Hello Jim Johnson, my name is John Jimmson from Germany. I have found your instructions very useful in improving my speech in English. I am now a very charismatic man thanks to your help!
I don't know if this helps anyone else, but I'm taking a vocal camp currently and one of our instructors recommended after you are able to raise the palate with one of these tricks, to find what that feels like when held and give it a number from 1-10. It doesn't matter what number, it's the number you choose. Then, when you need to raise it again, try recalling the number mentally and it may help you ease off the training wheels and raise the palate by itself. I found it is helping me, and I have TERRIBLE trouble with soft palate in regards to projecting my voice.
This is one of the most helpful things I have EVER seen in regards to lifting the soft palate. Voice teachers everywhere should make this mandatory. If I had seen this years ago might career may have gone differently! Geez. Thank you very much for your expertise!
I appreciate this vid. If vocal teachers would actually show a visual presentation rather than just saying “lift the soft palate”, then students would understand what it means.
I found out myself, that if I stopped breathing through my nose and only my throat, the palate lifts, and then I started singing without getting into the nasal resonance, and little by little as my voice got used to singing with the soft palate lifted and everything seemed relaxed, i started to accessing the nasal resonance, and it really helped me.. I dont know if anyone perhaps would find this gateway useful? I sure did
Correct. If the soft palate is not down or open, the sound is not nasal. See my other video about nasal vs. twang to hear another distinction. You may think you're being nasal when you are only using twang... but a Nasal sound, by definition, has to go through the nose, meaning the palate is dropped.
Hi ,Jim Johnson , thank you for your excellent work ! English is my second language , your video helps me a lot to know more about the mechanism of articulation . But I am still not sure that whether every sound , except m n g , need to be pronounced with the velum lifted to the highest point that will not let the air , even just a little , go through the nose ? or It still has space which size is determined by the circumstances ? waiting for your kindhearted answer . Thank you !
M N & NG are the only ones that should let air/sound escape through the nose. Depending on circumstances/context, vowels can certainly be nasalized - they are a lot of the time, especially when they are before or after one of the nasal consonants. But nasalizing other consonants would be problematic - that could make them, basically, not work! Plosives wouldn't have the exploding power; fricatives would lose their "friction" and they would be really quiet. Now... a hint of nasality carrying over is possible, but it causes problems. Really, that is a rare issue - the real problem is overly nasalized vowels. I hope this helps!
thank you for your help , I got your point . in my pronunciation , I feel hard to lift the soft palate up to contact the pharynx . for example , I found that when I pronounce the T sound , the exploding power come from the glottis by closing the vocal cords , not at the place of contact of the alveolar and the tongue tip . is that right ? thanks again !
Sun Hui You're probably feeling it in both places. Whenever people stop the flow of a plosive, such as a T, they are closing both at the point of articulation and at the vocal folds (glottis). (This wouldn't be the case with a T in the flow of a word, such as the T in sTop, but it would likely happen with the T in Take.) Great observation!
Because I was not only teaching you, I was also hypnotizing you. Obviously my hypnosis wasn't fully effective because your check hasn't come in the mail yet... damn.
Allergies are probably not affecting it lifting/raising, but you probably notice a difference because your nasal passage is full of mucus! This clogs the passage and changes the sound because it's NOT going through your nose - it's excluded from your nose because you're stuffed up. Plug your nose by pinching it off. Does this match? While it's plugged, you'll either lift the palate to cut it off fully, or leave it open and the sound is stuck in your nose. Either way it's a bizarre sound!
Hi Jim: Very cool. I've got an odd, audible clicking that happens when my soft palate relaxes, during speech or breathing (bad for me since I'm an aspiring voice actor!) Your exercises 'work' for me in the sense that the clicking goes away when my palate is lifted (it also happens when I lie down or hunch over) but I obviously can't work a mic that way. I'm interested in the concept of "muscle memory"-- how to 'learn' the correct position so that in normal conversation, I keep it. Any pointers?
