Singing stuff...
Jun. 27th, 2007 12:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alixandreaI realised last night, at my penultimate class with Rowena, that I should have been writing up each of the weekly singing workshops I have been attending recently. As I haven't done so, I figured the least I could do would be to write up my new improved singing warm-up and a few other bits and pieces, so here it is. Feel free to use any of the tips below and if you have any that you can give me, that would be great!
Start by shaking out all your limbs, hands and feet. Try to imagine all the tension and irritation of the day leaving your body as you do so. Then stand upright and relaxed, feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent. Swivel the hips in a slow ‘hula-hoop’ movement, first one way, then the other. Feel the movement through your ankles and knees, as well as your hips. Try hula-hooping in figures of eight too.
Put your hands on your hips, lean forwards and swivel your upper body around, feeling the stretch in the intercostal muscles surrounding your ribs.
Stand upright and relaxed, feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent. Squeeze buttocks together and stretch your back, lengthening upwards vertebra by vertebra, as if there is a silken thread running through your spine that is being gently pulled upwards. Keep head facing forwards, don't look up! This process is 'lengthening up through the spine' and is integral to the warm-up.
Repeat the above, but this time raise shoulders as the stretch moves up the back. Breathe in as you lift, then drop them on an sharp exhale. Do this twice.
Repeat the above, this time rolling the shoulders back and downwards slowly on a gentle exhale. Do this twice, then do the same but rolling the shoulders forwards and down twice. Finish by rolling the shoulders back and easing the neck out by moving the head from side to side.
Lengthen up through the spine once more and ease the neck out. Then slowly lay the head down towards one shoulder, feeling the stretch through the other side of your neck. Exhale as you do this, keeping your back straight and upright and your opposite shoulder relaxed. Then breath in again and lift the head slowly back to the starting position. Repeat on the other side.
Repeat the above again, this time relaxing down through the shoulder your head is laid on, feeling it turn soft and warm, breathing out as you do so. Breathe in and gently lift the head back to the starting position. Repeat on the other side.
Lengthen up through the spine, then turn your head until you are looking over your left shoulder, breathing in as you do so. Exhale, swivelling your head on your neck until you are looking over your right shoulder. Repeat, then go back to the centre.
Lengthen up through the spine, then drop your head forward until your chin is almost resting on your chest. Stay relaxed, don’t force anything. Gently twist your head up to the left until your chin is almost on your left shoulder, breathing in as you do so. Exhale sharply, dropping your head back to the centre as you do so. Repeat on your right, then uncurl your head as you breathe in once more.
Lengthen up through the spine, then imagine you have a paintbrush on your nose. Draw a few circles with it, first clockwise then anti-clock. Breathe normally.
Lengthen up through the spine, then lift one arm above your head, stretching upward as if you are trying to get at something on a shelf just a little too far up for you to reach. Exhale and slowly lower the arm, then repeat on the other side. Then lift both arms and stretch them together. Finally, swing arms around as if you are doing a very languid backstroke, then a slow front stroke. Remember to breathe normally and deeply all the while.
If at any point you feel like yawning, do so. It’s incredibly good for stretching the mouth and vocal cords out, as well as getting your breath to a deeper place in your body.
Lengthen up through the spine, then roll your upper body slowly downwards, as if you were rolling over a barrel, exhaling as you do so. Keep the knees bent.[1] Bring your focus to the knobbly bone at the base of your neck. Feel this warming up and softening, with the softness and warmth slowly travelling out across your left shoulder, down your upper arms, wrist, hand and fingers, then through the right shoulder, down your upper arms, wrist, hand and fingers. Ease the neck out by swivelling the head gently from side to side in a slow ‘no’ movement. Remain there for another couple of seconds, then uncurl again very slowly, breathing in gently and lengthening up through the spine as you do so. Your head should be the last thing that rolls upright.
[1] if this position is at all uncomfortable at any point, uncurl slowly out of it.
Starting with your temples and working downwards, give your face a good massage. Press as hard as is comfortable. Use your hands to wobble your cheeks and spend some time massaging along your jaw as a lot of tension is held here. Massage your neck (back and front) gently as well. Buzz your lips together as if you are a child making engine ‘brrrm brrrm’ noises. Finally try moving your tongue around your mouth, saying ‘flibbleibble’ and other gobbledygook words that get it moving around. Then breathe in and exhale sharply, pushing your tongue outwards and downwards as you do so. This makes quite an alarming sound and face!
