Description:
Welcome to Part 1: Lifting and Straining. Lifting is one of the most common types of tension, and if left unchecked, it leads to vocal strain. The larynx lifts, causing the back of the vocal tract to collapse. The result is a squeezing sensation that restricts your voice and fatigues the vocal folds.
To avoid this, try practicing in front of a mirror or place your hand behind your head as you sing. Our goal is to keep the vocal tract open and relaxed. Check your posture regularly to ensure you're not overextending or locking your back.
Lifting often happens when our body compensates for insufficient breath support, especially from the lower abdomen. When we don't engage this support, our body tries to force sound by tightening and lifting.
Exercise A – "Make That Money" (65-8-1)
Let’s put this to practice. Try sliding on a hollow "M" sound. Feel how your abdomen drops as the pitch rises, and relax as it falls. Now, when singing "Money" (demonstrate), ensure that your body sinks and reaches the highest pitch without opening your mouth. Keep your throat neutral and relaxed, and your lips loosely draped. Use your hand behind your head to check for lifting.
Let’s put this to practice. Try sliding on a hollow "M" sound. Feel how your abdomen drops as the pitch rises, and relax as it falls. Now, when singing "Money" (demonstrate), ensure that your body sinks and reaches the highest pitch without opening your mouth. Keep your throat neutral and relaxed, and your lips loosely draped. Use your hand behind your head to check for lifting.
Exercise B – "Make a Round Sound" (1,2,35-653)
To prevent lifting, we’ll create cover with our lips. Maintain the hollow hum sensation from the previous exercise. When we round our vowels, especially on higher notes, we help stabilize the vocal folds. Let’s use the "Awoo" diphthong. Remember to check for lifting as we practice, using all the tools we've learned. The more we do this without lifting, the quicker the tension will release.
To prevent lifting, we’ll create cover with our lips. Maintain the hollow hum sensation from the previous exercise. When we round our vowels, especially on higher notes, we help stabilize the vocal folds. Let’s use the "Awoo" diphthong. Remember to check for lifting as we practice, using all the tools we've learned. The more we do this without lifting, the quicker the tension will release.
Great job! See you in Part 2.
Lessons:
- 1: Welcome
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2:
Lifting and Straining
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3:
Holding
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4:
Stress Tension
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5:
Conclusion/Test
Instructor: Abram Poliakoff
Abram Poliakoff is a singer, guitarist, pianist, teacher, conductor, and composer. He received a Bachelors of Music in Vocal Arts from USC’s Thornton School of Music and has been teaching music for 8 years. He is currently both the Associate Artistic Director and a tenor in the L.A. Choral Lab, which recently released its first studio album Sonic Visions in the fall of 2019. Abram teaches and performs a wide range of genres including Classical, Jazz, Folk and Popular music in the Los Angeles area. He has also sung with the San Francisco Opera and Pocket Opera in the Bay Area. His teaching mission is to help his students utilize vocal technique to find their authentic and healthy voice while maximizing genre flexibility and a naturalness of expression.