Hey bud I have had the same problem for close to a year now. My back left of palate clicks when i finish a sentence, blow out and bend over. Did you fix yours and how?
I lift the soft palate by just thinking of a bad smell. Smelled a lot of bad things in 37 years...That muscle is pretty strong :P Never knew a closed nasal cavity controlled the height of the soft palate, though. That is really cool. I don't even have to yawn at all to lift it and keep it domed. Curious about how to keep the glottis down while singing high notes, though. Also wondering how to do guttural vocals (Seven Mary Three) without any pain. Probably used too much air before.
The soft palate is the gateway to the nasal cavity - if you "plug your nose" due to a bad smell without using your hands (so you're plugging it internally) you're lifting your soft palate to close off that gateway. Yawn again, and you might notice your larynx (which contains your glottis) dropping down - that can be a way for you to feel the muscles involved in keeping your larynx lowered. (That said, you need to be careful to not keep it depressed as that can result in vocal problems.) In general, you need to keep your throat open, which may mean keeping your larynx a little more neutral in the mouth - though it probably wants to go up as you go up in pitch, and your throat is probably closing, too. I'm not a singing teacher, so this is a bit more outside of my specialization, but I believe the guttural quality you're referring to is caused primarily by the False Vocal Folds (Vestibular Folds) coming inward. The challenge is to bring them together without closing the rest of the throat and even getting in the way of the action of the "true" vocal folds. You'll tend to hear this in someone with a blood curdling scream, and this is something I have not mastered being able to do in a healthy way... making me a lame-o at Halloween parties. Most of the time, people need to focus on more air flow, but - especially with regards to singing - sometimes people actually use too much. You need less airflow, in general, for high pitches than you do for low pitches, when the vocal folds are moving slower.
I don't think you can push a guttural sound, though. When I do it, it's extremely loud-sound guys are constantly turning my mic down, even though I'm holding it 3 feet from my mouth. It's full voice as well- not head. My understanding is that false-fold screaming can never be very loud, because you're not using your true cords to produce the sound- false folds just kind of flap in the breeze and are available only in one volume "flavor". (no, not kale.. ;)
You're probably being breathy - not all of your air is becoming vibrations on the way out. It's possible your vocal folds (VFs) don't come together enough in a way that you can't shift, but it's very possible that you just don't bring your VFs together out of habit. Try being a lot louder (temporarily) and that could get you fully "on your voice." Also, come onto a vowel suddenly: Aaah! That shock on can be bad in the long run, but it can show if it's physiological. New vid soon on this!
Thank u 4 this vid. I just wanna ask if its right to keep my head down to lift the soft palette when hitting high notes the way Angie Miller and David Cook do . :)
Allergies will definitely affect your singing and your voice in general, but I don't know that they will affect the use of your soft palate. Allergies inflame your vocal folds, which make it harder for them to be as pliable, especially for hitting higher notes. This can also lead you to using too much tension in your throat, which can eventually lead to problems like nodes... bad news...
Hi thanks for the awesome video! I can feel the sensations you're talking about but id like to understand them better. Can you recommend any resources on the mechanical and/or neurological connections?
Unfortunately, no... I tend to do whatever works with actors learning the accent or the vocal principle. If anyone has resources to recommend, I'd love to know more.
Question for you Jim: A lot of English speakers (usually in US) sometimes make a clicking noise when they resume speaking after a pause; for instance when starting a new sentence. You did it at 2:20. Do you know what this click is called?
bumblefritz Correct! I'm not meaning anything by it. I built up a vacuum in my mouth, and then opened it. I think the click is actually the suction of my tongue against the roof of my mouth. I do this semi-frequently, partially, because I'm a heavy salivater... (Add to the list of things you didn't want to know about me.) I find that I have to swallow more often than normal to reduce the saliva in my mouth, which is part of why I spit more (accidentally) on stage. In a recent one-man show I did, I literally had to figure out moments to swallow, as it was so fast paced. If I hadn't, the audience would have... well, let's not go there... If you're looking for a name for this click - they IPA actually calls it a "click." Convenient, eh?
