As a voice teacher with my BA and MA in voice performance, I have never been as clear on the anatomy of the singing voice as when you explain it. Thank you so much.
Hello Karyn! I just wanted to thank you for your videos and for the articles in your website. I am a professional classical singer and, although I was familiar with most of the concepts you explain, I have to say nobody had ever explained them to me as clearly as you do. I had several teachers that used to talk about this concepts without really knowing what they were saying, and now after reading your articles I finally can see everything clearly. I finally understand the instrument and I also feel more capable to explain it to my students. Thank you so much!!
You deserved more subscribers. You're different from the other youtubers that teaches singing. I can relate all of the words that comes from your mouth. Thank you so much keep it up :)
You're welcome :). My voice isn't feeling well right now. My throat hurts even when I'am not speaking/singing. I think it had an infection because last time my voice was hoarse and it hurts when I speak. I tried to sing when I can speak a little, and then I can't reach high notes easily like last time. I struggle a lot and I strain just to reach the high notes which I think I lose my range. I gargle and drink warm water and I put my neck on a steam and exercise and meditate. I'am doing anything I can and hoping that my voice will be recovered. :)
I just want to thank you for your great job. I have been singing for 20 years now and lately I found out that I never used correct way of singing. I always pulled my chest voice up to A4 ! and I thought that is my natural voice. After I started searching through internet three months ago I met different courses, videos and articles and realized non of them had nothing in common and had lack of scientific basis. Recently I checked your website and I am still continuing reading all of your interesting information about voice. I really appreciate it and want you to know your information is clear and easy to understand and on real scientific bases and there are no confusion in it. I'm sure it will be the only reference for me which I can trust. Congrats for your youtube channel. Please continue your great job. by the way you are one of rare female vocal coaches on the internet who really understands male voices and is familiar with more difficult situations that men face during their break and falsetto voice.
I really appreciate you encouragement and feedback about my website! In some ways, the male voice is easier to understand than the female voice. It's often more clear cut. (Some might not agree with me, but that has been my experience.)
Hi, Karyn - thanks so much for this excellent overview of doing a silent reset of our sometimes over-torqued vocal mechanisms. I know I'll be using this in my own coaching and singing. Kudos!
Mentally doing something absolutely helps from my experience. Back in the years I played basketball, I would imagine shooting on the way to games and while I also physically practiced a lot...I had excellent % and made shots that...really I don't think I should have (like while falling backwards..etc..) other than just the simple..."KNOWINGNESS/trust/confidence" that comes with visualization of simply doing something without the pressure of doing it. With singing, practicing forms and such in silence also requires one to really be with what's happening...not just getting to the sound but really feeling inside.
Thanks for this comment! Yes, I believe that people often underestimate the effectiveness of mental rehearsal, but it's been proven in numerous studies to be highly effective when it comes to training, especially athletics.
I am a voice major student. I am a tenor and I have been working very hard but I just cannot get over the amount of tension I get in my throat and tongue. Thank you for this video, it gave me a lot to think. I think I tend to be too harsh trying to singing but I will spend more time to prepare my instrument before singing.
I'm glad this video has been helpful! Please let me know if there is any further help I can provide. (I also have videos on managing jaw and tongue tension.)
+singwisevocals I have uneven chest pectoral diaphragm muscle tone deformation due being nearly murdered as a toddler. My paternal grandma tried to murder me and kicked me in the chest as a toddler. I have some tremolo problems but due have natural vibrato but was told I by my adoptive dad I will never be able to sing since I was 6.
