Tension vs. Intensity

It's no surprise that often when we ask for intensity from our singers the result displays a greater degree of tension than when we began. That tension is usually displayed across the shoulders / chest and in the face, especially the mouth and cheeks, as we try to look like 'we mean it' and try to get our bodies 'involved'. The result? Possibly a more focused sound, but one that lacks ring, resonance and vocal freedom - and tired singers!

Of course, what we really want is more intensity in the sound, and bodies which are relaxed and engaged in expressive, free movement.

One of the precepts of kinaesthetics is that 'the biggest muscle wins' - that is, if your arms are making big circles you'll find it hard to sing softly. This can be used to distract tension from the upper body if the singer is encouraged to engage the big leg muscles, lowering their centre of gravity and usually giving them a much more relaxed and centralised (balanced) posture than when they are trying to be intense. The 'trying' stance is characterised by weight significantly forward onto the toes, full upper body leaning forward, 'turtle-neck' head... A centralised posture offers plenty of energy from the legs while providing a relaxed vocal mechanism.

If you pursue the kind of sound that comes from singing with full resonance and locking voices together, there is no need for 'surface tension' - whatever the volume, go for poised bodies and free sound. Beware of asking for intensity in a way which encourages your singers to sing 'tense' in some instances and relaxed in others. Be consistent in your requirements and the consistency of your performance will increase.

The Breath Of Life

When we sing for any audience, breath is life - literally of course, but also the life of the sound depends on HOW we breathe.

Leading breath of the song: breathe in the pitch, breathe in the vowel.

Take Full Body Breaths wherever possible. This means breathing from the feet up, relaxing the diaphragm, springing open the ribcage (from back to front) and releasing all accumulated tension in the body to reset to a poised posture and attitude.

NEVER 'snatch' a breath. Personal Breaths are taken mid-note, mid-phrase and involve a PROPER breath. It takes no more time. It gives you 100% air instead of 50% and it releases tension instead of adding it.

NEVER 'push' your stomach out as you breathe in. That engages muscles not suitable for singing. The tummy FALLS naturally when you spring the ribcage and relax the diaphragm.

The 'pregnant pause' in the middle of a song is too often an excuse for the singers to HOLD their breath till the end of the pause, then breathe relatively quickly (and noisily) to start the new phrase. BREATH IS LIFE. Any time you are NOT breathing either in or out, you are technically DEAD. And this is where the philosophy of breath and energy gets involved...

When we sing, we are breathing out in an unusual way, and producing sound energy. Music also evokes an emotional response when performed well - let's call that emotional energy. So our instrument is putting out huge amounts of physical, sound and emotional energy. Is that why we're so drained by the end of the song? The fact is, we SHOULDN'T be drained, we should have MORE energy (be more pumped) at the end than at the beginning.

As a Showmanship tool, we talk about bringing in the emotional message of each phrase on the breath that precedes it. I like to talk about inhalation being our only opportunity to TAKE IN ENERGY while we perform. Breath is life, so each breath we take during a song should come with a rush of energy, which we immediately transfer into the sound and emotional energy delivered in the phrase. So take in that emotional energy (with a spring-relax breath) before every phrase and you will feel your performance energy build and build.

So back to the LONG BREATH (nee pregnant pause).... it can take a long time, but should be a slow, steady inhale of breath and energy, setting up the next phrase.

Breath also affects our unity. 75% of all synch problems are caused by confused breath plans, and at the higher levels, by lack of unit approach to breath style.

Lastly, without a relaxed body we cannot achieve vocal freedom. We cannot have a relaxed body if we breathe in a way which creates any tension. Remember that when you breathe, it should be a RELEASE, not a GRAB.