Have you seen Bruce Lee in “Game of Death"? Aside from his charisma, lightening-fast nunchaku technique and his dazzling fashion sense of choosing to wear the yellow jumpsuit, Bruce Lee can also teach singers how to strengthen their voice.
Bruce Lee's famous shouting falsetto, “Wha...ta ta ta....h!" is a good example of supported belting in head-register. Looking at Lee's chiseled ab, I wonder whether shouting caused his abdomen to be so firm, or at least contributed somewhat to sculpting it. I learned that in martial arts, many men shouts in order to protect their internal organs from being counterpunched. Strong, piercing yawp, is produced when they inhale very quickly, thus firming the outer muscles of their frontal torso as the shield. Also the sound could easily impair the fighting spirit of menacing opponents, even rage of a towering grizzly bear. The voice is a powerful weapon. To prove my point, try watching the fighting scenes in Game of Death without audio. I guarantee the scene will turn into something as benign as a little girl skipping in the flowing meadow.
I hear my students often complain about hoarseness after singing just for ten minutes. But often they do not utilize the protective mechanism available in their own body. I would like to say, if Bruce Lee takes his voice seriously, why not singers? We can bring down the house, without a nunchaku, but the result is almost the same. Roaring ovation.
I hear my students often complain about hoarseness after singing just for ten minutes. But often they do not utilize the protective mechanism available in their own body. I would like to say, if Bruce Lee takes his voice seriously, why not singers? We can bring down the house, without a nunchaku, but the result is almost the same. Roaring ovation.
Here is the exercise. Try imitating his high-pitched "Ah..chaaaaa!" from the top of your head. Do it by quickly pulling in the stomach. Try to use the abdominal muscle, not the throat. The voice should be pushed out only by the quick, jabbing pump action in lower abdomen. Keep the mouth wide open and relaxed. Do not be concerned with the voice quality or volume, only concentrate on abdominal action pushing up and out the breath.
Seriously, I am not asking you to be a kungfu master, just singing. It is so much easier than learning what Mr. Lee had accomplished, trust me. All you have to endure is people's cold, startled gazes, that is, if you did this exercise out in public. Even then, nobody will come after you with a 10-foot spear or a spiked iron ball with a chain. And remember, the yellow jumpsuit is optional.