Jump to content

The Soft Palate


Seth

Recommended Posts

I've been reading a lot about the soft palate lately, and have found some exercises for finding it. I'm wondering how to do this when actually singing though. How I've gone about it so far is breathing into what I think is the soft palate, to find the feeling, then singing from that same spot. It seems to increase resonance and quality of tone, but it has also required a lot of thinking. I was singing the Scorpions' song, Rock You Like A Hurricane yesterday, and hit the high part in the verse (so what is wrong with another sin) where he goes up to a Bb4(i think) in full voice. There was no strain, but it required a lot of support.

So my question is, how do I go about singing in the soft palate more consistently? Any comments regarding singing in the mask as well are appreciated.

Seth

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In my experience: you do it and you do it and you let it become a habit. I've habituated myself to doing a lot of my everyday breathing with the soft palate raised - my way to check if I'm doing it is to inhale a sizable breath (not to be overdone, you don't need a BIG breath really), close my mouth and exhale as in an exasperated sigh, i.e. somewhat more forceful than a regular exhalation. If my cheeks puff, I'm acutely aware that air is going out both from my mouth and my nose which is a reliable indicator of a raised soft palate.

A caveat: be careful not to raise it too much though, you'll sound like a vacuum cleaner ;) It should feel like a tentative yawn, not a full-blown one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had the problem of always singing too woofy and below the soft palate until recently. The NG to Ah vowel exercise is great for finding an optimal soft palate position to balance resonance. In Kevin Richard's blog (rockthestagenyc on Youtube), he has a really good example of how it sounds. I had been doing NG exercises incorrectly for the past year without knowing it by making it too nasal rather than back of the throat/soft palate-ish. Thinking about the mask and visualizing the soft palate wasn't enough to get me to resonate properly. I had to do exercises involving the conscious physical movement of the muscles (like ng and gah which moves the soft palate) to get them to do what they need to do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

even though i'm grounded with vocal issues right now, i do light vocalizes till i recover.

it helps to view the yawn as a setup, a mouth and jaw configuration you go into everytime you open your mouth to sing.

you're basically trying to train yourself into a habit of relaxing and opening up the back of the throat.

this configuration after a while becomes habitualized and sets you up to get higher notes to channel back and up.

here's a great one i learned from eric arceneaux and jeannie deva to help:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks guys, the breathing is already becoming more habitual. I had band practice yesterday and I was singing with a lot of freedom. I don't think I'm having problems with woofiness or vacuum sounds. And Bob, Eric Arceneaux is a great teacher.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks guys, the breathing is already becoming more habitual. I had band practice yesterday and I was singing with a lot of freedom. I don't think I'm having problems with woofiness or vacuum sounds. And Bob, Eric Arceneaux is a great teacher.

i have found, as time goes on, and you really get a command of keeping the throat open and relaxed and can keep the larynx down (or as rob lunte says "anchored"), for notes past d4 or so, you're going to find you can (or better said, it feels like you can) direct the air coming past the folds to specific "pockets", you'll feel a sensation there are these "tunnels" or "caves" where the air can go to resonate like crazy. i myself, feel it particularly strong on vowels like "ee" "oo" and "uh."

we know there aren't really tunnels or caves in your head, but this is what it may feel like to you.

just trying to help.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...