Straw exercise with head movement
With
Adam MishanAdam Mishan adds gentle head movement to the straw exercise, helping you release the outer neck tension you found in the last lesson.
What's in the course
45 lessons (2h 13m) · 1 free
01. Neck stretch exercise
Free lesson3:22
02. Ah exercise, and finding spots of tension
4:33
03. Ah exercise - practice along
4:18
04. Straw exercise with head movement
You are here2:55
05. Straw exercise - practice along
3:28
06. Puffy cheek slides with shoulder roll
2:01
07. Puffy cheek exercise - practice along
3:26
08. Mum exercise with neck and shoulders
2:14
09. Mum exercise - practice along
3:40
Lesson transcript
Vocal Tension Release Exercise
In this next exercise, we're going to work on specific tension spots and try to reduce and relax them.
Overview
- Objective: Integrate movement into this exercise, alongside the movement of the vocal cords.
- Materials Needed: A straw (the thinner, the better). Make sure it's not much shorter than your hand.
Instructions
-
Singing Through the Straw:
- Sing through the straw, ensuring that air is not blowing through your nose.
- Tip: To check this, plug your nose on and off while singing. There should be no change in sound if all air is coming through the mouth.
-
Head Movement:
- Start with no movement of the head.
- Imagine you are saying "no" to someone, but do it very slowly, almost like gently shaking your head.
- This movement helps release muscle tension from the exterior muscles of the neck, which are not necessary for singing.
-
Slide Exercise:
- Begin with three or four slides from the bottom of your range to the top.
- While doing this, maintain the side-to-side head movement.
- Important: Keep the movement slow and steady. Avoid points where your neck starts to lock up, as this indicates tension.
-
Repetition:
- Repeat the exercise until you can maintain a steady side-to-side movement without restriction.
Additional Resources
Along with this video module of the course, there's an MP3 related to this exercise. It will guide you through this exercise with actual scales played on the piano, allowing you to follow along.
Demonstration
To illustrate how it's done, here's a quick demonstration using a simple three-tone scale:
- Ensure you have consistent head movement while singing the scale.
Remember, it doesn't have to be a massive movement, small, steady movements are key!
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Meet your guru
Meet your guru
Adam Mishan is a vocal coach who taught himself to sing. His videos document the journey from not being able to hold a pitch to singing with real control, and that path now shapes how he teaches - over 200,000 people follow along on YouTube. In his courses you'll work on pitch, breath support, tone and range in small, repeatable steps, the same way he built his own voice.