I don't know about this for sure, but it seems that there may be some kind of pressure build up for this to result in a "plosive" clicking sound... Are you sure it's your velum and not your tongue that's clicking? You could email me directly (though the AccentHelp site) and we could try to talk this through...
I have a question, though I'm not sure if you will know the answer. I have a high palate, which means that the hard palate in my mouth is raised very high and the entire roof of my mouth is quite narrow. I haven't tried manipulating the soft palate but every other thing I've tried hasn't seemed to make my voice sound any better. It always sound very...flat and dull. But I was wondering, do you think that a high palate will affect my sound in a bad way?
I don't have enough experience with an extreme arch of the hard palate, and it's also very hard to guess at this without seeing whether you're truly outside of "normal" regarding your palate... I did have a friend who had a very high hard palate and a very narrow mouth. She was a professional actress and singer, so I can attest to it not having a negative effect on her voice. (She has gone through a surgical procedure to change the shape of her mouth, but it was for her teeth and not her voice.) My guess is that you would likely have other "variable" elements that you could work on to address the tone of your voice. You should probably set up a meeting with an ENT to get an examination, if you haven't already, to find out what is a given and what you could have some conscious control over.
Under?! Peanut butter? Or do you actually mean above? (That means it's in your nasal space... which I had happen once when I had the flu. Ew. It just took time to come back out.) If it's below, you could actually scrape it off with a finger or toothbrush, but you'll be hanging out near stuff that sets off the gag reflex... I don't suggest you use a vacuum. But if you do, please send pictures.
People usually breathe in through their mouths for speech anyway, as it's a faster way to get the air for speech. If you're lifting it constantly and fully, you'll sound like you have a stuffed up nose - so that's not the point of it. The issue is that most people default to a fairly closed throat and a soft palate that isn't expanding the space in the back of the mouth as much as would likely serve people's resonance. Make sense?
HI JIm! Thank you very much for your advices! I just want to ask you. If you have to still have your soft palate lifted when you're not speaking. Or you only have to lift it when you're speaking. Hope you will answer
SBEMTv When I'm working on being able to lift it, I will do it when I'm not talking, but in general, I don't. This is just primarily to make you aware of lifting it and the effect it can have on your voice.
Jim Johnson Thank you very much! I noticed that when I speak with my soft palate lifted, mucus tend to form in my throat. Is tehre anyway to stop this? am i doing something wrong? You've been really helpful to me thank you very much. Gabriele
omg i really sounds different doing this 'cheat', but i wonder what if my friends see my weird face when singing using this cheat. i can't raise the soft palate without using this cheat
Eventually you should be able to do this without the cheat, but it may take some practice. Try to yawn with your mouth closed - then try a half-yawn in the same way. With a quarter-yawn, can you then try to speak? This should get you part of the way there, too!
So basically to be a great singer you have to drinking 10 cans of red bull to get your energy up, keep your eyes wide open and even go crazy eyed, semi yawn with a slight Jack Nicholson smile while on your tippy toes - Gotcha! ... Ok American Idol imma coming for ya!!
I never knew that you can do an exercise to help with sleep apnea but this is great news cuz I cannot sleep with that damn CPAP biPAP machine or by technician a damn mask gets on my nerves
I'm MORE than hesitant to say that these exercises will take care of sleep apnea! Being able to open your throat and get a more responsive soft palate when you are conscious of what you are doing is what I'm addressing here. It can even become unconscious over time as it becomes habitual, but I don't know that it will work when you are literally unconscious, such as when you are sleeping. You're getting outside of my expertise here, but I my guess is that this would be unlikely to be the silver bullet you're hoping for...
