Relax Your Neck and Shoulders

This month I am focusing my vocal exercises around relaxation of the neck and shoulders to have a continuous sound.

Please bear in mind the neck and shoulders are in the middle region of your instrument, As a singer, your whole body is your instrument and your voice is the sound your body makes when you sing or speak. The base of your instrument is your lungs and ribcage, which contain the generator of your sound. If any other part of your instrument is not in the correct condition, it will impede the product quality. Tension in your neck and shoulder muscles will contract and therefore obstruct your sound and the health quality of your future singing in the long run if ignored and left alone. If you and I don't take the time to learn better ways then we will not only stop growing, but stagnation will become regression. Your pitch range will decrease and your voice will begin to feel rusty and stiff. Before you know it you will lose your desire to sing altogether because it has become too difficult. That sounds heavy but it happens! Don't be that person. 

For the month of March, I am focusing on the concept of neck and shoulder relaxation to build on the previous concept of finding your breath anchored-ness. This is something to be mindful of as we sing because it is an area where tension commonly occurs in many vocalists and people who speak for long periods of time. Where there is tension there is a limitation to the singing. In my experience, whenever I have felt any tension in my neck and shoulders (or anywhere else in my body) while singing, it represented a lack of proper breath anchored-ness and support from my core. In order to better grasp the concept of muscle relaxation in the neck and shoulders, I must encourage more core engagement and breath anchored-ness. At other times to encourage breath anchored-ness in a voice lesson, I may coach the muscular rigidity away first. It may help you the reader to visit my February blog Just Breathe, and Keep on Breathing to understand what I mean when I talk about breath anchored-ness. You can also visit my channel videos over the February topic LINK. Meanwhile, I will frequently refer to the idea of breath anchored-ness in my March content on IG @letmefreeyourvoice as well as my tutorial videos every Tuesday. Specifically, I will show how to find, maintain, and counteract muscle rigidity that we call tension.

I hope you take on a growth mindset with me and understand the importance of continuing to grow and work at your instrument. Don't just aim for the minimum. Don't stop at healthy singing, because if you aim for the moon you catch the stars! If you aim to continue growing, you will feel healthy in all areas of singing.

As always, to view my content you can visit Free Your Voice channel on YouTube and follow my IG account @letmefreeyourvoice and like my Facebook page Hannah Fabean @letmefreeyourvoice. Read my January blog Body Alignment for Singing: Stretching Routine. Don't forget to like, subscribe and share!