The 9 Biggest Lies, #7

Big Lie #7 – It takes great effort and the coordination of many varied muscles to sing correctly. 

Truth – If you are having difficulties right now, chances are, you actually have TOO MANY muscles trying to help! Singing “as designed” is easier than doing it wrong, and gives you more satisfying results. 

A large part of the “difficulty” most people experience in their singing starts inside their own brains. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not ALL in their brains, but it usually starts there. They trick themselves out. It usually happens like this: 

A singer gets hold of a song they like and it has one of those high notes that sounds very impressive on the radio. That high note is part of the reason they bought the song to try and sing. They put it on and start to sing along and as they approach the big moment, they realize that they are approaching the end of their range! 

What do they do then? They make a choice. 

Possibility #1: They “go for it,” pulling up their chest voice and just blasting through it. Of course if it’s not too far above their break point, they either make it and feel pain, or they don’t make it and falsetto kicks in (usually embarrassing them). 

Possibility #2: It’s right on the edge of their break and they make it but they are never sure they’ll make it the next time. They always feel insecure about it. So…the next time rolls around they try the song again, and as they approach the note that’s supposed to make them feel great, a strange dread and fear kicks in. They begin to “work up to it” in their mind. Their neck begins to show veins. The muscles under the chin jump in to help also. (I’ve had students tell me that their entire neck and back hurts after singing!) They may even begin to breathe irregularly, reducing oxygen supply to the areas that need it. 

So here they are in a wrestling match with their own bodies, wondering why singing is so “hard.” 

The truth is, by the time their minds tell them how hard it is to hit this high note, they’ve enlisted every muscle in the region to “help” and all those muscles jump on board. The trouble is–it causes more strain and can even do damage to the tiny muscles that actually make the sound. 

Part of what Brett Manning has to teach singers caught in this trap, involves some exercises to dis-engage all those external muscles so they get out of the voice’s way. 

To show you what I mean, try one of Brett’s simple exercises here:

Start on a comfortable note and sing “la, la, la” up the scale until you get just past the limit of “comfortable” and then return down the scale. Now place the flat of your thumb under your chin and press upward VERY slightly. Sing the same scale again and chances are, you’ll feel the muscles under your chin start to press your thumb downward. These muscles are NOT needed for singing, and in fact they only add to your strain. 

This time go up the scale and try to consciously keep those muscles from pressing against your thumb. You may not be able to get them to relax

without doing some of the other exercises in Brett’s program to get the strain off your vocal cords. But most likely you WILL be able to do this, and you’ll notice that your voice enjoys this new sensation.

 Next time, I’ll reveal a lie about the nature of singing itself that can severely limit you if you believe it. Until then, check Brett’s program out here. 

Keep singing, 

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