It's not right or wrong, but keeping your chin down may help. It might be even better to think of lifting at the back of your head where it meets the neck - you especially don't want to let your neck collapse there. Side note: a little twist of your head & neck can help you to release muscles in your neck that may engage when you try to hit a high note, so you may be able to sing higher if you do a little overly emotional head twist & tilt. You also look like you're really getting into it! ewww
I was actually just working with some students last week on getting them to raise their soft palate more while singing - usually it's about finding a trick to cause it initially, before you find a way to consciously do it.
I don't have any additional insight for you, especially not being about to see it and hear you. Perhaps a good thing to bring up the next time you're at the doc... You've basically moved to questions beyond my pay grade!
So I know this trick is really known for singing...I can lift it just fine but no way in hell can I sing with this raised! It automatically drops and causes tension and it's just a mess for singing
It's not just about lifting it up purely vertically - it's also about gaining some space slightly to the side, and upward at the sides, rather than all of the upper soft palate collapsing downward. I do find that I can hold it a bit higher as I speak and also as I sing. Tiny gains in space can have a big impact on resonance, so it doesn't have to be a big movement.
Hello Jim Johnson, my name is John Jimmson from Germany. I have found your instructions very useful in improving my speech in English. I am now a very charismatic man thanks to your help!
I don't know if this helps anyone else, but I'm taking a vocal camp currently and one of our instructors recommended after you are able to raise the palate with one of these tricks, to find what that feels like when held and give it a number from 1-10. It doesn't matter what number, it's the number you choose. Then, when you need to raise it again, try recalling the number mentally and it may help you ease off the training wheels and raise the palate by itself. I found it is helping me, and I have TERRIBLE trouble with soft palate in regards to projecting my voice.
This is one of the most helpful things I have EVER seen in regards to lifting the soft palate. Voice teachers everywhere should make this mandatory. If I had seen this years ago might career may have gone differently! Geez. Thank you very much for your expertise!
Thanks for letting me know, Stephanie!
@Chris Gamboa Not that I know of, but I haven't pursued that...
Quite a number of tricks I learned in this video, thanks I appreciate it!
I appreciate this vid. If vocal teachers would actually show a visual presentation rather than just saying “lift the soft palate”, then students would understand what it means.
I found out myself, that if I stopped breathing through my nose and only my throat, the palate lifts, and then I started singing without getting into the nasal resonance, and little by little as my voice got used to singing with the soft palate lifted and everything seemed relaxed, i started to accessing the nasal resonance, and it really helped me.. I dont know if anyone perhaps would find this gateway useful? I sure did
Why Was this more helpful than most singing instructionals on youtube?
Awesome, I'm gonna practice this.
Correct. If the soft palate is not down or open, the sound is not nasal. See my other video about nasal vs. twang to hear another distinction. You may think you're being nasal when you are only using twang... but a Nasal sound, by definition, has to go through the nose, meaning the palate is dropped.
Hi ,Jim Johnson , thank you for your excellent work ! English is my second language , your video helps me a lot to know more about the mechanism of articulation . But I am still not sure that whether every sound , except m n g , need to be pronounced with the velum lifted to the highest point that will not let the air , even just a little , go through the nose ? or It still has space which size is determined by the circumstances ? waiting for your kindhearted answer . Thank you !
M N & NG are the only ones that should let air/sound escape through the nose. Depending on circumstances/context, vowels can certainly be nasalized - they are a lot of the time, especially when they are before or after one of the nasal consonants. But nasalizing other consonants would be problematic - that could make them, basically, not work! Plosives wouldn't have the exploding power; fricatives would lose their "friction" and they would be really quiet. Now... a hint of nasality carrying over is possible, but it causes problems. Really, that is a rare issue - the real problem is overly nasalized vowels. I hope this helps!
thank you for your help , I got your point . in my pronunciation , I feel hard to lift the soft palate up to contact the pharynx . for example , I found that when I pronounce the T sound , the exploding power come from the glottis by closing the vocal cords , not at the place of contact of the alveolar and the tongue tip . is that right ? thanks again !
