A Simple Way To Relieve Vocal Tension
One of the most frustrating things when singing can be if your voice feels tense. High notes are more difficult, it’s hard to make breathing work correctly, and as a result your confidence can waiver. When you relieve vocal tension, it opens a door to a more enjoyable singing experience.
Other areas of singing go much better when vocal tension is relieved, such as singing in tune and using your breath properly. When this happens, your singing voice is more likely to have a pleasing sound
Other areas of singing go much better when vocal tension is relieved, such as singing in tune and using your breath properly. When this happens, your singing voice is more likely to have a pleasing sound
The Solution
One of the easiest ways I have found to relieve tension, is by singing with the sound “bop.” When you sing this sound on your song, your voice resonates more forward in your mouth and out of the back of your throat. Your voice opens, allowing the sound to come out freely. This is what produces a better sound.
While you sing on a “bop” to relieve tension, don’t overthink pitch as this is more about opening and relaxing your voice. Overthinking pitch can hinder you from making quick progress on relieving tension. If you are concerned about singing in tune, work on that once you have loosened up your voice.
If you have never done anything like this “bop” exercise before, it’s easiest to start by doing it away from the music to get comfortable singing the sound. Attached you will find a recording with which to do this.
When doing so, make sure to use a just a bit of volume behind your voice to help the notes come out. If not enough airflow is being used, it will be more difficult to have the desired effect. (Don’t think about pushing, rather simply using enough airflow to get your sound out. Think of taking a good breath before each time you start).
Sing along with this recording:
While you sing on a “bop” to relieve tension, don’t overthink pitch as this is more about opening and relaxing your voice. Overthinking pitch can hinder you from making quick progress on relieving tension. If you are concerned about singing in tune, work on that once you have loosened up your voice.
If you have never done anything like this “bop” exercise before, it’s easiest to start by doing it away from the music to get comfortable singing the sound. Attached you will find a recording with which to do this.
When doing so, make sure to use a just a bit of volume behind your voice to help the notes come out. If not enough airflow is being used, it will be more difficult to have the desired effect. (Don’t think about pushing, rather simply using enough airflow to get your sound out. Think of taking a good breath before each time you start).
Sing along with this recording:
Once you have sung with the recording, sing the “bop” along with the melody of a song you choose. You can sing it with only one verse a few times, or to the whole song a couple of times. Don't think too hard about how you are doing the bop. As long as you get some airflow going and are making the sound, the “b” and the “p” of the “bop” will help you keep your sound coming forward where it resonates better. The following is a recorded example of singing “bop” along to a song:
Singing the song on "bop" at least a couple of times will help you get the maximum benefit from doing so. This will help your voice to feel more comfortable as you sing. When this happens, it is easier to sing with confidence 😊