@@blackdog1153 nothing is impossible one of the most brilliant Arab classic singers was having weakness in one side of her lungs but she managed to be the best in her time ever and until now no one can sing her genius way ..." Asmahan " mixed opera with oriental music . Mind can change everything I believe in that totally so begin with some strong belief like "I can and I will"
Hello! Sorry I’m late to the party ... thanks for this great video. Just wanted to ask - I have a frustrating habit where I can set up the voice like this fairly well with breath, but as soon as I try to vocalise, some constrictor muscles above the vocal folds activate and hamper my voice (especially in the upper register). I wonder if you had any tips on trying to re-structure this part correctly? 😁
Yes makes sense . I have what some specialist call spasmodic dyshonia . I find I need to think about went wrong as words can't say I try to get correct feel on words, vowels. So I do some wording very slow to get the feel. And tongue position definitely need to keep it toward bottom teeth. thanks for wonderful video gave me more tools to work with
I'm having problems during controlled exhalation, like for the second exercise. There are times where this doesn't happen, but it's 100% unpredictable and really unsettling and demotivating.. What happens is that, after some seconds of exhalation (4-5 usually), it's like something starts to gradually tense up in my throat, as if there was something pushing up my larynx, right at the bottom of the larynx. As I keep going it becomes more uncomfortable, and I feel the need to inhale again, as if I was running out of breath (but I still have quite a bit of air), and everything climaxes in a sound similar to what it sounds like to yawn (low vibrations, suggesting there's a muscle that's pheraps taking the load, getting tense, and vibrating, inducing the sound) and in a sudden stop of the exhalation that's out of my control, kinda lika a hiccup. Thing is, I can try to fight all of this when it happens by really squeezing the muscles controlling the diaphragm, but I'm unsure whether that's actually the best solution, as adding that much tension in the diaphragm when still doing breathing exercises, without phonation, feels a bit excessive to me, and really difficult, especially considering there are times when this problem doesn't occure, yet I have no idea what I might be doing differently in those cases. This is something I've been dealing with since I started working on breathing (several months ago now), and back then I really thought none of it, since I figured it was probably normal, considering my body wasn't really used to being on apnea (intended as absence of incoming air) for an extended period of time. But the more I keep working, the more I fear it might not be my body just not being used to exhalation, cause while practicing support while singing it's never happened anything like this. This really worries me because I feel like I'm able to work on proper breathing and support only while phonating as well, which I'm not a big fan of, too much things to think at once, and as you quoted we can't play an instrument as it's still being built.. Summary, I have really no idea what's about to happen anytime I open my mouth to inhale and start singing, which is normal for a not experienced singer, but this problem is making it almost impossible for me to practice breathing so that I can build that experience and get stable and valuable progress. I hope anything of this sounds any familar to you, I've found this video extremely helpful, inspiring and easy to understand, but this simple problem alone makes everything potentially useless EDIT: Just remembered, for some reason it happens much more frequently if I'm exhaling from my mouth, with my mouth open, opossed to enhaling from my nose with my mouth closed, in which case it rarely happens. Also if I'm able to power through the first time it happens and keep on exhaling, then it happens again, and again, and again, everytime more and more quickly until it becomes unbearable.
Karyn, wonderful video, thanks so much for this. I have also used these types of techniques for piano and even for athletic movements (my other career besides music was personal training and I incorporated lots of agility movements). I had not really thought about using it for singing so this was eye opening. In fact I shared this video to my FB page for my other singing friends to see! Great content as always, again thanks!:)
This is helpful, because I have trouble worth my voice in speaking. This is a better technique because when I use the voice it doesn't come out as I would like. There is a man with the Alexander Technique the has a similar voice challange, as me. Do you know is neme
Dear Karyn please make video about singing in Tune and memorizing melodies and so on. I have inherit problem with pitch, generally i can sing in tune most melodies, but there are parts in songs which i find really hard to memorize and hear in my head to sing them. For example recitative from Celeste Aida is really hard for me to sing without help of piano. please help, i feel like i will never be able to confidently sing in tune every melody i like.
I appreciate you sharing all this Karyn. But 'thinking' about all this ALONE can cause tension to build up in the body. Wouldn't it interfere with our ability to let go and relax?
Mrs O'Connor, I was wondering, is it more efficacious to breathe into a sung phrase, or to start singing from a position kind of like having yer breathe held (after having inhaled)?
I believe, regardless of singing style/genre, it's always a good idea to balance out the expiratory (e.g., rising of diaphragm, squeezing of abdominal girdle, etc.) and inspiratory (e.g., lateral expansion around the lower ribs and epigastric area) forces. We obviously need to generate some subglottal pressure - an over pressure - in order to set the vocal folds vibrating, but research has shown that, even for very loud singing, the elastic recoil forces of the diaphragm, lungs, ribs, and viscera alone are more than adequate at generating enough subglottal pressure for any 'support' needs. So, when we balance the expiratory and inspiratory forces, we prevent the (early) collapse of the support posture and musculature, which helps to keep subglottal pressures appropriate for the singing task. If we collapse that posture, then we are breathing and managing our breath from a position of mechanical disadvantage. I plan to record a video series on breath management, probably starting next month.
