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SWM-4 from Barbara Lewis on Vimeo.
For those who are interested in ways to learn to sing online here above is the SING WITH ME#4 video from my 9-part series called, "Sing With Me." The first 3 Video-Tip Demos are here:
#1 -
Soothe Your Vocal Cords!
#2 -
Develop Better Vocal Control!
#3 -
Sing High Notes!
YOUR REQUEST!
In each of these videos, I am giving you one or two exercises that you can learn with me (and hopefully, sing with me...) and then add to your daily exercise work, if you feel that the vocalize is really helpful to you.
This week's exercise (#4) starts with something a little different.
I had two e-mails this week from people who asked me to talk more about tongue position, since I mentioned it in a previous video lesson.
So you will find about 90 seconds at the beginning of this new Sing With Me Video clip where I show you how the tongue can get in the way of good sound - and how to encourage your tongue to "park" itself quietly in the bottom of the mouth.
The tip of your tongue touches the back of your bottom teeth. When you sing lyrics, of course your tongue must be very flexible in order to articulate the words.
But you will become aware, as you sing, that your tongue can return to a nice low and out-of-the-way position, as shown in the picture on the right.
You do not want stiffness in the back of your throat due to a depressed tongue. So do not think that I am suggesting you press down the back of your tongue. Instead, it is "parked" there - relaxed and low.
ABOUT THAT "UP AND DOWN" THINKING!
Think “up” when you are singing down the scale and think “down” when you are move up the scale
Why?
We singers tend to think up as we sing higher and down – when we singer lower notes. (Sometimes we even look up, as though the note is somewhere “up there.”)
Actually, all the notes in our singing range come from the same place in the throat. The vocal cords change in texture and length to allow for varying pitches, but all the notes are created at the same source – the vocal cords that sit horizontally in the larynx.
This “thinking up” process can result in actions in the body and throat that may include lifting the shoulders, and/or stiffening the throat in a variety of ways.
I have found that it is helpful to many singers with this tendency to simply think down when they are singing higher and to think up when the phrase goes down. Hopefully, you will understand this concept better when you watch Video #4.
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To talk with me about lessons or coaching, read here first:
Learn To Sing Online! and then
contact me.
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I Wish You Great Singing!
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