Julie wrote:
>>>I think I am tensing the back of my neck or something when I sing songs >>>though. Two days last week I was holding a position (neck posture) >>>straight and I was singing well. Now I can't find that straight >>>position nor am I singing well. Before the sudden shift into not >>>singing well I had practiced an aria at home, memorized words, read >>>some, worked on diction and practiced piano. Could it be that the >>>forementioned activities place the song in the wrong hemisphere of the >>>brain?. <<<
Without knowing much about you, I offer some suggestions and ideas -- maybe some of them will hit the mark with you. Trust your instincts!
If neck tension is the issue, you could consider taking some Alexander or Feldenkrais lessons to bring more purposefulness and awareness to your use of your body. Meanwhile, in your practice sessions, do one phrase at a time and really focus your mind on releasing the neck. This will include slowing down the breath (for now) so that you don't grab the breath with the neck. Release all the air gently and then, as John so eloquently said in a previous message, allow the breath. Sing on *that* breath, paying attention to releasing your neck. (Sometimes I give a command like "back of neck free" and sometimes I gently place a hand on the back of my neck, just to remind it that its role in singing is passive.)
I'm also interested in the sudden shift you described above. All hte things you were doing were necessary and important, but maybe your body expects some kind of signal as you change gears -- five minutes of quiet breathing and releasing the tensions that might have crept in as you were hunched over the books or practicing the piano. (I personally have terrible neck tension when I play the piano, so I never go straight from piano to singing, but rather take some changeover time. One thing that works well for me is to lie on my back for a few minutes and concentrate on releasing muscular tensions into the floor. I imagine myself to be cookie batter spreading in the warm oven.)
One other thing that occurs to me is that as artists, we are bound to have days when everything works and days when nothing works -- and lots of variety in between. My strategy for the uckier days is to set a timer for 5 minutes and gently do my warmups for that amount of time. If it starts to go well, I can renew the contract for another five minutes or just go on and practice as normal. If it still feels ucky, I do something else. Nobody says you have to practice every day for the same amount of time. There is plenty you can be doing to advance your artistic growth without singing. And if the voice technique is getting worse as the practice session goes along, you're actually reinforcing bad habits in the name of discipline. Sometimes it's better to work on translations or acting choices or diction/articulation -- or even go to the movies and rest your mind! Tomorrow is another day.
Good luck, Julie!
Naomi Gurt Lind
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