Happy New Year! This is the Year of the Horse according to the Chinese calendar. Like a fresh-born foal, I am excited and filled with anticipation (and quite a bit of anxiety). One thing for sure, is that I will keep writing my blog and share my experience as a voice teacher with people from around the world.
I am sure many people included in their list of New Year's resolutions, "Take singing lessons." If you are fortunate to have money to do so, and you are able to find a qualified vocal teacher, kudos for you! The topics I will discuss may also be helpful for those who had gone quite far with voice study. Whichever the case may be, I will try to structure my blog so that readers can learn the techniques step-by- step.
The first thing I want to talk about is posture. Good posture allows the singer to sing with ease. Good posture allows the breath to oxygenate the entire respiratory system, and thus contributes to the longevity of life. You want to sing for as long as you are alive, don’t you?
If you are a singer who prefers sitting (in the case of singer songwriters who play guitar, sitting will be a very common choice), learning to sit correctly will add to the overall physical ease and confidence to sing better.
Interestingly, according to a medical study conducted by the Radiology Society of North America(RSNA), sitting upright causes too much strain on the spinal disks. Instead of sitting at a 90 degree, they suggest leaning back at around 135 degrees in a relaxed manner.
If you are a guitarist who sings, you might want to practice singing comfortably while your back is leaning on the back of a chair (a high back chair is better than a stool, obviously). This posture is beneficial because it will make your chin slightly raised and chest open. You may need to shorten the guitar strap so it will stay in the middle of your torso, not the instrument sitting on your lap (that causes slouching, thus obstructing the air ways).
Much like this:
There’s much to learn from singing cowboys! I am not one of them, nor qualified to render professional medical instruction, but for the sake of the general health benefits alone, I encourage each reader to do more research about how to improve your posture.
For singers who prefer to stand, here’s some basic guidance from my experience as a voice teacher about how to stand with good posture.
1. Stand with your legs shoulder width apart.
2. Distribute your weight evenly onto the four corners of your feet.
3. Straighten you legs by pulling your kneecaps gently in (but don’t lock them), until you feel all the leg muscles are engaged and awake.
4.Pull in the navel gently so that you feel upright.
5. Let the spine draw its natural curve; don't over-straighten your back.
6. Make sure your shoulders align with the sides of your body, not behind them.
See the example here.
Practice this posture in front of the mirror. Then try walking around while breathing normally. Relax your chin. Look straight ahead. If you like, go outside and walk in the street. Swing your arms to and fro with a smile on your face. If nobody notices you are practicing the singing posture, you are doing a good job. A friend might only say you suddenly look self-assured.
The basic rule is to learn how not to obstruct your breath by standing incorrectly. That means NO tightening the lower abdomen, NO slouching, NO raising the shoulders, NO tensing the neck or throat.
Sorry for so many NO’s; here are the positive YES’s. YES to relaxed shoulders, YES to smiling cheeks, YES to the loosened jaw, YES to feeling happy and free, and most of all, YES to your sincere desire to sing better.
Good luck on your new resolution! Next time I will talk about breathing.