KHP Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 I know this sounds strange but how can I tell if I am singing with support? I do have a vocal coach who has gone through it with me. Basically, the points seem to be: - You need to start by breathing from the diaphragm (and visually, you can see your stomach expanding rather than your shoulders) - Once you sing, you will feel less strain on the throat - There will need to be muscle control from the stomach/diaphragm area when you sing (basically, your stomach tenses) - And I think mentally, you should visualise your singing coming from your diaphragm But I'm not sure if I actually feel it, if that makes sense... Especially, when it comes to the high notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronws Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Don't be afraid to upload an avatar. Many people find something to add color to their posts. As to your question, it seems like your teacher is doing good things. And you might ask him or her this question. My opinion is that if you worry too much about what you feel around the "diaphragm," you will induce some unnecessary tension on yourself and distract yourself from what you need to do to sing. But I could totally be wrong. And I am certainly not a teacher, let alone your teacher. Maybe your teacher has an answer. You already trust him or her for other parts of the instruction, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VideoHere Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 If I can add, start with trying to get a sense of what a supported tone "feels" like. All you have to do is imagine you are across the street and you are watching someone that appears to you like he's going to walk into oncoming traffic on the other side of the street. You instinctively (without any thought) yell out loudly "Hey, stop.!" Try it, loudly! If you pay close attention to your body (do it a few times) you felt a little bouncy sensation in your stomach. What happened is the diaphragm dropped down for a split second to give you the air pressure burst to yell out the warning to the guy across the street. This was done all automatically, by impulse. When we learn to sing with support we are going to develop the strength to actively drop down the diaphragm and retard or slow it's return. By doing this we are giving the vocal folds a consistent, yet regulated amount of air pressure, to do things like. hold a long note sing louder (as well as softer) sing with dynamics sing with more precision and beauty of tone sing with more control free up the vocal tract, vocal folds, etc., to work more effectively. It is one of the most important skillsets to becoming a good singer. Your teacher will start giving you exercises that will help you to get a better control over your exhalation. Do them. Understand it will be a little tough at first, because you may involve the throat to create the pressure. The trick is develop the muscles to control the diaphragm without involving the use of the throat or the vocal folds. Hope I've helped. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHP Posted March 5, 2015 Author Share Posted March 5, 2015 If I can add, start with trying to get a sense of what a supported tone "feels" like. All you have to do is imagine you are across the street and you are watching someone that appears to you like he's going to walk into oncoming traffic on the other side of the street. You instinctively (without any thought) yell out loudly "Hey, stop.!" Try it, loudly! If you pay close attention to your body (do it a few times) you felt a little bouncy sensation in your stomach. What happened is the diaphragm dropped down for a split second to give you the air pressure burst to yell out the warning to the guy across the street. This was done all automatically, by impulse. When we learn to sing with support we are going to develop the strength to actively drop down the diaphragm and retard or slow it's return. By doing this we are giving the vocal folds a consistent, yet regulated amount of air pressure, to do things like. hold a long note sing louder (as well as softer) sing with dynamics sing with more precision and beauty of tone sing with more control free up the vocal tract, vocal folds, etc., to work more effectively. It is one of the most important skillsets to becoming a good singer. Your teacher will start giving you exercises that will help you to get a better control over your exhalation. Do them. Understand it will be a little tough at first, because you may involve the throat to create the pressure. The trick is develop the muscles to control the diaphragm without involving the use of the throat or the vocal folds. Hope I've helped. Bob Hi Bob, Just to clarify, is the bouncy sensation the one of my stomach coming in? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VideoHere Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Yes, the lower portion comes in while the upper portion comes out. If you do a slow bounce, you should feel like the lower part of your stomach clutches in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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