How can i sing without pressure coming to me neck?

Question

Whenever i sing at Youth Group, my voice tends to gather up pressure and it then ends up gaining so much that my neck is like pulsing, thats when i sing with my regular voice. But if i sing with a lower voive, it sounds to deep and a little off tone but doesn't gain pressure. So is there a way i relieve this pressure? One problem is i think i'm not breathign enough, but i'm just breathing like you would when you sing. Thanks.

Answer 1

Hi there. It sounds to me like you're trying to sing too high for your comfortable range! When you sing it with a lower voice, all you are doing is singing an octave lower. It may sound out of tune, but chances are you are in tune! The musical alphabet repeats itself in octaves (abcdefgABCDEFG...etc...). So when you're singing lower, basically what is happening is you are singing "a" instead of "A"-- but it's the same note on a different sound frequency.

To not get pressure build up in your throat you simply need to breath deeper and use the breath to push the sound out-- not you're throat! Sometime when you're by yourself you should plie or squat. What squating does is lower your center of gravity forcing your body to take a nice deep breath. Take a slow deep breath (feel your tummy and back expand-- shoulders should not go up!) then sing a song and feel how it feels to have a nice deep breath for singing.

Another physical thing you should be aware of is your neck and chin. Young men have a tendency to raise their chins to get out the high notes. Make sure you are keeping your chin down (not pressed to your chest, but parallel to the ground). Think of pulling a string from your feet through the top of your head. Your legs shoulder width apart, straight spine, head aligned with spine. Having good posture helps singers dramatically!

When the notes you are singing get too high you need to flip to your head voice. If you've ever impersonated elmo you will know what using your head voice (falsetto in the music world) feels like. Once you flip your voice you will immediately feel the pressure go away. Most young males feel uncomfortable using their head voices when singing because it "sounds funny". Chances are it sounds relaxed and gorgeous!

Good luck! If you need any other singing advice feel free to email me.

Answer 2

when you say lower voice, do you mean where you sense it, or where the tones are?
If you are sensing your voice lower, you're probably in a better breathing position.
Pay attention to where your voice starts to "climb up" your throat. is it always at the same notes? If that is the area where the music starts to go higher, could be you are experiencing your register change from "chest voice" or middle voice to "head voice" or high voice. If you find you are distinctly uncomfortable in your high voice, you need to talk to the choir director. Could be you are singing with the tenors when you are not a tenor.
Another pay attention: can you keep the sensation in your throat that you get when you just start a yawn? ( Not the full yawn, that's no good for singing, but that first inrush of air) That's what we call an open throat, and will help obviate the need for pushing or forcing one's voice along. You don't need to keep the front of your mouth as open as the inside, except for high notes, but that inside space is going to make a big difference in the quantity and quality of your sound.
Please do check with the director for more hints, and possibly for a recommendation for a singing teacher.
Best wishes and keep on singing

Answer 3

Does your director tell you to "breathe from your diaphragm"? If so, try a different method of breathing.... think of filling up your lungs and lower rib cage deeply with air (like an expanding tube at your sides and lower back). Drop your jaw and inhale allowing your jaw to relax (as you would do if you were to drink water from a glass). The deeper "intercostal" (rib) breath will give you more support than the "diaphragm breath" which tends to tighten the throat. Hope this helps.

Answer 4

^------------- good answer