how far to stretch jaw when singing?

[rurokenji]

Hi guys,

Does anyone know how far my jaw should be stretched when singing? I have just found out that because i raise my jaw too much when singing, it has caused me to sing without a legato feel. So, i was thinking maybe if i lowered my jaw, i will be able to produce a legato feel? Does anyone, know how much i should raise my jaw while singing? i have been looking at most singer's jaw's while they are singing, and they all don't seem to raise their jaw much while singing

Thanks

[Simon Magus]

Hey cloud, what do you mean by "raising the jaw?" Are you thinking about the top half coming up? If so, I would encourage you to think more of lowering the bottom jaw. Thinking of it the other way may cause you to raise your chin/entire head towards the ceiling, which will choke off the notes. As for how much, the old rule is about 2 fingers widths apart. Basically, the space of your index and middle fingers stacked vertically, so the jaw would be in a slightly unhinged position (I have TMJ, so it's easier for me to tell - when I get the darn click, I'm there). However, if you check out Rob's new video on the embauchere, he teaches another more horizontally focused opening in addition to the aforementioned position, which will create a different sound while saving you some jaw movement. Experiment with both and see what works for you.

[rurokenji]

Hey cloud, what do you mean by "raising the jaw?" Are you thinking about the top half coming up? If so, I would encourage you to think more of lowering the bottom jaw. Thinking of it the other way may cause you to raise your chin/entire head towards the ceiling, which will choke off the notes. As for how much, the old rule is about 2 fingers widths apart. Basically, the space of your index and middle fingers stacked vertically, so the jaw would be in a slightly unhinged position (I have TMJ, so it's easier for me to tell - when I get the darn click, I'm there). However, if you check out Rob's new video on the embauchere, he teaches another more horizontally focused opening in addition to the aforementioned position, which will create a different sound while saving you some jaw movement. Experiment with both and see what works for you.

Hey, thanks for the reply. Sorry, i meant as in the lowering of the bottom jaw. Sorry, have you got a link to the video? Thanks

[Simon Magus]

No worries. The video is in a thread right here on the first page - What is the Embouchure...(spelled it wrong last time - darn French! )

[benny82]

A good excercise from the CVT book is to sit on your couch and let your head fall back as if you were falling asleep. Keep the jaw loose while doing that (so your mouth will open when your head falls back).

Then raise your head again while keeping the jaw in position. This is the maximum opening you should use.

[rurokenji]

Thanks everyone for the feedback! much appreciated!!