Hi Karyn, well done on the great videos! I suffer from MTD, would this technique be suitable for someone like me to help recover my voice. Unfortunately traditional speech therapy has been unsuccessful so far😔 I'm learning so much about the anatomy of the voice by watching you, thanks so much! Susie.
Hi Karyn, I recently got the book 'The new voice'. Would you recommend working through the exercises in the book? In other words, are they safe and effective? Have you/any of your student had any experience and benefits from the book? Thanks
As a voice teacher with my BA and MA in voice performance, I have never been as clear on the anatomy of the singing voice as when you explain it. Thank you so much.
So kind of you to write this comment!
I come back to this video over and over again!
I'm a Brazilian voice teacher and I LOOOOOVE your tips.
Hello Karyn! I just wanted to thank you for your videos and for the articles in your website. I am a professional classical singer and, although I was familiar with most of the concepts you explain, I have to say nobody had ever explained them to me as clearly as you do. I had several teachers that used to talk about this concepts without really knowing what they were saying, and now after reading your articles I finally can see everything clearly. I finally understand the instrument and I also feel more capable to explain it to my students. Thank you so much!!
I am so glad to hear that! Comments like yours are part of what makes my vocation so incredibly rewarding!
I’m so glad you understand, could you practice explaining with me?
You deserved more subscribers. You're different from the other youtubers that teaches singing. I can relate all of the words that comes from your mouth. Thank you so much keep it up :)
Awww. That's so sweet of you to say so. I appreciate the encouraging words.
You're welcome :). My voice isn't feeling well right now. My throat hurts even when I'am not speaking/singing. I think it had an infection because last time my voice was hoarse and it hurts when I speak. I tried to sing when I can speak a little, and then I can't reach high notes easily like last time. I struggle a lot and I strain just to reach the high notes which I think I lose my range. I gargle and drink warm water and I put my neck on a steam and exercise and meditate. I'am doing anything I can and hoping that my voice will be recovered. :)
Wispered ah saved my voice years ago... I'm glad there are more teachers using it to recover the easy way of singing! You're great!
Hi,could you please explain this ah a little more?
I need a lot more vocal examples and demonstration of these exercises
This channel deserves a million subs
please upload more videos like this that we can learn more about
This may just change my singing forever and for the better. Thank you from the bottom of my heart Karyn. Much love & respect.
wow I just learned so much. Thank you
I love your videos. Thank you for sharing!
I just want to thank you for your great job. I have been singing for 20 years now and lately I found out that I never used correct way of singing. I always pulled my chest voice up to A4 ! and I thought that is my natural voice. After I started searching through internet three months ago I met different courses, videos and articles and realized non of them had nothing in common and had lack of scientific basis. Recently I checked your website and I am still continuing reading all of your interesting information about voice. I really appreciate it and want you to know your information is clear and easy to understand and on real scientific bases and there are no confusion in it. I'm sure it will be the only reference for me which I can trust.
Congrats for your youtube channel. Please continue your great job.
by the way you are one of rare female vocal coaches on the internet who really understands male voices and is familiar with more difficult situations that men face during their break and falsetto voice.
I really appreciate you encouragement and feedback about my website! In some ways, the male voice is easier to understand than the female voice. It's often more clear cut. (Some might not agree with me, but that has been my experience.)
How far up is ok to go with chest voice? Like, how do i know?
Hi, Karyn - thanks so much for this excellent overview of doing a silent reset of our sometimes over-torqued vocal mechanisms. I know I'll be using this in my own coaching and singing. Kudos!
You're most welcome! And thank you for your wonderful comment.
Mentally doing something absolutely helps from my experience. Back in the years I played basketball, I would imagine shooting on the way to games and while I also physically practiced a lot...I had excellent % and made shots that...really I don't think I should have (like while falling backwards..etc..) other than just the simple..."KNOWINGNESS/trust/confidence" that comes with visualization of simply doing something without the pressure of doing it.
With singing, practicing forms and such in silence also requires one to really be with what's happening...not just getting to the sound but really feeling inside.
