VOCALS
MUSCLE MEMORY
WHICH MUSCLES DO I NEED TO TRAIN?
a relaxed/open sound. Improper tongue
BREATHING MUSCLES
placement can jam up the inside of a singer’s
Singing involves lots of muscles and muscles
Proper breathing and support are the
mouth and seriously affect the sound. Work
have memory. SO . . .
foundation of singing. If you don’t train
toward keeping the tongue relaxed and lying
Singing is very physical!
yourself to use these muscles for support,
flat in the mouth with the tip of the tongue
It’s very important as we train and sing
you will default to other muscles that are not
resting against the back of the bottom teeth.
that we create good and HEALTHY muscle
designed to sustain the stress and pressure
memory. This can help to make singing
of singing.
MUSCLES SURROUNDING THE LARYNX
correctly easier.
It’s imperative to learn how to control the
FACIAL MUSCLE
position of your larynx. Otherwise it will tend
Anyone who exercises regularly knows that
The muscles in the face (and mouth) have
to pull upward in your throat and cause
with continued practice, it gets easier to do
a profound effect on the overall sound you
innumerable problems relating to tension,
your workout routine. The more you work
ultimately produce. Tension in the face
tone quality, voicing, etc. Work to keep the
out, the stronger your muscles get. Recently,
is almost never helpful. Relaxed facial
larynx in a neutral position in the throat. This
I had to go through some physical therapy
expressions and vowel shapes help to focus
is tricky for many since it is rarely addressed
for my shoulder. As we
were nearing the end of
our
time
together,
my
physical therapist started
to change up my routine.
He said, “We want to fool
your muscles”. You see, if
my muscles were getting
used to 3 sets of 10 reps,
and I suddenly did three
sets of varying length (10,
11 then 12) it would make
my muscles work harder.
My muscles had already
memorized
the
pattern
and most people create an improper muscle
Watching yourself sing is a
great way to see what you
memory first.
VOCAL FOLDS
The position/tension of the vocal folds
(often referred to as cords) is how we create
actually do with your face
pitch. It is very important to be creating
when you sing. Work toward
Once you have your vocal folds used to
always keeping the lips loose,
muscle memory using CORRECT pitch!
creating accurate pitch it is much easier to
maintain pitch in any situation. For help with
pitch training check out the Roland VT-12
www.rolandus.com/products/vt-12/.
full, and relaxed.
God bless you as you sing for Him!
and so the workout was
becoming easier and easier and he wanted
muscle tension where it SHOULD be: with
to move me to the next level.
the breathing process. (It looks better too!)
Watching yourself sing is a great way to see
Many times when students come to me,
what you actually do with your face when
I have to spend a lot of time with them
you sing. Work toward always keeping
undoing muscle memory, and this makes
the lips loose, full, and relaxed. Don’t over
this difficult for them at first. It’s worth it in
shape your vowels; it only adds tension to
the end of course, but in the meantime it can
your lips and face and will have a negative
be frustrating. So whenever possible, it’s
effect on the sound.
always best to start out using all the RIGHT
muscles and creating a GOOD muscle
TONGUE AND THROAT
memory.
Tongue placement is key to helping keep the
throat relaxed and enabling a singer to have
16
Jul Aug 2016
WorshipMusician.com
SHERI GOULD
Internationally acclaimed
vocal coach with a degree
from U of Illinois. Coaching
since ‘79 and leading worship since ‘85.
www.SheriGould.com