poorly managed breath absolutely may have something to do with it. Under supporting, for example, can lead to the throat, tongue, and jaw muscles engaging more in an effort to help 'support' the tone. I have a few more videos that address different aspects of tongue tension, including one that discusses the subject and offers some stretches, etc. (ruclips.net/video/cf6meikbVUg/видео.html), and two that address tongue root tension specifically (which you can find in my 'Tensions' playlist). Hope this helps.
thanks i will check those out :) Also if you don't have videos on it already, i'd love it if you could make some vids on head voice and higher pitched singing for sopranos and mezzos as this has always been a bit of a difficult area for me, and an area i am continuing to work on
The tip of my hyoid bone muscle is tender to the touch and also a bit swollen(near the tip as well) I believe. This has happened a few times now after longer singing sessions. Is this a sign of a bigger problem or is it likely my throat/tongue tension when I sing? I'm not a very experienced singer btw. Any tips to relax those muscles, heat or cold, herbal compress? Thank you.
I have an issue with my hyoid bone. It is un even, meaning the left side is higher than the right. I used to suffer from panic attacks and got very tense in my throat, tongue etc and after some time my larynx started to feel skewed. Under the hyoid bone one the right side there´s hardly any space while on the left there´s plenty. Do you think this is caused by tensions?
This is just brilliant. It's so concise and thoroughly explained it's a work of art!
I'm so glad you advised caution with the yawn direction. It's something I've struggled with for years. Trying to yawn without actually yawning closes my throat, so I appreciated you shouting that out!
This is EXACTLY what I was looking for! I kept having problems with laryngeal positioning and this was so helpful. Thank you so much 😁
I trained as a speech therapist and am learning to sing - this is detailed and very helpful in avoiding bad technique and strain and I would struggle to get this anywhere else, let alone for free - thank you!
You're so very welcome! Thank you for taking the time to leave your comment.
I wish my brain would get what the speech therapist would know about my tensions in mere speaking.
Excellent presentation! As a retired 68 yr. old RN I appreciate the anatomical discussion.
I sing 2nd soprano with large chorus & in a small group with a community orchestra.
I have recently resumed classical training, as need to improve upper range, tone...
Several of your videos are exactly what I am experiencing & studying.
Jeanne
Thanks so much for watching and commenting!
Got here looking for answers on the hyoid/larynx connection relating to tongue independence on the saxophone. You were a huge help! Thank you!
I love this so much. It’s like restructuring the entire mechanism… almost like learning how to walk chew and breath correctly at the same time, lol.
I guess I have had some tension in my tongue and hyoid bone area for some years now as I had noticed breaking in my speech when I am emotional. Now it's worse and I experience shortness of breath, difficulty swallowing and singing. I had two cervical discs between C3 and C4 as well as C4 and C5 caged as they were bulging to touch my spinal cord in 2019. I have been doing some of the neck stretches my speech therapist has given me. I also have a hiatus hernia which would have developed when I had to wear a brace around my waist to support my spine which has a lateral curvature (scoliosis). Anyway I shall try these exercises as well to activate my tongue. I also had a lot of hard mucous around the throat and esophagus, which releasing now with medication from the ENT. I used to have acute dizziness with nausea. I hope and pray I do find relief from all these soon.
Thank you for this video. It gave me a lot of food for thought for exercises I could use to iron out some point of tension that have been stubborn to go away. Even after a few minutes isolating these micro-movements I can hear an improvement in my sound.
Karen. I have two questions:
1. Will you be posting videos of you singing? I know on your website it says that you sing with your church and stuff but I'd really like to see your singing!
2. Do you have any before/after examples of some of the students that you've taught, just so we can see what that progress with you would look like?
fair questions
Amazing video with so much helpful info. Thank you!!
I have Subscribed ...
Why ??? Because you deserve it
Your that good ...😏
This was such a thorough and technically sound video! I’m really amazed and grateful. Have you done any videos on vowel shapes during singing and vowel modification for high sopranos? I’m searching for information! Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
brilliant Karen!
Great job thanks
Amazing lol- I'm still finding it near impossible to do D sounds without moving my jaw up and down like I'm talking lol! K/Gu sounds are np! Fantastic video, cheers!
Thank you for contributing to my tongue yoga practice 🧘♀️ ❤️
why do I find female vocal teachers much more helpful than male vocal teachers?
