May 13, 2019
In this first episode of two, Tara discusses the ways the jaw can cause tension in our singing voice and make it feel or sound different. She gives practical tips for observation and some vocalises to make sure the jaw stays relaxed, loose and free.
(2:22) How the jaw affects singing—the reason why.
(3:26) The open or closed-ness of our jaw can be an originator or tension.
(4:56) How do we know if our jaw is tight, rigid or moving when it doesn’t need to?
(5:28) One way to check for tension in the jaw: move your jaw side to side while singing.
(6:13) Check in a mirror with an “ah” vowel to see if the jaw moves by singing a short scale.
(6:51) Feel your jaw muscle if it moving while singing a vowel. Try an arpeggio. 1-3-5-8-5-3-1
(7:36) The jaw is NOT needed to sing different pitches.
(8:53) We do use our jaw for “j” and “y” consonants.
(9:13) How can we release tension in our jaw?
(9:49) 1. Relax neck—stretch it and roll head side to side
(10:18) Massage the TM Joint to loosen.
(11:14) 2. Speak “ma-ma” and “duh” to open your jaw in a relaxed amount of space.
Sing half scale.
(13:19) 3. Sing “la” without moving your jaw; just move your tongue. 5-4-3-2-1
(15:05) 4. Sing with a hum. 1-3-2-4-3-5-4-2-1
(15:41) 5. With moving lips, not the jaw, sing “ee” and “oo” on the same note.
(17:09) 6. Bend over at waist, holding onto a chair and sing: Ha ha-ha-ha etc
1-1-2-3-3-4-5-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-11-10-9-9-8-7-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
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