Sun Hui You're probably feeling it in both places. Whenever people stop the flow of a plosive, such as a T, they are closing both at the point of articulation and at the vocal folds (glottis). (This wouldn't be the case with a T in the flow of a word, such as the T in sTop, but it would likely happen with the T in Take.) Great observation!
Because I was not only teaching you, I was also hypnotizing you. Obviously my hypnosis wasn't fully effective because your check hasn't come in the mail yet... damn.
2:16 lol best facial expression
Allergies are probably not affecting it lifting/raising, but you probably notice a difference because your nasal passage is full of mucus! This clogs the passage and changes the sound because it's NOT going through your nose - it's excluded from your nose because you're stuffed up. Plug your nose by pinching it off. Does this match? While it's plugged, you'll either lift the palate to cut it off fully, or leave it open and the sound is stuck in your nose. Either way it's a bizarre sound!
Hi Jim: Very cool. I've got an odd, audible clicking that happens when my soft palate relaxes, during speech or breathing (bad for me since I'm an aspiring voice actor!) Your exercises 'work' for me in the sense that the clicking goes away when my palate is lifted (it also happens when I lie down or hunch over) but I obviously can't work a mic that way. I'm interested in the concept of "muscle memory"-- how to 'learn' the correct position so that in normal conversation, I keep it. Any pointers?
Hey bud I have had the same problem for close to a year now. My back left of palate clicks when i finish a sentence, blow out and bend over. Did you fix yours and how?
My son loves it when I wake him in the middle of the night with that face. He's 17, but he still wets the bed...
I lift the soft palate by just thinking of a bad smell. Smelled a lot of bad things in 37 years...That muscle is pretty strong :P Never knew a closed nasal cavity controlled the height of the soft palate, though. That is really cool. I don't even have to yawn at all to lift it and keep it domed. Curious about how to keep the glottis down while singing high notes, though. Also wondering how to do guttural vocals (Seven Mary Three) without any pain. Probably used too much air before.
The soft palate is the gateway to the nasal cavity - if you "plug your nose" due to a bad smell without using your hands (so you're plugging it internally) you're lifting your soft palate to close off that gateway. Yawn again, and you might notice your larynx (which contains your glottis) dropping down - that can be a way for you to feel the muscles involved in keeping your larynx lowered. (That said, you need to be careful to not keep it depressed as that can result in vocal problems.) In general, you need to keep your throat open, which may mean keeping your larynx a little more neutral in the mouth - though it probably wants to go up as you go up in pitch, and your throat is probably closing, too.
I'm not a singing teacher, so this is a bit more outside of my specialization, but I believe the guttural quality you're referring to is caused primarily by the False Vocal Folds (Vestibular Folds) coming inward. The challenge is to bring them together without closing the rest of the throat and even getting in the way of the action of the "true" vocal folds. You'll tend to hear this in someone with a blood curdling scream, and this is something I have not mastered being able to do in a healthy way... making me a lame-o at Halloween parties.
Most of the time, people need to focus on more air flow, but - especially with regards to singing - sometimes people actually use too much. You need less airflow, in general, for high pitches than you do for low pitches, when the vocal folds are moving slower.
I don't think you can push a guttural sound, though. When I do it, it's extremely loud-sound guys are constantly turning my mic down, even though I'm holding it 3 feet from my mouth. It's full voice as well- not head. My understanding is that false-fold screaming can never be very loud, because you're not using your true cords to produce the sound- false folds just kind of flap in the breeze and are available only in one volume "flavor".
(no, not kale.. ;)
You're probably being breathy - not all of your air is becoming vibrations on the way out. It's possible your vocal folds (VFs) don't come together enough in a way that you can't shift, but it's very possible that you just don't bring your VFs together out of habit. Try being a lot louder (temporarily) and that could get you fully "on your voice." Also, come onto a vowel suddenly: Aaah! That shock on can be bad in the long run, but it can show if it's physiological. New vid soon on this!
