@randymsw1 The tongue & neck exercises I have posted simply release excess tension and dysfunction in these areas. However, we still than have to learn how to operate the muscles in these areas so tensions and pain are not re-introduced when singing.
@jspankin I'm not sure. My next plan is to create a series of videos on breathing technique for singers. It will take a little while to plan these, and I am about to take a month's sabbatical for writing. Being realistic, this means possibly March before the next videos appear. But keep an eye on my website Oxford Singing Lessons, as I may well write some instructional notes there before I get round to making the videos.
@voicewisdom Thank you very much for the reply, but I've heard that keeping the tongue flat causes the root to push into the pharynx, thus blocking resonance; why are there two different thoughts on this topic? Also, I'm told that there should be a "furrow" or "trench" going down the middle of the tongue, what is your opinion on these two issue?
@Seres1091 Trying to 'keep the tongue flat' or 'create a furrow' tends to make singers tense their tongues in ways that are counter-productive. The key issue here is to free the muscles around tongue and jaw that are normally tight on most people. Then trust the tongue to go where it needs to for optimal singing. It moves a lot for different vowels and consonants, so never stays in one place (e.g. flat or furrowed). See the articulators link on my resources page on my website.
@voicewisdom Again, thank you for the reply. I realize that the tongue should never jump back into the pharynx, but appearently this teacher (David L. Jones) believes that the tongue should be arched all the time only (sent links in private messaging); he say this is the "Italian/Swedish school" of singing. All of his other topics make perfect sense, but this one is confusing. Do you have an opinion on his view?
@voicewisdom I am not a voice trainer or anything but I read the tongue should neither be flat nor curved like a spoon, but it should be raised up as CLOSE to the position it would be when humming on the "NG" consonant with the tip of the tongue gently touching the back of the bottom teeth. It should be CLOSE to this NG position on all VOWELS. However you should not try to *force* the tongue in this position when singing an actual song but rather let the tongue go however it wants.
@jspankin Thinking of a tongue 'position' is not helpful. When we articulate vowels and consonants, it is is constantly on the move - the middle and tip have to move a lot. Even when we sing just one vowel, but move over our pitch range, the tongue must move subtly in order for us to maintain a rich, ringing, consistent tone throughout. It is far more useful for a singer to think about tongue freedom, rather than tongue position.
@voicewisdom ok i agree for the most part. Do you have a view on retracting the "false vocal folds" above the true folds as when laughing in order to hit higher notes? or do you believe this will just cause tension?
Some people online say this will enable high notes to sound richer and be easier to hit want do you think. Have ever heard of this technique? do you think it is healthy?
@jspankin Retracting false folds is, in my view, an issue only for those who are over-tense in jaw, tongue, throat and neck in their general singing. No extra 'opening' is required for the high notes, and no special intervention is needed for the false folds. The 'laughter' idea for opening the folds and generally relaxing the throat is a good one in general for singing. I never use the word 'hit' and 'note' in the same sentence - hitting (or even 'reaching' ) notes is not a concept I encourage!
Thank you so much for this great video. Just a quick question, is the tongue suppose to take the 'NG' position at all times during singing or only sometimes?
@Seres1091 It's hard to answer this with only 500 characters! The back of the tongue must be a) free moving, b) clear of the back of the mouth which is a very important resonating area. The tongue moves all the time, in articulating language, so it is never in one place all the time. Moving the tongue 'towards' NG position as much as possible, is definitely something to aim for. An actual NG makes tongue and velum connect, closing the mouth airway, creating the nasal NG sound.
@wind0ws1000 Free the tongue, and you usually free both the larynx ('voice box' containing the vocal cords) and the resonating space of the mouth ....
@KarineRibbens With the tongue curl, you can aim to draw the jaw slightly back as it drops, which helps release tension between jaw and larynx. Yes, the hyoglossus helps flatten the back of the tongue - creating a larger resonating space at the back, and helping the larynx drop. One way to get the right action of this muscle is to imagine swallowing a plum whole, or 'sword swallowing' (or the old English challenge of pouring a pint of beer down your 'open throat').
