The most common places of tension for singers is in the shoulders, jaw, root of the tongue and the throat. There are numerous exercises to try to alleviate these tensions which can all be found on YouTube. I however have found a much easier and quicker way to release the tensions in one go. Why is tension an issue? Tension puts unnecessary strain on the vocal folds and small muscles around them which can cause damage. The vocal chords are very delicate after all. Tension also restricts sound resulting in a weaker and less projecting sound. An absence of tension creates a much bigger and freer sound.
Everything is connected through fascia to everything else in our body. So what happens in one part of the body has a knock on effect in another part. For some people focussing on relaxing their feet during singing will automatically relax the throat. This seems bizarre but is perfectly logical.
A simple tool is to focus on where your spine connects with your skull. This is called the occipital joint (OJ). Your head should be balanced on this joint, too far forward, as is mostly the case, results in too much strain on the back of the neck and impedes free sound production as the front of the neck is compressed. It’s rare that you see anybody whose head is such that their ears are behind the line to the shoulders thus having a head that is further back than normal.
If you focus on balancing your head on the OJ as well as relaxing the joint the jaw and tongue root will also automatically relax (there is actually a very small muscle that runs from the skull just adjacent to the OJ to the lower jaw). I like to think of this joint as a crucial point through which all communication from and to the brain runs. If it is tense or not balanced then the information could be distorted.
As an added bonus of becoming aware of your OJ your posture will improve. Correct posture is crucial to a properly functioning body.
Combine this with a nice SPLAT breath and you will be optimally coordinated and relaxed for singing.
Exercise
Close your eyes and focus on your OJ, where is it in relation to your jaw joint? Can you feel a connection between the two? Can you also feel a connection between them and the root of your tongue. Tell yourself to relax the joint.
When you sing where else besides your throat (if you even feel any tension) do you feel some tension? Feet? Hands? Lower back?
