Take a stance
Welcome to Laura's Singing Tuition's blog! A way for you to benefit from some tips and techniques often learnt within lesson time and introduce them into your own home practise.
Today, I'd like to talk about something that requires nothing of you in terms of money or music. Its the way you hold yourself - literally. Your stance and positioning may seem not particularly relevant to the sound of your voice, but in fact - its one of the most crucial factors in determining your relaxed, open sound.
I must admit, sometimes I have the habit of being lazy with my posture. When I'm recording, or listening back to a student - my posture slides into what I can only describe as 'lazy hermit'. But you can be sure after about five minutes or so, I can feel it hindering not only my voice but my comfortability levels in general.
So - what needs to happen and how can you make it happen?
The top three things I want you to try at your next practice session. All you need is a wall!
1. Standing with not only your back to the wall, but your bum, your heels, your shoulders and the back of your head. This is what it feels like to be perfectly aligned. Keep this in mind. The more aligned and open you are - the easier it is for your sound to emanate.
2. Try to sing your warm up and/or your song/s once through against the wall. Note what feels uncomfortable - THAT is where you should be focusing on when you stand without the wall.
3. Come away from the wall with that aligned stance in mind. Always START your practice with this stance in mind. It may be tricky to remember throughout your practice and its okay to slip and come back to it. But I can guarantee if you START each practice against a wall, even if just to remind yourself of your neutral stance and then come off the wall, it will become habit forming and therefore - an integral part of your sound and performance.
What do you find difficult when it comes to your posture? For those of you that act and sing simultaneously - has there been a particular role that stretched you (figuratively and literally)? Would love to hear your stories!
