From Strain to a Free Neck!
“Truth is great and its effectiveness endures” Ptahhotpe
Over time one saying has made more and more sense – in every way. Know the truth and the truth will set you free.
Discussing with a friend of mine the other day, we mutually agreed that as good as computers are and getting better all the time, they won’t ever take over the world.
Very simply put, behind the computer is a human brain. This extra element is the origin of every function of every movement. And the computer will always need the human director. Being human is like the best computerised automaton WITH A BRAIN.
This leads to my journey with singers. Giving voice to the functions of muscles, bones, moving parts, with the extra bit – deep intent. Mind to muscle, muscle moves bone, produces sound!
A WHOLE CHAIN OF EVENTS!
Without the mind we are only a bag of bones; the body cannot move, the voice cannot sound.
That’s no surprise! A fundamental truth!
Understand deeply this vital (yet severely simple) idea and we take a step towards personal truth.
She stands ready to sing…
My Student struggles through her song and sighs with resignation when her voice produces what she actually expected! What she told me would happen.
Truth No 1 – ‘I want to sing like Adele’ she tells me.
My student struggles with her voice – struggles with the high notes. And not reaching them. Only getting a weak version of how she wanted to sound.
She admits to me that she practices over and over, but can’t get passed this point.
Her idol is her end point. Getting a voice that she hears (like Adele’s) in her head never happens.
I ask “what are you thinking before you start”?
Truth No2 – Her total focus – Dread!
The moment when her voice will let her down! In short, her emotional mind is dictating the result.
I ask “what happens when you dread the moment”, a smile crosses her face
Truth No 3 – “my neck and shoulders get tight”
And the tighter they get the more the sound fades, dies out!
The greater the need to control and make the sound appear, the more the dread!
It becomes a vicious circle out of which there is never an escape.
The neck, shoulders and voice have jumbled up into a mess.
Now we have something real to work with; a personal truth for her.
As I help her grasp the delicate nature of head on spine and how easily she can change it to a freer, easier movement, she takes a leap forward and up in her voice and her song.
“That’s so much easier” she tells me.
And as an extra bonus, her breathing eases when the spine is relieved.
In this journey to self discovery, one of the first concepts is –
Happiness is not a destination; it’s the journey!
Muscularly, we are designed and practiced to aim directly for a given end e.g. to sound like Adele!
To quote F M Alexander ‘You can change the habit of a lifetime with just one thought’
One simple thought to stop the overwhelming neck bracing….
A touch of lightness to free the spine!
My student has a wonderful new journey.
Got a question for me? Ask Jann HERE.
Happy days
Jann
