Description
The jaw, tongue and throat tension you experience when you sing is there for a reason.
And if the vocal exercises and singing techniques to break the habit haven’t done their job - there’s likely more to it than a physical habit.
Enter the reason behind your specific flavour of psychologically charged gripping.
The 3 most common reasons for singing tension are a complicated relationship to
- control
- vulnerability, and
- being perceived by other people (an audience)
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One thing about control that couldn’t fit in this reel is that it can be helpful to practice singing “messily”, without analyzing and micro-managing every note.
This is much easier to do when you’re distracted - in the car, the shower, doing the dishes - in a scenario where you can tell the controlling part “I’m not trying to achieve anything here”.
Another way through is to switch perfect execution for emotional expression.
Like with vulnerability, take it slow, a little at a time. Those who feel the need for control find it hard to build trust.
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Once you have a strategy to team your vocal techniques with the rewriting of old stories (both in your brain and your body), getting rid of tension becomes so much easier (and your voice becomes more consistent and trustworthy).
Which one do you most identify with?