How to overcome tightness in your voice?

Tightness in the voice is a problem that accompanies many vocalists. As a rule, the higher the note, the more tense the voice sounds, and the more difficult it becomes to sing further. A suppressed voice most often sounds like a scream, and this scream results in “kicks” occurring, the voice breaks down, or, as they say, “gives a cock.”

This problem is significant for the singer, so it’s not easy to get rid of it, but, as they say, nothing is impossible. So, let’s talk about how to remove tightness in your voice?

Physiology

In vocals, as in sports, everything is based on physiology. We must feel physically that we are singing correctly. And to sing correctly means to sing freely.

The correct singing position is an open yawn. How to make such a position? Just yawn! You feel that a dome has formed in your mouth, a small tongue is raised, the tongue is relaxed – this is called a yawn. The higher the sound, the longer you stretch out the yawn, but leave your jaw in one position. In order for the sound when singing to be free and full, you need to sing in this position.

And also, don’t forget to show everyone your teeth, sing while smiling, that is, make a “bracket”, show a cheerful “smiley”. Direct the sound through the upper palate, take it out – if the sound stays inside, it will never sound beautiful. Make sure that the larynx does not rise and the ligaments are relaxed, do not put pressure on the sound.

A striking example of the correct position is Polina Gagarina’s performance at Eurovision 2015, watch the video. While singing, Polina’s small tongue is visible – she yawned so much, that’s why her voice resonates and sounds free, as if there are no limits to her capabilities.

Maintain the brace and yawn position throughout the entire singing: both in chants and in songs. The sound will then become lighter, and you will notice that it becomes easier to sing. Of course, the problem will not go away after the first attempt; the new position needs to be consolidated and become a habit; the result will not keep you waiting for years.

Exercises

Chants to get rid of tightness in the voice are also based on physiology. When performing exercises, the main thing is to maintain position and brace.

• You can sing “Bdeya, bdeya, bde, bde”, “Briya-briya-briya-briya-bri”, “Miya-miya-miya-miya-mi”, “Lyuya-lyuya-lyuya-lyuya-lyu”, going down by 5 sounds of key, for example: from “sol” to “do” in C major. Remember to keep your jaw in one position and keep your larynx and ligaments free, without changing position.
• Sing “E” along the notes do-sol-fa-mi-re-do, staying in the same position on the upper and lower sounds, gradually increasing the pitch.
• High notes are often played by shouting, so try singing them quietly, gradually increasing the volume of the sound. If this starts to work out, then freedom has come to the voice.

The famous vocal teacher Marina Polteva works using an excellent method based on sensations (she is a teacher in the shows “One-to-one” and “Exactly” on Channel One). You can attend her master class or find a lot of material on the Internet and take a lot of useful information for your vocal development.

Desire, faith and work

Thoughts are material – this is a long-discovered truth, so the key to success is believing in yourself and visualizing what you want. If it doesn’t work out after a month, much less a week of exercise, don’t despair. Work hard and you will definitely achieve what you want. Imagine that the sound moves on its own, without any clamps, visualize that it is easy for you to sing. After effort, you will conquer even the most difficult songs with a huge sound range, believe in yourself. Good luck to you!