I feel like I’ve been straining my voice, whenever I sing, my throat closes up, I think it also comes from a feeling of uncomfortableness because it also closes up when I feel uncomfortable. What do I do?
#Tightness in Throat
grand cypress
bright hornet
I feel like I’ve been straining my voice, whenever I sing, my throat closes up, ...
what style are you singing? Does this happen when you go to belt, sing higher notes, or both, or anything else? It could be a number of things, from lack of training and exercises to a mental block about the notes that are being sung.
grand cypress
Just singing in general, it doesn’t matter how high or low
I’m doing Pop and K-pop and occasionally blues
I’m self taught so it’s most likely from bad technique
bright hornet
oo blues. Love that.
It could very well be from bad technique, but it could be from overthinking as well. Relax when you go to sing (I know that's easy to say and hard to do.) Do some warming up on sliding scales. Keep your mouth loose and relaxed, and make sure your tongue is as well. Tongue placement goes a long way with throat tightening.
grand cypress
I place my tongue up
I’ve also noticed that nowadays, I tend to bring my throat out more..? , like a gagging reflex but not actual gagging
bright hornet
if you're placing your tongue against the roof of your mouth, it closes off the throat. "Bringing out your throat" is also causing a sorta... glottal stop which is going to cut off air through to the vocal chords.
grand cypress
I do it because I want a jawline 😭
bright hornet
don't worry about your jawline when you're singing ❤️
grand cypress
if you're placing your tongue against the roof of your mouth, it closes off the ...
And my tongue at the roof of my mouth has become so habitual that it feels weird talking or singing without it being there
bright hornet
that's probably going to have to be unlearned, because you're causing the tightness in your throat that way. It's restricting the airflow. It'll be weird to unlearn, but it'll be much better for your throat health while singing.
bright hornet
no worries. we all have lives. :)))
just keep it lowered and loose/relaxed. That should help a lot.
bright hornet
No problem! I hope it helps.
grand cypress
I tried it with my tongue down
Was it uncomfortable, yes
But did it ultimately feel better,
Also yes
brave hearth
I tried it with my tongue down
To make that even easier for you, try having the tip of your tongue lay on top of your teeth when singing scales or slides (I know it sounds weird, but it'll help you relax further)
grand cypress
I think I’m unconsciously tightening my throat
I just noticed this
Even with my tongue resting at bottom with the tip at the top of my teeth
I still feel tension
Im pushing my face forward
And I think the back of my tongue is doing smth to make it worse
I think I’m pushing my neck forward
Maybe it’s not so much tongue tension
But neck tension
brave hearth
But neck tension
That would explain it as well. A good way to help with that is actually to sing while laying down. It'll help keeping you in a relaxed posture, engage your core more and it'll get too uncomfortable after a while to constantly raise your head to push your neck forward. Maybe that'll help getting that transition from a strained neck to a more relaxed posture
grand cypress
I wanna start from the basics all over again
But
I’m quite scared to sing now because I’m scared of that pain
Because it hurts so much
And it also causes me to be tense
brave hearth
And it also causes me to be tense
That would require a vocal break, let your voice rest (singing voice) for a week or two. That way you prevent permaneny vocal damage, especially when you're already in pain when singing.
After that you can slowly start with scales, slides, lip trills. Just to see how your voice is feeling. I know it's a long process, but better to take a break than to risk permanent damage
grand cypress
That would require a vocal break, let your voice rest (singing voice) for a week...
It doesn’t hurt that bad since the lying down
But it still suck
*sucks
I really do it’s from my neck position
grand cypress
I feel just a teensy weensy bit of pressure now
How do I fix that
I fixed the majority by jaw, cheekbones and neck exercises
Still gonna rest
My voice though
brave hearth
Like the area where my jaw starts
So you're over extending your jaw and clenching it together? Or what exactly is happening there?
grand cypress
So you're over extending your jaw and clenching it together? Or what exactly is ...
I’m extending my jaw and when I sing, I don’t know how, but I just happen to apply pressure on my jaw
brave hearth
I’m extending my jaw and when I sing, I don’t know how, but I just happen to app...
Bad habits, die hard.
It's probably just something you've learned along the way. But easily manageable. Now that you know what you need to look out for, it'll be much easier to unlearn.
Vocal break and then starting with easy exercises while laying down. You'll be hyper aware of your jaw movement which will help you. Another thing you can do is the straw exercise. Due to the specific nature of the exercise, it'll further help you stepping away from that bad habit.
grand cypress
It’s gonna be hard starting from the basics all over again
But it’s better than permanent damage
brave hearth
But it’s better than permanent damage
Most important now, is to give your voice a break. Let it rest and heal.
Then within 2 weeks time you can check in with a light exercise. See how it feels, how you feel and how your voice is doing.
Depending on that, we can go on. And don't worry, we've got more than enough good basic exercises that can be switched up and played with to make the experience of learning from there again, more enjoyable 😃
grand cypress
Hey
Is it okay to start trying to sing now?
I’ve been taking it as easy as I possibly could
I just wanna make sure it’s getting better
I even took medicine
brave hearth
I'd give it a couple days more to give your voice proper rest