Lengthen up through the spine again, then bring your focus to your feet. Roll up onto the balls of your feet until you are on tiptoe. Hold for a second or two (whatever is comfortable) then roll back down again. See if you can imagine that your head remains as high up as it was when you were on tiptoe, as if your neck has lengthened to a swan’s. Starting with the big toes, working all the way through the toes, imagine each one becoming softer and warmer, spreading outwards like water. Feel the softness spreading from your little toes around the outside edges of your feet, around your heels and back up the inside edges of your feet. Then feel the softness and warmth spreading back from the tips of all your toes to the roots, underneath the ball of the foot, underneath the instep and finally underneath the heel.
Imagine that you have become a tree, your roots growing down from the corners of each of your feet into rich, fertile soil. Wait until you feel you are firmly rooted to the spot, then lengthen up through your spine again, as if you are growing upwards towards a warm sun. Lift your arms like branches as you do so and breathe in. Be sure to keep your shoulders level at all times – don’t lift them at all. Once your lungs are full, exhale sharply, dropping your arms back to your sides as you do so. Repeat once more. Repeat again, but this time exhale slowly, moving your arms downwards as if their movement is pushing the air out of you. Do this once with your lips pursed, then once with your mouth open in a ‘haaaaa’ exhale.
You should notice at this point that your breath is coming from a deeper place inside you. Your shoulders should not be lifting up at any point and the breath should be entering your lungs as your diaphragm drops downwards. You shouldn’t try to hold your stomach in as it will expand outwards if you are breathing right. I have photos of me singing where I look pregnant because the power and the breath are both coming from my abdomen. To test this, put your thumbs on your abdomen either side of your belly button. Drop your hands below this so they look as if they are hanging from an imaginary belt. Breathe in, feeling your hands moving outwards as your belly expands. Now imagine you have a tyre around your waist, which has a puncture in it. Exhale slowly on a ‘shhhh’ and feel your abdomen slowly getting smaller as the air leaves your body. When you have exhaled all the air, imagine the tyre magically inflating again suddenly, allowing air to quickly drop into the bottom of your lungs as you do so. At no point should you raise your shoulders, they should remain level at all times.
Try doing the exhale on a sliding yawn sound. Feel your soft pallet rising as you do so. Then try making a siren sound, moving from the lowest part of your range to the highest and back again. Start on an ‘mmm’ hum as you go up, then work through some vowel sounds going downwards as follows:
Mmmmaaaaaaaah
Mmmmeeeeeeeee
Mmmmaaaayyyyy
Mmmmeeeehhhhh
Mmmmooooooooo
Mmmmooooooooh
You will probably find there is a point in your voice where you change gear through your upper and lower ranges. It should feel like the power goes out of your voice for a few notes. If you find the area of your voice where this happens and siren up and down around it, it will make the area and the sound stronger until the ‘gear change’ isn’t so noticeable.
Once you feel sufficiently warmed up, try letting the air out on a single note. Choose one that is easy to sing first of all, then work your way first up then down through your range. Try to smile very slightly as you sing and imagine that your mouth, sinuses and head have become a giant cave system. The sound your vocal cords make at source is a buzzing, apparently a bit like a bee in a matchbox! This sound is then amplified through your head to become your singing voice. At no point should you feel you are pushing your voice – there should be no tension at all in your body or vocal cords. As you get higher, imagine you have an elastic band in the back of your throat that is stretching very gently, or try imagining that you are pushing a beach ball or a coffee plunger down into water (or coffee!) as you let the higher notes out. When singing lower notes, imagine you are a tall tree and that the notes are coming up from the earth through your roots. A sung note should travel out of the body on a wave of air, like it is surfing effortlessly. Supporting the voice through your breath is key.
The simple songs below are good for warming up, but I don’t (yet) have samples of them for you to hear. Ask me to teach them to you next time you see me! I was taught them by ear so I’ve no idea if I’ve spelt them correctly. The second one is a nonsense word from the Amazon rainforest and is supposed to sound like the rain, especially when sung in a round with several people. I can’t remember where the first one is from – I think it’s somewhere in Africa.
Bele mama bele mama yay
Bele mama bele mama yay
Bele mama bele mama bele mama bele mama
Bele mama bele mama yay
Amaeebouooeeyay
Amaeebouooeeyay
Finally, play with your voice. Sing your favourite songs. Try them in different styles, different emotions and different keys. Move your body (dance!) while you sing – it’ll make you more relaxed.