@voicewisdom Do you know the work of Eugene Feuctinger? He said that te Hyo G is one of the most important muscle for singing and speaking and that the palate should stay down and the uvula contract while the tongue grooves at the back? Is the plum swallowing the same as an ''open throat?'' Sing on a yawn? Because then the Palate lifts? (Your website and the resources are Amazing :) Pity I am not in UK...
@KarineRibbens I think that 'open throat', 'plum swallowing' and 'yawn' are all trying to achieve similar ideas. Fundamentally, we're looking for a free jaw (not stretched forward or 'pushed' down), the back of the tongue dropped and grooved, and the soft palate high
@Estefmg Once you have checked in the mirror for what your tongue is doing, focus on the 'feel' of the tongue, and how the muscles have loosened underneath and behind your jaw. This is the feeling you need to reproduce when you are singing, even when you are not stretching the tongue into these positions. And, of course, we need to be able to replicate these feelings also when we don't have a mirror as a feedback system.
Thank you thank you thank you! My tongue and neck were killing me. You're a lifesaver.
randymsw1 2 days ago
@randymsw1 The tongue & neck exercises I have posted simply release excess tension and dysfunction in these areas. However, we still than have to learn how to operate the muscles in these areas so tensions and pain are not re-introduced when singing.
voicewisdom 2 days ago
when are you uploading more videos?
jspankin 1 month ago
@jspankin I'm not sure. My next plan is to create a series of videos on breathing technique for singers. It will take a little while to plan these, and I am about to take a month's sabbatical for writing. Being realistic, this means possibly March before the next videos appear. But keep an eye on my website Oxford Singing Lessons, as I may well write some instructional notes there before I get round to making the videos.
voicewisdom 1 month ago
this video is great, thanks! and sorry, but in some parts I really can't hide a laugh! ;)
merovingio89 2 months ago
STOP SCARING ME!!!!!
KimCullen10 2 months ago
@voicewisdom Thank you very much for the reply, but I've heard that keeping the tongue flat causes the root to push into the pharynx, thus blocking resonance; why are there two different thoughts on this topic? Also, I'm told that there should be a "furrow" or "trench" going down the middle of the tongue, what is your opinion on these two issue?
Seres1091 4 months ago
@Seres1091 Trying to 'keep the tongue flat' or 'create a furrow' tends to make singers tense their tongues in ways that are counter-productive. The key issue here is to free the muscles around tongue and jaw that are normally tight on most people. Then trust the tongue to go where it needs to for optimal singing. It moves a lot for different vowels and consonants, so never stays in one place (e.g. flat or furrowed). See the articulators link on my resources page on my website.
voicewisdom 4 months ago
@voicewisdom Again, thank you for the reply. I realize that the tongue should never jump back into the pharynx, but appearently this teacher (David L. Jones) believes that the tongue should be arched all the time only (sent links in private messaging); he say this is the "Italian/Swedish school" of singing. All of his other topics make perfect sense, but this one is confusing. Do you have an opinion on his view?
Seres1091 4 months ago
@voicewisdom I am not a voice trainer or anything but I read the tongue should neither be flat nor curved like a spoon, but it should be raised up as CLOSE to the position it would be when humming on the "NG" consonant with the tip of the tongue gently touching the back of the bottom teeth. It should be CLOSE to this NG position on all VOWELS. However you should not try to *force* the tongue in this position when singing an actual song but rather let the tongue go however it wants.
jspankin 1 week ago
@jspankin Thinking of a tongue 'position' is not helpful. When we articulate vowels and consonants, it is is constantly on the move - the middle and tip have to move a lot. Even when we sing just one vowel, but move over our pitch range, the tongue must move subtly in order for us to maintain a rich, ringing, consistent tone throughout. It is far more useful for a singer to think about tongue freedom, rather than tongue position.
voicewisdom 1 week ago
@voicewisdom ok i agree for the most part. Do you have a view on retracting the "false vocal folds" above the true folds as when laughing in order to hit higher notes? or do you believe this will just cause tension?