Thanks for this comment! Yes, I believe that people often underestimate the effectiveness of mental rehearsal, but it's been proven in numerous studies to be highly effective when it comes to training, especially athletics.
I am a voice major student. I am a tenor and I have been working very hard but I just cannot get over the amount of tension I get in my throat and tongue. Thank you for this video, it gave me a lot to think. I think I tend to be too harsh trying to singing but I will spend more time to prepare my instrument before singing.
I'm glad this video has been helpful! Please let me know if there is any further help I can provide. (I also have videos on managing jaw and tongue tension.)
+singwisevocals I have uneven chest pectoral diaphragm muscle tone deformation due being nearly murdered as a toddler. My paternal grandma tried to murder me and kicked me in the chest as a toddler. I have some tremolo problems but due have natural vibrato but was told I by my adoptive dad I will never be able to sing since I was 6.
@@blackdog1153 nothing is impossible one of the most brilliant Arab classic singers was having weakness in one side of her lungs but she managed to be the best in her time ever and until now no one can sing her genius way ..." Asmahan " mixed opera with oriental music . Mind can change everything I believe in that totally so begin with some strong belief like "I can and I will"
You have a new subscriber! You channel is one of the best out there. You explain everything in such amazing detail.
Such fabulous perspectives. Appreciate it. Bob
Thank you, Bob. I appreciate the fact that you are watching!
Karyn, thank you so much for your website and videos that are so precise and helpful!
Can't wait to watch your "inhalare la voce" video :)
Another brilliant video. I would love to hear what you have to say about the SPLAT and/or the 'zipped' abdominals! Thanks again!
Damn, you got this.. the truth is in the name. Sing Wise.
Thank you so much! You're videos and website are so helpful :)
You're very welcome. I'm so glad you're finding them helpful!
Hello! Sorry I’m late to the party ... thanks for this great video. Just wanted to ask - I have a frustrating habit where I can set up the voice like this fairly well with breath, but as soon as I try to vocalise, some constrictor muscles above the vocal folds activate and hamper my voice (especially in the upper register). I wonder if you had any tips on trying to re-structure this part correctly? 😁
Super video as always ! Looking fabulous too
Yes makes sense . I have what some specialist call spasmodic dyshonia . I find I need to think about went wrong as words can't say I try to get correct feel on words, vowels. So I do some wording very slow to get the feel. And tongue position definitely need to keep it toward bottom teeth. thanks for wonderful video gave me more tools to work with
this is such an unbelievably wonderful, helpful tool... I love it, thank Karyn
I'm happy to hear that!
I'm having problems during controlled exhalation, like for the second exercise. There are times where this doesn't happen, but it's 100% unpredictable and really unsettling and demotivating..
What happens is that, after some seconds of exhalation (4-5 usually), it's like something starts to gradually tense up in my throat, as if there was something pushing up my larynx, right at the bottom of the larynx. As I keep going it becomes more uncomfortable, and I feel the need to inhale again, as if I was running out of breath (but I still have quite a bit of air), and everything climaxes in a sound similar to what it sounds like to yawn (low vibrations, suggesting there's a muscle that's pheraps taking the load, getting tense, and vibrating, inducing the sound) and in a sudden stop of the exhalation that's out of my control, kinda lika a hiccup.
Thing is, I can try to fight all of this when it happens by really squeezing the muscles controlling the diaphragm, but I'm unsure whether that's actually the best solution, as adding that much tension in the diaphragm when still doing breathing exercises, without phonation, feels a bit excessive to me, and really difficult, especially considering there are times when this problem doesn't occure, yet I have no idea what I might be doing differently in those cases.
This is something I've been dealing with since I started working on breathing (several months ago now), and back then I really thought none of it, since I figured it was probably normal, considering my body wasn't really used to being on apnea (intended as absence of incoming air) for an extended period of time. But the more I keep working, the more I fear it might not be my body just not being used to exhalation, cause while practicing support while singing it's never happened anything like this.
This really worries me because I feel like I'm able to work on proper breathing and support only while phonating as well, which I'm not a big fan of, too much things to think at once, and as you quoted we can't play an instrument as it's still being built..
Summary, I have really no idea what's about to happen anytime I open my mouth to inhale and start singing, which is normal for a not experienced singer, but this problem is making it almost impossible for me to practice breathing so that I can build that experience and get stable and valuable progress.
