About the position of the mouth

[khawarspirit]

So I've been following the Mastering Mix program by Brett Manning and I'm seeing some good development, especially with a sharper, clearer tone. But I have a question about how far to open to mouth in singing, especially in chest voice.

I've seen some singers like Christina Aguilera and Lea Michele open their mouth impossibly wide and sing with amazing quality. Doesn't it cause jaw tension? Or are their mouths just naturally big? And I've read that opening your mouth means more resonance and a stronger tone. So what do I do? Who wide should it open and if I feel like I'm pulling on some muscles in the jaw, is it all right?

[forgivendays]

In your middle/comfortable range it really doesn't matter. If you go higher or lower your jaw should drop. When you're singing at the very high or very low part of your range it should drop even more and you should open your mouth sideways, like a smile. Don't drop your jaw to the point it hurts. Just do it comfortably. Also, it should drop a little bit inward, not outward.

[khawarspirit]

Thanks for the response!

It's sort of hard making a yawn sensation and dropping the jaw at the same time. So I just drop the jaw a little but open the 'inner mouth' like a yawn? :]

[VideoHere]

Thanks for the response!

It's sort of hard making a yawn sensation and dropping the jaw at the same time. So I just drop the jaw a little but open the 'inner mouth' like a yawn? :]

the amount you open your mouth can vary from singer to singer. you may need to experiment to find your own particular set up. it can be detrimental to open your mouth too much as opposed to too little.

[khawarspirit]

I see.

Thank you very much. :)

[ronws]

Another example of mouth position. Have you ever seen Axl Rose sing a high note? He gets that "grimace." That's actually him lowering his jaw to align his throat to resonate properly. It's similar in effect as smiling or dropping the jaw. But I agree, don't drop the jaw so far that you depress your tongue, as that will end up squashing the pharynx, which will choke the voice.

[Steven Fraser]

Another example of mouth position. Have you ever seen Axl Rose sing a high note? He gets that "grimace." That's actually him lowering his jaw to align his throat to resonate properly. It's similar in effect as smiling or dropping the jaw. But I agree, don't drop the jaw so far that you depress your tongue, as that will end up squashing the pharynx, which will choke the voice.

ronws & others: all good points! You guys rock!

As for the physics of it, moving the jaw to different vertical positions, and the lips to different amounts of horizontal opening, both affect the frequency positions of the vowel resonances, and within limits, can be used to advantage. Even subtle changes in position can make a huge difference in the resonance efficiency of the vocal tract, and in vowel color.

[Stan]

Honestly, I think that you should position your mouth at whatever seems most comfortable for you. Don't think about it, just let it be and sing! Just DON'T keep your mouth slightly closed! The positioning of the mouths, the positioning of the larynx, this and that, and this and that, all of it has been making me nuts! lol

[VideoHere]

Honestly, I think that you should position your mouth at whatever seems most comfortable for you. Don't think about it, just let it be and sing! Just DON'T keep your mouth slightly closed! The positioning of the mouths, the positioning of the larynx, this and that, and this and that, all of it has been making me nuts! lol

hey stan, didn't you know?....that's the fun of it!!!!!