Cari’s Top 3 Vocal Tips – #3 – Power Without Strain

by Cari Cole

“Power without Strain”

Who doesn’t want more power without strain?

This is a simple technique to apply – easier than the one above.

Most singers think more power or volume, or belting higher notes, has to do with pushing more air past the cords. They reach up with their chins and push hard to get the sound out. Sometimes they are successful — until the voice starts to burn out (usually when they start to tour). Singing one night a week or month is ok like this, but not when you start to tour where you sing almost every day. This is the number one thing that burns out singers voices ASAP.

So what’s the remedy?

To learn technique. There’s a lot to this but I am going to do my best to make it simple for you.

Quickly explained — pushing hard to get louder or higher notes is the common tendency. But the mistake is that while it temporarily works, it causes vocal fatigue and strain.

Why? Because the singer is using the wrong muscles. When you push, you engage the back of the neck muscles which causes constriction and undue pressure on the vocal muscles and burns them out.

The goal is to take all the pressure OFF of the vocal folds and throat and put it somewhere else where it won’t interfere — AND to breathe downward into the ribs and belly while keeping the chest position high during inhalation and exhalation.

In vocal technique we call it “appoggio.” Appoggio means the place where maximum muscular tension is experienced in the singing voice. We want the “appoggio” to be experienced nowhere near the throat — but rather in the “trunk of the body.” The diaphragm, pectoral, and intercostal muscles, as well as the breath, are considered the “trunk of the body” that supports the singing voice. You want to breathe down deeper into the diaphragm so you can accumulate a storehouse of air to vibrate under the larynx instead of pushing air through the vocal folds.

Also, the deeper the laryngeal position for this technique the better. To drop the larynx – practice yawning and dropping the back of the tongue while lifting the palate every single day, until you can do the motion without the actual yawn. The yawn reflex will stop once your muscles are used to the movement.

Power without strain is all about controlling the breath and using the body as your support (your diaphragm and abdominal muscles should be working, not your throat).

All you have to do is to keep your chin pointed slightly down and your pectorals slightly flexed – with your chest raised but without an arched back to support your voice, control the breath, and to consequently sing with less strain and more power.

Most singers reach forward or lift their chin up to sing with more power. While it may temporarily work (you use the back of the neck muscles) – it causes vocal problems and tipping your chin down not only works better and saves your voice – it actually SOUNDS better!

But it does take some practice before it works.

Here’s how to practice it and put it all together:

1. Stand in front of a mirror because you have to watch your movements to control them.
2. Sing an Ah scale up and down in one phrase (1-2-3-4-3-2-1).
3. Press your chin slightly in and point your chin towards the floor keeping an apple between your chin and chest -usually only 1″ or so – while you flex your pectoral muscles without tensing the neck and throat. The pectoral flex is a very isolated movement.
4. Don’t let your head bob up as you rise in pitch. Keep it firmly in place.
5. Instead, flex your pectorals (without tightening anything else) and engage your abdomen (without tightening your throat).
6. Go all the way up the scale of your voice, keeping your head from lifting as you sing higher notes.

Notice how the chin wants to move up as you raise in pitch. Don’t let it lift. Keep it planted. (You won’t want to — but flex your pectoral muscles to take the pressure of the increase in air.)

This will give you more power and control and eliminate strain.

Practice it until it becomes natural!