Gestures can be very helpful when working on sections you find hard as they distract from negative thoughts that serve no useful purpose. In the absence of these negative thoughts better singing can occur. Our brains know what to do but we get in the way, so using a few gestures will help. There is also the possibility that the gestures help as all muscles are connected and in activating muscles away from the vocal apparatus help it function better.
I prefer the distraction theory and of course I could be wrong. There is some research to suggest that the gestures facilitate relevant muscle activation but like most research fault can be found.
Here are some examples of useful gestures that help me:
To sing a high note:
Pick up your imaginary fishing line, prepare to cast it and do so just before you need to sing a high note.
Or follow the line of a shepherds crook with your hand and arrive at the highest point of the crook just before you need to sing the high note.
Tap the top of your head lightly, and bounce off your head as if it were a trampoline at the point where you need to sing the high note.
Try a little knee bend just before the high note.
To sing legato:
Stroke an imaginary dog or cat smoothly.
Pull an elastic band in front of you so that you gradually expand it.
Draw a horizontal line on a piece of paper that must be straight.
Circle your arm in front of you to create a smooth round circle.
On set of tone:
Start to stroke the imaginary dog before you start to sing, They like a firm but gentle stroke, not a slap on the head and this motion starts before you make contact with the animal.
Support:
Raise your hands as though you are putting a heavy object on top of a high shelf that you need to stretch for.
Think of pulling a tough piece of elastic in front of you.
Focussed sound that travels to the back of the room:
Use your dominant hand and point a finger and move it forwards.
Eventually you can dispense with the gestures and just think of them and he brain will send the correct signals to the voice box and rest of body in order to enable the sound you want. You should also focus on the result of the gesture in how it affects the sound and what it feels like. Recreating that feeling will also help make the correct sound happen. Research has suggested that the focus on the resulting effect is of greater use than focussing on the gesture itself.
Exercise
Pick one or two gestures and practice them and let me know what happened for you. Perhaps you have some of your own gestures you can share that you find helpful.