I’ll put more stuff up here as I learn/remember it. There is some really useful information here too:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onemusic/startingout/vocalp01.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onemusic/howto/ (the main page).
Start by shaking out all your limbs, hands and feet. Try to imagine all the tension and irritation of the day leaving your body as you do so. Then stand upright and relaxed, feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent. Swivel the hips in a slow ‘hula-hoop’ movement, first one way, then the other. Feel the movement through your ankles and knees, as well as your hips. Try hula-hooping in figures of eight too.
Put your hands on your hips, lean forwards and swivel your upper body around, feeling the stretch in the intercostal muscles surrounding your ribs.
Stand upright and relaxed, feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent. Squeeze buttocks together and stretch your back, lengthening upwards vertebra by vertebra, as if there is a silken thread running through your spine that is being gently pulled upwards. Keep head facing forwards, don't look up! This process is 'lengthening up through the spine' and is integral to the warm-up.
Repeat the above, but this time raise shoulders as the stretch moves up the back. Breathe in as you lift, then drop them on an sharp exhale. Do this twice.
Repeat the above, this time rolling the shoulders back and downwards slowly on a gentle exhale. Do this twice, then do the same but rolling the shoulders forwards and down twice. Finish by rolling the shoulders back and easing the neck out by moving the head from side to side.
Lengthen up through the spine once more and ease the neck out. Then slowly lay the head down towards one shoulder, feeling the stretch through the other side of your neck. Exhale as you do this, keeping your back straight and upright and your opposite shoulder relaxed. Then breath in again and lift the head slowly back to the starting position. Repeat on the other side.
Repeat the above again, this time relaxing down through the shoulder your head is laid on, feeling it turn soft and warm, breathing out as you do so. Breathe in and gently lift the head back to the starting position. Repeat on the other side.
Lengthen up through the spine, then turn your head until you are looking over your left shoulder, breathing in as you do so. Exhale, swivelling your head on your neck until you are looking over your right shoulder. Repeat, then go back to the centre.
Lengthen up through the spine, then drop your head forward until your chin is almost resting on your chest. Stay relaxed, don’t force anything. Gently twist your head up to the left until your chin is almost on your left shoulder, breathing in as you do so. Exhale sharply, dropping your head back to the centre as you do so. Repeat on your right, then uncurl your head as you breathe in once more.
Lengthen up through the spine, then imagine you have a paintbrush on your nose. Draw a few circles with it, first clockwise then anti-clock. Breathe normally.
Lengthen up through the spine, then lift one arm above your head, stretching upward as if you are trying to get at something on a shelf just a little too far up for you to reach. Exhale and slowly lower the arm, then repeat on the other side. Then lift both arms and stretch them together. Finally, swing arms around as if you are doing a very languid backstroke, then a slow front stroke. Remember to breathe normally and deeply all the while.
If at any point you feel like yawning, do so. It’s incredibly good for stretching the mouth and vocal cords out, as well as getting your breath to a deeper place in your body.
Lengthen up through the spine, then roll your upper body slowly downwards, as if you were rolling over a barrel, exhaling as you do so. Keep the knees bent.[1] Bring your focus to the knobbly bone at the base of your neck. Feel this warming up and softening, with the softness and warmth slowly travelling out across your left shoulder, down your upper arms, wrist, hand and fingers, then through the right shoulder, down your upper arms, wrist, hand and fingers. Ease the neck out by swivelling the head gently from side to side in a slow ‘no’ movement. Remain there for another couple of seconds, then uncurl again very slowly, breathing in gently and lengthening up through the spine as you do so. Your head should be the last thing that rolls upright.
[1] if this position is at all uncomfortable at any point, uncurl slowly out of it.
Starting with your temples and working downwards, give your face a good massage. Press as hard as is comfortable. Use your hands to wobble your cheeks and spend some time massaging along your jaw as a lot of tension is held here. Massage your neck (back and front) gently as well. Buzz your lips together as if you are a child making engine ‘brrrm brrrm’ noises. Finally try moving your tongue around your mouth, saying ‘flibbleibble’ and other gobbledygook words that get it moving around. Then breathe in and exhale sharply, pushing your tongue outwards and downwards as you do so. This makes quite an alarming sound and face!
