How awareness gives your vocal results. (Mind magic).
Today I have a little exercise for you, but first…..
My student Sarah Spence, artist name Premratna says “It’s really been enlightening for me to be aware that my posture and things I do day to day play such an important role in how my muscles work; whether that’s singing or driving the car or if I have sore shoulders!”
I write first of one of those silly things that happen to people.
In my class with singers a few weeks ago, I was searching everywhere for my glasses to read some fine print. As soon as I verbalised my plight, everyone said, with much grinning, that they were on top of my head!! It happens to us all, I know.
Sitting here I contemplate how could I NOT KNOW they were there! Such a solid object, yet I had no ‘feeling’ of them there.
Of course I realise that my ‘sensing’ mechanism had become used to them, so it literally switched off the conscious awareness; that they were indeed there.
This leads me to how it is possible to not know that something has gone wrong in the body when it has.
For example – reading to my children when they were little, often I had a very tired voice. It may not have sounded like it, but I had to push my voice to read.
I only knew it was wrong because of the strain in my vocal region.
What I did not know was that the area between my head and neck, the balance was out! Not just when I read aloud, but all the time.
I was literally compromising my own voice.
This is soooooo simple! Yet soooooo profound!
What I have learnt since, is that my natural sensing in my head/neck area had “gone to sleep”. I never knew how poorly I had been using it.
So here’s the dilemma. How can you ever know that you use yourself poorly when your body is not telling you?
In truth, you can’t!!
So here is something for you to try out…..
As you sit here in front of your computer
Upright
Feet flat on the floor
You might leave your eyes open!
Recall a time when you were about ten years old..
when you were having fun, lots of it…
Remember how easy life was….
so simple to run, jump, shout….
you could bend, move, sing with ease….
Get a real sense of the freedom that was yours in your body….
Now bring yourself to now, as you sit reading.
How can you compare yourself to then?
Where is the tension that you KNOW is there?
Where is the tension that you DON’T KNOW is there?
Largely my friend, you don’t know!
You don’t know what you don’t know!
This is really a cosmic joke!
Find out what you don’t know!
Use a mirror or ask a friend to tell you. This may be very useful.
You want to get ‘under’ the unconscious, to bring it to the surface.
Then you can really work it
Awareness is key #1. What to do about it is key #2.
Sensing comes last!
Here Sarah continues about how her singing and body awareness (together) have changed.
”Having these Techniques you’ve given me, without thinking ‘oh gee I’d better go and have myself fixed’ to readjust…. it’s been a real freedom and not just a vocal freedom. You gave me tools to be able to work within myself that is incredible. Now I have a real feeling of confidence” http://www.premratnamusic.net/
https://www.facebook.com/Premratna
Watch for next week’s article about 12 essentials singers need to know about their bodies that affect confidence.
Want to fast track awareness, I share my experience and in depth knowingness with you; visit me here, I’ll contact you.
Happy days
Jann
Class reopens soon: see details here
