i can't relax my jaw « Thread Started on Jun 22, 2004, 8:59am »
i hope i'm writing this in the right forum, if not, can somebody please move this to the right forum. thank you.
hi
my singing teacher tells me that when i sing, i am not relaxing my jaw, and i'm also straining my neck. she says it's a result of habit and that something i will have to get over to progress.
she suggests i do a few exercise such as
(1) opening my jaw 3 quarter open for 20 seconds at a time, to try to relax it (2) putting a book on my head and stand in front of the mirror to make sure i have the correct posture.
i was wondering are there any techniques that anyone else may know of that i can try.
i'm really struggling with this, becuase i'm just not sure what i AM supposed to do... when my jaw IS relaxed...
Re: i can't relax my jaw « Reply #1 on Jul 11, 2004, 5:59pm »
Hi my names Kerrie
I go to the Academy of contempory music. Im just finishing a degree in singing and i also teach.
Ur problem is common so dont feel bad. Try the yawning exercise and chewing exercise .also before singing take time to massage ur cheeks and neck area. do stretches all over, you need to be well strech out and energetic to sing. if done properly singing is a very phiysical thing. try to relax when singing and dont tense ur sholders up or ur neck. look on the web at the alexander technique. also try smilying wen singing make the sound much brighter
Re: i can't relax my jaw « Reply #2 on Jul 30, 2004, 1:59am »
Quote:
Hi my names Kerrie
I go to the Academy of contempory music. Im just finishing a degree in singing and i also teach.
Ur problem is common so dont feel bad. Try the yawning exercise and chewing exercise .also before singing take time to massage ur cheeks and neck area. do stretches all over, you need to be well strech out and energetic to sing. if done properly singing is a very phiysical thing. try to relax when singing and dont tense ur sholders up or ur neck. look on the web at the alexander technique. also try smilying wen singing make the sound much brighter
hope this might help you. xx
hello kerrie
thank you for your reply and sorry i didn't respond sooner. i have not checked this site for ages, as it seems to be very quiet.
i will have a search for the alexander technique. may i just ask what is the "yawning" and "chewing" exercise? is that just yawning and chewing for a minute or something?
a lot of the advice you've given me, my teacher has also recommended. like don't tense shoulders, massaging cheeks, neck area... however, maybe i'm just a very tense person in general, becuase it's REALLY hard for me to not tense my shoulders or neck.
Joined: Sept 2003 Gender: Male Posts: 32 Location: Dallas
Re: i can't relax my jaw « Reply #3 on Aug 23, 2004, 5:13am »
This can be due to nerves, poor lubrication, muscle tightness, etc.
1) Drink a gallon of water through out the day. 2) Stretch, excersize, every day. 3) Don't OVER stretch your mouth/jaw muscles. This can actually cause them to tighten up even more!! 4) Scales, practice, sing every day. 5) Have FUN and relax! Sing in front of the mirror and laugh at yourself. Seriously, alot of singers take it sooo seriously that they are all wound up at performance time. RELAX and have some fun!!! BREATHE!!!!!!
Re: i can't relax my jaw « Reply #4 on Jan 16, 2005, 4:35am »
Dear Sandwiches, Thinking of yawning and relaxing the jaw at when you breath might be the key. If your jaw is not relaxed from the start(the breath) it is hard to do it during singing. Ask you teacher about this.
Vocalist; BM Student studying Vocal Performance, Commercial Music & Music Ed., & a BA in Philosophy
Joined: Dec 2004 Gender: Male Posts: 359 Location: LA, CA/CO
Re: i can't relax my jaw « Reply #6 on Feb 27, 2005, 3:24am »
hmm...I think I'd have to see what you're doing to help you. I'm guessing you're doing something that shows your teacher how tense your jaw is, but that could be anything. Also, sometimes the jaw becomes tense because it is being forced too far open! once again, i dont know what your case might be so i cant really say.... I agree with Lori, though, ask your teacher.
Don't just sing, be a musician and breathe life into every song you sing.
Joined: Aug 2001 Gender: Female Posts: 461 Location: Central Florida
Re: i can't relax my jaw « Reply #7 on May 23, 2005, 10:15am »
Hi there.
Sorry for the delay in responding. As you have already heard, your problem is kind of "common"...although there are many reasons it might be occurring. And, of course, it could be a combination of reasons. I will cover the two most common.
1. TMJ - this is a disorder that causes jaw tension and tightness. While some that have this condition suffer due to their physical makeup, most of us cause this problem with teeth grinding, clenching and other things we do that cause those muscles to tighten up more than "normal".
If this is the case, you are probably clenching your jaw throughout the day without even realizing it. Try to monitor yourself and force yourself to relax.
This issue is addressed in the http://SingingIsEasy.com course and I would highly recommend the exercises in latter part of Chapter 4 to make sure your face, lips and cheek muscles are also relaxed.
2. It could be caused by poor technique. I am betting this is part of the issue because you mention the neck strain. Generally this means we are trying to get strength, power and control over our voice by using the muscles under the chin and those surrounding the larynx. It also sometimes infers that the soft palate is not being raised properly.
I would put some effort into studying the areas most likely to help you balance your skills better. Again referring to the http://SingingIsEasy.com course you can find the information here: diaphragm support (Chapter 4), resonance (Chapter 5) and tone placement (Chapter 6). Once you have reviewed this information I would be happy to chat with you about additional specifics, but it sounds like you need a bit better foundation of information before we can talk in that manner.
Oh...and with regard to Chapter 6...I recommend the full Singing Is Easy download course, 2nd edition. It has a little extra information in there on tone placement that students seem to find extremely helpful.
Re: i can't relax my jaw « Reply #9 on Sept 27, 2008, 11:38am »
One thing my voice teacher recommended for me is to sing like I'm in the dentist's office and my mouth is numb with novocaine. I have a hard time doing this because it makes me laugh, but when I'm alone in the car or something, I can do it. It's worth a try. Amy Boyack
Re: i can't relax my jaw « Reply #10 on Jun 23, 2009, 11:43pm »
Hey sandwiches, I've started a blog http://eye-teach-voice.blogspot.com/ that will be a forum for singers that need help with there voice. I will be posting videos to show different technique free of charge. Your problem is your not relaxing, as soon as you learn to let go, and open your voice, you will see and feel the difference. for now to relieve some stress in your jaw, put a wine cork in your mouth and barley bite down on it so your jaw is relaxed. Take your 2 index fingers and puch them into your cheeks where your jaw is open between your teeth. Try to push your fingers between your lower and uppers molers pushing them towards the back of your neck, This will hurt a little, but hold your fingers in and breath through the pain, for about 10 seconds, when you release, you will feel 100% better. It really will help.
Re: i can't relax my jaw « Reply #11 on Oct 28, 2009, 11:42pm »
The one and only thing I would highly recommend is staying completely hydrated. Seriously drink tons of water, it is the best thing a singer could possibly do.
Also, massage your jaw daily and maybe do a few open and close exercises as well as chew gum. IT will release any tension in your jaw.
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