Thank u 4 this vid. I just wanna ask if its right to keep my head down to lift the soft palette when hitting high notes the way Angie Miller and David Cook do . :)
Allergies will definitely affect your singing and your voice in general, but I don't know that they will affect the use of your soft palate. Allergies inflame your vocal folds, which make it harder for them to be as pliable, especially for hitting higher notes. This can also lead you to using too much tension in your throat, which can eventually lead to problems like nodes... bad news...
Great great video! Is it normal to feel fatigued learning to keep it higher? Over time it becomes automatic and effortless? Thanks a lot.
I think we get tired with almost anything we are taking on... basically, yes, it may feel that way.
Thanks, man with Kevin Spacey's voice.
Hi thanks for the awesome video!
I can feel the sensations you're talking about but id like to understand them better. Can you recommend any resources on the mechanical and/or neurological connections?
Unfortunately, no... I tend to do whatever works with actors learning the accent or the vocal principle. If anyone has resources to recommend, I'd love to know more.
I wish someone would do soft palate exercises only.
Thank you!
Could you tell me if a palatal tori can have any effect on vocal sound or resonance? I have one and have always wondered. Thank you.
Could allergies affect my soft palate raising??
We can't sing nasal souns without down the soft-pallet?
Question for you Jim: A lot of English speakers (usually in US) sometimes make a clicking noise when they resume speaking after a pause; for instance when starting a new sentence. You did it at 2:20. Do you know what this click is called?
That's just him opening his mouth after swallowing and hearing his lips smack. He's not doing that intentionally and it doesn't mean anything.
bumblefritz Correct! I'm not meaning anything by it. I built up a vacuum in my mouth, and then opened it. I think the click is actually the suction of my tongue against the roof of my mouth. I do this semi-frequently, partially, because I'm a heavy salivater... (Add to the list of things you didn't want to know about me.) I find that I have to swallow more often than normal to reduce the saliva in my mouth, which is part of why I spit more (accidentally) on stage. In a recent one-man show I did, I literally had to figure out moments to swallow, as it was so fast paced. If I hadn't, the audience would have... well, let's not go there...
If you're looking for a name for this click - they IPA actually calls it a "click." Convenient, eh?
I don't know about this for sure, but it seems that there may be some kind of pressure build up for this to result in a "plosive" clicking sound... Are you sure it's your velum and not your tongue that's clicking? You could email me directly (though the AccentHelp site) and we could try to talk this through...
I have a question, though I'm not sure if you will know the answer.
I have a high palate, which means that the hard palate in my mouth is raised very high and the entire roof of my mouth is quite narrow.
I haven't tried manipulating the soft palate but every other thing I've tried hasn't seemed to make my voice sound any better. It always sound very...flat and dull. But I was wondering, do you think that a high palate will affect my sound in a bad way?
I don't have enough experience with an extreme arch of the hard palate, and it's also very hard to guess at this without seeing whether you're truly outside of "normal" regarding your palate... I did have a friend who had a very high hard palate and a very narrow mouth. She was a professional actress and singer, so I can attest to it not having a negative effect on her voice. (She has gone through a surgical procedure to change the shape of her mouth, but it was for her teeth and not her voice.) My guess is that you would likely have other "variable" elements that you could work on to address the tone of your voice. You should probably set up a meeting with an ENT to get an examination, if you haven't already, to find out what is a given and what you could have some conscious control over.
I got some food stuck under my soft palate,
How do I get it out ?
Under?! Peanut butter? Or do you actually mean above? (That means it's in your nasal space... which I had happen once when I had the flu. Ew. It just took time to come back out.) If it's below, you could actually scrape it off with a finger or toothbrush, but you'll be hanging out near stuff that sets off the gag reflex... I don't suggest you use a vacuum. But if you do, please send pictures.
