Neck Tension

[Keith]

For the past couple months, I have been getting a sore neck when I sing. I have figured out that I am using the muscles in the back of my neck, on each side of my spine. I have no idea why I engage them, but I have been trying to hold my neck while I sing and try to figure out when it happens. So, it turns out, that any note that I sing that needs lots of support is when I use those muscles. Anyone have any ideas on how to kill this habit?

[VideoHere]

where is it sore exactly? it make not be the actual neck.

[Guest]

Things like this are tricky to diagnose without actually seeing it. But obviously there is extra tension. My first guess is that you may be over applying support but you may also be contorting your face to get certain notes ? That will add extra tension. But that is just a thought. What I am really wondering is if you may need to rework your support. Maybe if you start like you were just learning support and go over the fundamentals again step by step and this time separate the body parts. Maybe right from the start you trained yourself (through repetition) to tense not only the necessary muscles involved in support but also your upper body and neck. Now it's getting to you. If you can focus on only those necessary muscles and retrain yourself you may be able to untrain the bad habit. Well, if there is one. I'm just shooting in the dark. Not speaking from a vocal knowledge perspective but from a body function/exercise familiarity.

Have you tried doing support exercises while trying to have tension below the neck and chest while maintaining a relaxed upper body? You would have to work to that end and untrain the wrong way and ingrain the new way. Muscle memory so to speak. I'm using the word tension to make my point but you know what I mean. Whatever you want to call it. :)

[Keith]

The tension feels like it is at the base of my neck - where it meets the spine.

[Guest]

I thought it may have been the sides. The rear/base may very well be a posture thing. Or a combination of more than one thing.

[ThePowerOfOne]

Yep, that "sides of the neck" tension is a bitch to get rid of when you emote too much or use too much facial/jaw movement when singing. It's work in progress.

[MDEW]

Are you perhaps looking up as you are singing? :/