Lengthen up through the spine again, then bring your focus to your feet. Roll up onto the balls of your feet until you are on tiptoe. Hold for a second or two (whatever is comfortable) then roll back down again. See if you can imagine that your head remains as high up as it was when you were on tiptoe, as if your neck has lengthened to a swan’s. Starting with the big toes, working all the way through the toes, imagine each one becoming softer and warmer, spreading outwards like water. Feel the softness spreading from your little toes around the outside edges of your feet, around your heels and back up the inside edges of your feet. Then feel the softness and warmth spreading back from the tips of all your toes to the roots, underneath the ball of the foot, underneath the instep and finally underneath the heel.
Imagine that you have become a tree, your roots growing down from the corners of each of your feet into rich, fertile soil. Wait until you feel you are firmly rooted to the spot, then lengthen up through your spine again, as if you are growing upwards towards a warm sun. Lift your arms like branches as you do so and breathe in. Be sure to keep your shoulders level at all times – don’t lift them at all. Once your lungs are full, exhale sharply, dropping your arms back to your sides as you do so. Repeat once more. Repeat again, but this time exhale slowly, moving your arms downwards as if their movement is pushing the air out of you. Do this once with your lips pursed, then once with your mouth open in a ‘haaaaa’ exhale.
You should notice at this point that your breath is coming from a deeper place inside you. Your shoulders should not be lifting up at any point and the breath should be entering your lungs as your diaphragm drops downwards. You shouldn’t try to hold your stomach in as it will expand outwards if you are breathing right. I have photos of me singing where I look pregnant because the power and the breath are both coming from my abdomen. To test this, put your thumbs on your abdomen either side of your belly button. Drop your hands below this so they look as if they are hanging from an imaginary belt. Breathe in, feeling your hands moving outwards as your belly expands. Now imagine you have a tyre around your waist, which has a puncture in it. Exhale slowly on a ‘shhhh’ and feel your abdomen slowly getting smaller as the air leaves your body. When you have exhaled all the air, imagine the tyre magically inflating again suddenly, allowing air to quickly drop into the bottom of your lungs as you do so. At no point should you raise your shoulders, they should remain level at all times.
Try doing the exhale on a sliding yawn sound. Feel your soft pallet rising as you do so. Then try making a siren sound, moving from the lowest part of your range to the highest and back again. Start on an ‘mmm’ hum as you go up, then work through some vowel sounds going downwards as follows:
Mmmmaaaaaaaah
Mmmmeeeeeeeee
Mmmmaaaayyyyy
Mmmmeeeehhhhh
Mmmmooooooooo
Mmmmooooooooh
You will probably find there is a point in your voice where you change gear through your upper and lower ranges. It should feel like the power goes out of your voice for a few notes. If you find the area of your voice where this happens and siren up and down around it, it will make the area and the sound stronger until the ‘gear change’ isn’t so noticeable.
Once you feel sufficiently warmed up, try letting the air out on a single note. Choose one that is easy to sing first of all, then work your way first up then down through your range. Try to smile very slightly as you sing and imagine that your mouth, sinuses and head have become a giant cave system. The sound your vocal cords make at source is a buzzing, apparently a bit like a bee in a matchbox! This sound is then amplified through your head to become your singing voice. At no point should you feel you are pushing your voice – there should be no tension at all in your body or vocal cords. As you get higher, imagine you have an elastic band in the back of your throat that is stretching very gently, or try imagining that you are pushing a beach ball or a coffee plunger down into water (or coffee!) as you let the higher notes out. When singing lower notes, imagine you are a tall tree and that the notes are coming up from the earth through your roots. A sung note should travel out of the body on a wave of air, like it is surfing effortlessly. Supporting the voice through your breath is key.
The simple songs below are good for warming up, but I don’t (yet) have samples of them for you to hear. Ask me to teach them to you next time you see me! I was taught them by ear so I’ve no idea if I’ve spelt them correctly. The second one is a nonsense word from the Amazon rainforest and is supposed to sound like the rain, especially when sung in a round with several people. I can’t remember where the first one is from – I think it’s somewhere in Africa.
Bele mama bele mama yay
Bele mama bele mama yay
Bele mama bele mama bele mama bele mama
Bele mama bele mama yay
Amaeebouooeeyay
Amaeebouooeeyay
Finally, play with your voice. Sing your favourite songs. Try them in different styles, different emotions and different keys. Move your body (dance!) while you sing – it’ll make you more relaxed.
I’ll put more stuff up here as I learn/remember it. There is some really useful information here too:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onemusic/startingout/vocalp01.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onemusic/howto/ (the main page).
