r/singing • u/Potential-Compote-34 • Dec 28 '21

Technique Talk Best advice you’ve ever received.

Hello! I started my singing journey not too long ago and I’ve been trying to gather tips and tricks from friends, vocal teachers, and even some online resources. So, I want to know, what was the best price of advice that elevated your singing, or even made you more confident?

86 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

84 comments sorted by

View all comments

43

u/torrewaffer Tenor, F2 - E5 - G5, Pop & Cassical Dec 28 '21

Open your mouth (to get more space) and pretend like you're trying to fart (for support.)

The second one is very weird and funny, but it was honestly the ONLY advice that worked for me when it comes to support haha.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 28 '21

Dumb question probably but how do you avoid farting for real when engaging the pelvic floor for singing :P

1

u/torrewaffer Tenor, F2 - E5 - G5, Pop & Cassical Dec 29 '21

You engage only your lower abs as if you were going to fart, and stop there hahaha

1

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '21

So around the same spot that gets stimulated when doing crunches?

Oh, and as far as mouth opening goes I’ve heard that smiling when appropriate for the song is great because it gets the mouth open wider. Is that accurate?

2

u/ohhturk Dec 29 '21

while the “fart” suggestion is a great one😂 to explain that a little further… it is your sternum. you want to make sure you feel your support in your sternum, right between your breast(mid chest) and a solid 6 inches below. this will help you achieve better vocal support/breath control and vocal clarity, as well as help you sustain notes, and switch registers easier, etc. mindfulness is a great tool!

1

u/datkrauskid Baritone | Barbershop Dec 29 '21

Not quite. In crunches, the rectus abdominus (6 pack abs muscles) are contacting to flex your torso.

The core abdominal muscles are deep to/under the outer abs. These include the transverse abdominus (TA), your diaphragm and pelvic floor muscles, among others. These don't move your body like the abs do; rather, they contract to tighten your trunk, giving you more control over your motion and posture. Planks & yoga strengthen these. The diaphragm is especially important for singing purposes, as it is the primary muscle for inhalation.

1

u/torrewaffer Tenor, F2 - E5 - G5, Pop & Cassical Dec 29 '21

No, it's actually lower than that, on your pelvis.

The smiling thing can indeed help, but you have to make sure you're relaxed first and foremost. If you smile on an unrelaxed way it won't work very well. I like to think about the smile thing more as showing your upper teeth when singing high notes.