Pressure build up during semi occluded vocalizing

[gno]

For warm ups I'm doing lip burbles and and "ng" vowel throughout my range. When I go above C5 I'm getting what feels like a "pressure" build up in my neck. I'm trying to get rid of this. It is only in this high range and only in these semi occluded excersizes. When I sing "ah" or other normal vowels there is no problem at all. Is this a normal thing and does anyone have any suggestions on getting rid of this? I'm trying to sing a little "lighter" up there and that seems to help a little.

[analog]

Guitartrek...couple of quick things you can try:

1) Make sure the larynx is coming up(you may be keeping it a tad too low for that higher register.)

2) What kind of volume are you using? I would keep it on the soft side for the ng exercise.

[gno]

Analog - Thanks for the tip on the Larynx - I'm going to try that.

I am using a light volume.

I've got a theory of what might be happening: When singing "Ah" I go through a passagio at E4 to Ab4 and then another up around E5. But when doing the lip burbles I seem to go throught the 1st passagio a lot lower. Maybe my voice wants to go through the 2nd passagio lower and I'm not letting it? Just a theory - does this sound right?

[Steven Fraser]

Analog - Thanks for the tip on the Larynx - I'm going to try that.

I am using a light volume.

I've got a theory of what might be happening: When singing "Ah" I go through a passagio at E4 to Ab4 and then another up around E5. But when doing the lip burbles I seem to go throught the 1st passagio a lot lower. Maybe my voice wants to go through the 2nd passagio lower and I'm not letting it? Just a theory - does this sound right?

Guitartrek:

Passaggio points move depending on Vowel. Shutting off the mouth with ng, or raising the jaw, both lower the first formant. Your intuition is correct.

[gno]

Thanks Steven. With the burbles, I'm restricting the flow of air, and the pressure build up must be a clue to me that I'm simply using too much air pressure.

[ronws]

Hey Guitartek, they just put up a new entry on the articles and essays in the TMV website dealing with the very process involved, namely that you accomplish more with less air. It sounds like just what you are talking about in your search for an answer.

[gno]

Thanks for the heads up ronws

[Martin H]

But don't forget that less air doesn't automatically means less air PRESSURE. :)

[gracesong]

Hey guitartrek,

When I first read your post, I automatically thought, not about breath pressure or laryngeal height, but about your balance between CT and TA (head and chest voice).

Different vowels and even different consonants will pre-prep your voice in different ways. When you're singing an "ah," your voice leans closer to the chest or heavy mechanism end, but when you're singing vowels like "oo," your voice tends more to the head voice or light mechanism end of the spectrum.

I'm just thinking out loud here, but perhaps you tend to use either too much chest voice or too much head voice when you're singing these semi-occluded exercises?

Too much chest voice will give you a thicker sound, hampering your ascent up the scale due to the overly thick cords. However, if you sing with too much head voice, your cords will be too thin, and your voice will sound pressed and strained.

Also, if you'd like, try thinking of a lower larynx as you go up. When you're doing the lip bubbles or the "ng" exercise, keep your passaggio points in mind. As you get to about a half step before that point, think about narrowing the space somewhat and darkening the sound slightly.

Hope this helps, and tell us how things go. :)

[Robert Lunte]

Hey guitartrek, we do semi occluded phonations all the time in TVS as you may know, we call it "Resonant Tracking". One thing is certain, do not "track" into C5. That is WAY TOO HIGH to be resonant tracking, especially on an "NG". This is precisely why your constricting. Not all vocal workouts are intended to be phonated at any pitch.

Chill... just take your semi occluded phonations up to about A4 or A#4... not much more than that. If you do, you'll choke.

[gno]

Gracesong - thanks for your feedback. I've improved a lot since I first posted this. Especially on the NG. I WAS using too much TA action and carrying chest too high. I'm letting the chords thin out a little lower and I am free up to E5 or F5 with no tension. But the lip burble seems to have more of an "upper limit" for me. It is hard for me on the burble above tenor high C or D5 without starting to constrict, for whatever reason. Maybe the tension in the lips is transferring. Or, maybe I need less air flow above C5 than what is needed to produce the lip burble, but I'm forcing the lips to vibrate...Which jives with what Robert is saying.

Robert - thanks a lot the advice. I was wondering if I should be trying to slowly extend my range on the burble - and what you are saying makes sense. I'm going to limit the burble like you are saying. It's just a warmup.

[gracesong]

That's cool and congrats on the improvement!

As for the thinning out of the cords, yes, that does seem to help. for the lip trills, as they're also called, you could try using more pressure. By that, I don't mean letting more breath through.

I mean using slightly more breath pressure but holding the air back with the body in a flexibly firm way. Perhaps an analogy that may help is a subtle feeling of sinking into the floor as you go higher.

Also, in my own experience, going higher with the lip trills also requires that I think of the space as getting smaller, closer to an OO vowel, if that makes sense.

The tongue tip is on top of the bottom teeth, it is arched forward in the "ng" position, and the mouth is generally smaller.

Good luck, and have fun with your exercises!

P.S. In my opinion, the lip trills are only used to set the cords up to approximate in a healthy manner, just as the V is used. Therefore, not much breath conscious breath pressure should be used at all in thinking of vibrating the lips. Your lips are comparatively much thicker than your cords so holding back the breath pressure with the body should be sufficient.