Throat Tension ?

Hey! So I've run into a problem, I guess a problem I've always had, with feeling like there's tension in the throat when I sing. I do breathing exercising and try different things, but I guess I'm not really sure how to not have this or where to start to learn to have this less. Would anyone have any advice? 

Hi, Kayla!

Are you able to sing without tension on any warmup exercise or syllable? For example, do you still experience that tension when humming or singing on an open, relaxed MUM?

It's difficult to pinpoint where that tension is coming from - but if you can narrow it down to your tongue, jaw, neck, etc - then it's easier to give advice!

I don't really feel much tension when doing mums, its mainly after actual singing stuff. If that makes since

Yes, that makes sense! I'd take away the lyrics (of whatever song you're singing) and sing the melody on something easy and relaxed (like a MUM). Then put lyrics back in, but sing with the same "placement" as you did with the easy syllable. 

This is a total guess: but often with beginning singers, registration is the cause of their tension (ex: you're singing too high for chest voice, but you're not letting your voice "lighten" into head voice and/or you haven't developed your mixed registration yet). Solutions are: 1. Short term: move the key up or down to a range that's comfortable for you and/or select a song with a limited (less challenging) range. 2. Long term: develop strength in your head voice and lightness in your upper chest voice (a chest/mix) to reach higher pitches without straining.