1. They always explain technicalities so I understand the why, where, what, how
2. They're explanations is clear
3. They do not travel the ego trip into making me sing something I'm not into
6:07 6:35 7:39 8:26 11:33
Could we hear you sing? The singing you briefly demonstrated was with a closed throat and lacked richness/chiaroscuro.
Very good information thank you so much!
I agree. A great dose of knowledge. Appreciate it Karyn.
Brilliant!
I'm glad you liked it!
I have found that when i press hand on my sternum, my tone becomes smoother and tone production becomes generally much easier and i dont understand why. I have heard from old books of Tetrazini and many others that breath should be leaned against sternum but i have never been able to do that(i just dont get how you press your breath anywhere really). I wonder if this hand pressing is same phenomenon as what old school singers talked about.
I think that the feeling of leaning against the sternum is what is experienced when we maintain the sternum in a moderately elevated position, even as the air in the lungs begins to decrease. In order to do that, the lower ribs and intercostals (back) need to remain active and open, so that is what probably further contributes to a better supported tone. If you're gently placing your hand on the sternum and exerting a slight OUTWARD pressure against it, that may help maintain evenness of breath pressure. (Sorry about the delay in answering this!)
In order to not let our swalloing muscle involve while singing can we put our thumb on hyoid muscles ?
There are some voice teachers and speech therapists who advocate this practice. I think it's fine to manually monitor the thyrohyoid space and even massage the suprahyoid ('swallowing') muscles during singing to help them release. (I never think it's it's a good idea to try to manually hold the larynx down, though!) But in the end, we need to learn to release those suprahyoid muscles without using manual manipulation.
My larynx only descends a few millimeters, or not at all when I breathe in deeply.
Hi again, love your vids as usual, I did have a question about tongue tension issues. If Muscles under the chin are engaging is it always due to tongue tension/ placement?
I ask because It is difficult for me as i seem to have tongue Independence when doing your exercises and making no sound. But I have noticed that in my upper range when i start to make sound for some reason i ingauge those muscles under the chin and the higher i sing the stronger the reaction there. (LOWER RANGE IS A ok) Is there a point in the singing range which these muscles just engage? sort of like larnyx raising when one sings very high? or should there always be no tension under the chin what so ever?
I am also wondering why i sometimes notice this phenomenon when i try to sing louder or with more force?
I feel like my posture is pretty good, and continue to work on it , Is there another component that can cause this to act up? I.e Breath support? or?
Hoping these exercise tips will help alleviate my bad habit and issue so i can sing more freely :)
From what you're describing, it does sound as though you have some unproductive tensions. Those suprahyoid muscles do move when we're articulating our speech sounds, but they should be no more tense/stiff during the singing of high and/or intense notes than they are when you're singing lower or more softly. Typically, the tongue root becomes engaged in an attempt to stabilize the larynx as pitch ascends. I always say that these muscles should be 'working' - they have jobs - but not tensing (becoming stiff and rigid). And yes, poorly managed breath absolutely may have something to do with it. Under supporting, for example, can lead to the throat, tongue, and jaw muscles engaging more in an effort to help 'support' the tone. I have a few more videos that address different aspects of tongue tension, including one that discusses the subject and offers some stretches, etc. (ruclips.net/video/cf6meikbVUg/видео.html), and two that address tongue root tension specifically (which you can find in my 'Tensions' playlist). Hope this helps.
thanks i will check those out :) Also if you don't have videos on it already, i'd love it if you could make some vids on head voice and higher pitched singing for sopranos and mezzos as this has always been a bit of a difficult area for me, and an area i am continuing to work on
The tip of my hyoid bone muscle is tender to the touch and also a bit swollen(near the tip as well) I believe. This has happened a few times now after longer singing sessions. Is this a sign of a bigger problem or is it likely my throat/tongue tension when I sing? I'm not a very experienced singer btw. Any tips to relax those muscles, heat or cold, herbal compress? Thank you.
I have an issue with my hyoid bone. It is un even, meaning the left side is higher than the right. I used to suffer from panic attacks and got very tense in my throat, tongue etc and after some time my larynx started to feel skewed. Under the hyoid bone one the right side there´s hardly any space while on the left there´s plenty. Do you think this is caused by tensions?
How would a tongue tie influence these dynamics?
can you make a video about whistle notes?
I can. I don't know when I could get that out, but I can try. Have you seem Justin Stoney's video on whistle voice?
singwisevocals I have, but I'd like to see a video in "your style" 😁
I can get up to g7 but there's a lot of tension.