Some people online say this will enable high notes to sound richer and be easier to hit want do you think. Have ever heard of this technique? do you think it is healthy?
jspankin 4 days ago
@jspankin Retracting false folds is, in my view, an issue only for those who are over-tense in jaw, tongue, throat and neck in their general singing. No extra 'opening' is required for the high notes, and no special intervention is needed for the false folds. The 'laughter' idea for opening the folds and generally relaxing the throat is a good one in general for singing. I never use the word 'hit' and 'note' in the same sentence - hitting (or even 'reaching' ) notes is not a concept I encourage!
voicewisdom 3 days ago
Thank you so much for this great video. Just a quick question, is the tongue suppose to take the 'NG' position at all times during singing or only sometimes?
Seres1091 5 months ago
@Seres1091 It's hard to answer this with only 500 characters! The back of the tongue must be a) free moving, b) clear of the back of the mouth which is a very important resonating area. The tongue moves all the time, in articulating language, so it is never in one place all the time. Moving the tongue 'towards' NG position as much as possible, is definitely something to aim for. An actual NG makes tongue and velum connect, closing the mouth airway, creating the nasal NG sound.
voicewisdom 4 months ago
@voicewisdom thank you Alexander!! These answers really help! I think Seres has been introduced to the Feuchtinger technique :)
KarineRibbens 1 week ago
Great video set!
Have helped me get better tone immediately.
Thanks alot.
wind0ws1000 6 months ago
@wind0ws1000 Free the tongue, and you usually free both the larynx ('voice box' containing the vocal cords) and the resonating space of the mouth ....
voicewisdom 6 months ago
Keeping an eye out......................... ;)
KarineRibbens 10 months ago
I feel the Jaw when I do the tongue curl! Is that ok...maybe a stretch or the jaw being pushed forward and down by the tongue?
Do you know the Hyo-glossus muscle that is supposedly a beneficial tongue muscle for singing? The groove at the back(way back).......
Thank you for these!!!!!!
KarineRibbens 10 months ago
@KarineRibbens With the tongue curl, you can aim to draw the jaw slightly back as it drops, which helps release tension between jaw and larynx. Yes, the hyoglossus helps flatten the back of the tongue - creating a larger resonating space at the back, and helping the larynx drop. One way to get the right action of this muscle is to imagine swallowing a plum whole, or 'sword swallowing' (or the old English challenge of pouring a pint of beer down your 'open throat').
voicewisdom 10 months ago
@voicewisdom Do you know the work of Eugene Feuctinger? He said that te Hyo G is one of the most important muscle for singing and speaking and that the palate should stay down and the uvula contract while the tongue grooves at the back? Is the plum swallowing the same as an ''open throat?'' Sing on a yawn? Because then the Palate lifts? (Your website and the resources are Amazing :) Pity I am not in UK...
KarineRibbens 10 months ago
@KarineRibbens I think that 'open throat', 'plum swallowing' and 'yawn' are all trying to achieve similar ideas. Fundamentally, we're looking for a free jaw (not stretched forward or 'pushed' down), the back of the tongue dropped and grooved, and the soft palate high
voicewisdom 10 months ago
I always thought I had a lot of tension in my tongue, and working in front of the mirror seems to be helping a lot, thanks again!!!
Estefmg 11 months ago
@Estefmg Once you have checked in the mirror for what your tongue is doing, focus on the 'feel' of the tongue, and how the muscles have loosened underneath and behind your jaw. This is the feeling you need to reproduce when you are singing, even when you are not stretching the tongue into these positions. And, of course, we need to be able to replicate these feelings also when we don't have a mirror as a feedback system.
voicewisdom 11 months ago
Please feel free to leave comments. I aim to reply to all of them!
voicewisdom 11 months ago