LOL xD
On lifting the soft palate during speaking we need to breathe through our mouth ...am I right?
People usually breathe in through their mouths for speech anyway, as it's a faster way to get the air for speech. If you're lifting it constantly and fully, you'll sound like you have a stuffed up nose - so that's not the point of it. The issue is that most people default to a fairly closed throat and a soft palate that isn't expanding the space in the back of the mouth as much as would likely serve people's resonance. Make sense?
What is exercise
HI JIm!
Thank you very much for your advices!
I just want to ask you. If you have to still have your soft palate lifted when you're not speaking. Or you only have to lift it when you're speaking.
Hope you will answer
SBEMTv When I'm working on being able to lift it, I will do it when I'm not talking, but in general, I don't. This is just primarily to make you aware of lifting it and the effect it can have on your voice.
Jim Johnson Thank you very much! I noticed that when I speak with my soft palate lifted, mucus tend to form in my throat. Is tehre anyway to stop this? am i doing something wrong?
You've been really helpful to me thank you very much.
Gabriele
1:50 😂
omg i really sounds different doing this 'cheat', but i wonder what if my friends see my weird face when singing using this cheat. i can't raise the soft palate without using this cheat
Eventually you should be able to do this without the cheat, but it may take some practice. Try to yawn with your mouth closed - then try a half-yawn in the same way. With a quarter-yawn, can you then try to speak? This should get you part of the way there, too!
yes. my teacher has allergies and she say it affects her abilities.
opening my eyes really lifting my soft palate @@ wth
So basically to be a great singer you have to drinking 10 cans of red bull to get your energy up, keep your eyes wide open and even go crazy eyed, semi yawn with a slight Jack Nicholson smile while on your tippy toes - Gotcha! ... Ok American Idol imma coming for ya!!
Yep. That's it. I don't know why no one has clearly taken my advice before.
I never knew that you can do an exercise to help with sleep apnea but this is great news cuz I cannot sleep with that damn CPAP biPAP machine or by technician a damn mask gets on my nerves
I'm MORE than hesitant to say that these exercises will take care of sleep apnea! Being able to open your throat and get a more responsive soft palate when you are conscious of what you are doing is what I'm addressing here. It can even become unconscious over time as it becomes habitual, but I don't know that it will work when you are literally unconscious, such as when you are sleeping. You're getting outside of my expertise here, but I my guess is that this would be unlikely to be the silver bullet you're hoping for...
It's not right or wrong, but keeping your chin down may help. It might be even better to think of lifting at the back of your head where it meets the neck - you especially don't want to let your neck collapse there. Side note: a little twist of your head & neck can help you to release muscles in your neck that may engage when you try to hit a high note, so you may be able to sing higher if you do a little overly emotional head twist & tilt. You also look like you're really getting into it! ewww
I know how to raise it alone. there's just no way in hell I can do this while singing
I was actually just working with some students last week on getting them to raise their soft palate more while singing - usually it's about finding a trick to cause it initially, before you find a way to consciously do it.
i feel like my soft palate is obstructing my swallowing..no pain no redness nothing just a sense of fullness
I don't have any additional insight for you, especially not being about to see it and hear you. Perhaps a good thing to bring up the next time you're at the doc... You've basically moved to questions beyond my pay grade!
ðy číc jú gēiv wéą güüd ynāff fommì. ♥
i wanna sound like billie joe
Armstrong?
So I know this trick is really known for singing...I can lift it just fine but no way in hell can I sing with this raised! It automatically drops and causes tension and it's just a mess for singing
It's not just about lifting it up purely vertically - it's also about gaining some space slightly to the side, and upward at the sides, rather than all of the upper soft palate collapsing downward. I do find that I can hold it a bit higher as I speak and also as I sing. Tiny gains in space can have a big impact on resonance, so it doesn't have to be a big movement.