I hope anything of this sounds any familar to you, I've found this video extremely helpful, inspiring and easy to understand, but this simple problem alone makes everything potentially useless
EDIT: Just remembered, for some reason it happens much more frequently if I'm exhaling from my mouth, with my mouth open, opossed to enhaling from my nose with my mouth closed, in which case it rarely happens. Also if I'm able to power through the first time it happens and keep on exhaling, then it happens again, and again, and again, everytime more and more quickly until it becomes unbearable.
You are a smart cooky great videos : )
:)
Awesome video. Thank you
You're welcome.
Karyn, wonderful video, thanks so much for this. I have also used these types of techniques for piano and even for athletic movements (my other career besides music was personal training and I incorporated lots of agility movements). I had not really thought about using it for singing so this was eye opening. In fact I shared this video to my FB page for my other singing friends to see! Great content as always, again thanks!:)
Thanks for sharing the video! I really appreciate that.
You are amazing! - just had to tell you, even tho I hope you already know! :) - From Denmark
Thank you so much for your sweet compliment!
singing is really hard, thank you for helping out! I think I should get a teacher, maybe soon I'll find the motivation to spend the money :D
This is helpful, because I have trouble worth my voice in speaking.
This is a better technique because when I use the voice it doesn't come out as I would like.
There is a man with the Alexander Technique the has a similar voice challange, as me.
Do you know is neme
Is it bad to sing while inhaling? I mean, in general. At all. Good or bad for your voice?
Dear Karyn please make video about singing in Tune and memorizing melodies and so on. I have inherit problem with pitch, generally i can sing in tune most melodies, but there are parts in songs which i find really hard to memorize and hear in my head to sing them. For example recitative from Celeste Aida is really hard for me to sing without help of piano. please help, i feel like i will never be able to confidently sing in tune every melody i like.
I'll do that this week!
Disappointing that the link doesn't work in the description for the Alexander Technique.
Try this link: ua-cam.com/video/dzw_6aF6IrM/v-deo.html
I appreciate you sharing all this Karyn. But 'thinking' about all this ALONE can cause tension to build up in the body. Wouldn't it interfere with our ability to let go and relax?
Mrs O'Connor, I was wondering, is it more efficacious to breathe into a sung phrase, or to start singing from a position kind of like having yer breathe held (after having inhaled)?
I believe, regardless of singing style/genre, it's always a good idea to balance out the expiratory (e.g., rising of diaphragm, squeezing of abdominal girdle, etc.) and inspiratory (e.g., lateral expansion around the lower ribs and epigastric area) forces. We obviously need to generate some subglottal pressure - an over pressure - in order to set the vocal folds vibrating, but research has shown that, even for very loud singing, the elastic recoil forces of the diaphragm, lungs, ribs, and viscera alone are more than adequate at generating enough subglottal pressure for any 'support' needs. So, when we balance the expiratory and inspiratory forces, we prevent the (early) collapse of the support posture and musculature, which helps to keep subglottal pressures appropriate for the singing task. If we collapse that posture, then we are breathing and managing our breath from a position of mechanical disadvantage. I plan to record a video series on breath management, probably starting next month.
Hi Karyn, well done on the great videos! I suffer from MTD, would this technique be suitable for someone like me to help recover my voice. Unfortunately traditional speech therapy has been unsuccessful so far😔 I'm learning so much about the anatomy of the voice by watching you, thanks so much! Susie.
How are you feeling now?
A very kind and beautiful teacher who looks like Jennifer Aniston is teaching me how to sing :) This channel is intriguing.
Does this work for dysphonia
Hi Karyn, I recently got the book 'The new voice'. Would you recommend working through the exercises in the book? In other words, are they safe and effective? Have you/any of your student had any experience and benefits from the book? Thanks
What sort of structure will be achieved? :)
Hello medam,I have sore throught how I recover my main voice plz suggest
Setup, setup, setup!
This is Great thank you
You're most welcome! Thanks for commenting.
2:53 4:50 6:25
Ow I subscribed To your channel : )
Thanks for subscribing!
You know what you are talking about but it does seem to give the
impression singing is complicated.
I’m guess you read think and grow rich :)
Imp stuff ..... TY1
but less Babble would be better. w/ all due respect .