Members F119 Posted October 28, 2016 Members Share Posted October 28, 2016 Hey, folks, I'm having some trouble with my singing. I've always struggled with tension and stuff (I'd literally sing at the lowest volume possible not to be heard), which I'm thankfully overcoming. My most recent issue, tho, is driving me crazy. I've been noticing that I tend to release too much air when sing, especially high notes. As a result, I get tired and the notes sound weak and, not unusually, with an unwanted fry effect. I went to a doctor a couple weeks ago to check my vocal folds and there are no damages (yet).I also noticed most of the air is coming out of my nose and that might be the reason, but I can't find the way to solve it. Is there any exercise or anything to make it stop? Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kickingtone Posted November 6, 2016 Members Share Posted November 6, 2016 A soundcloud clip would be useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PipeDreamTenor Posted November 6, 2016 Members Share Posted November 6, 2016 You need to close your velum port to stop air coming out the nose. A hard 'Nggg-Geee' will help identify this area. Practice scales 'Hung-gee, hung-ah, hung-oo' etc to strengthen the soft palate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members F119 Posted November 8, 2016 Author Members Share Posted November 8, 2016 I'm so sorry I forgot to post the audio.https://clyp.it/2giohjyrIt's poorly recorded and not a good vocalise, but it's possible what i talked about. thx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kickingtone Posted November 8, 2016 Members Share Posted November 8, 2016 A famous classical tenor once said that he could hold a note while somebody punched him in the stomach. That gives you an idea of how much his stomach muscles are engaged while singing. The higher the note you are singing, the HIGHER the air pressure required, and the LOWER the airflow should be! The higher the note, the LESS airflow you need to create a resonant sound. Greater airflow weakens the sound. It seems counter-intuitive, because you may think that high pressure means high airflow. And it will, unless you do something about it. What you do is called "support", and you do it using your abdominal muscles in particular, to HOLD BACK THE AIRFLOW but keep the high pressure. In effect, by precisely controlling your abdominal muscles, you are feeding a reservoir of high pressure through to your vocal cords at a trickle. In doing so, you protect the vocal cords and soft tissue of your larynx (voice box). If you don't manage this, the high pressure air will blast through, causing a weak sound and the fry effect you are hearing. The important thing to remember is that resonance is achieved by the shape of the vocal tract and relaxation of the muscles in your chest, jaw, face, etc. Resonance is not achieved by greater airflow. All the airflow is doing is setting your vocal cords into vibration at the correct frequency. Then the job of the airflow is done. It doesn't take much. The actual resonance is achieved by relaxing and letting those vibrations get to the resonance locations in your vocal tract and nasal cavities, etc. If your muscles are all tied up and tensed against unrestrained airflow blasting through to your vocal cords, they can't do their job of relaxing and feeding the vibrations through to the resonance cavities. And, if you blow harder to try to get more sound, the problem and tension will only get worse. An exercise I use is a whisper siren. You do a very soft sweep from your lowest note to your highest note. The aim is to keep the airflow as soft as a whisper all the way through, and relax. Let the resonance happen by relaxation. Don't try to increase airflow. Here is an early attempt I posted before. At about 18 seconds, you should hear what sounds like a wasp entering the room, and it gets louder :-) I am not using any more air, it is just part of the bone structure of my face going into resonance at that frequency, a bit like when a car starts to rattle sometimes. http://soundcloud.com/kickingtone/sirenslowwhisper Learning how to engage your abdominal muscles and breath from the diaphragm is discussed by Franco Tenelli below. Finally, the ooo sound you are using for your scales can be inherently airy. Why not start with another vowel? Or you could modify your ooo slightly toward an uh sound as in "bird". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members F119 Posted November 13, 2016 Author Members Share Posted November 13, 2016 Thank you VERY much, you've clarified things a LOT!! I'll definitely try these! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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