Pulling throat before even starting to sing

meggustah

Hey guys!

So recently it came to my attention that sometimes I get this feeling of "pulling the throat" / tension at my throat when I do the long Hissss exercise and trying to maintain it as long as possible (before even starting to sing/letting out a single note). So I wanted to ask if someone has dealt with this at one point in time because I don't know why it happens.. any ideas?

Wigs

I’m guessing your hiss is a constant note and there is no change in pitch? If so then I imagine you might be unintentionally developing tension in your throat. As you get to the end of the hiss and are squeezing out the last bit of air everything must be starting to contract. Pay very close attention to every sensation and as soon as the tension starts try to reset the feeling of relaxedness in your throat without stopping. Hope that helps🙂

bentk

I don't know the 'hiss' exercise you are referring to, but keep in mind that the 's' is a consonant. We sing vowels with open throat technique at KTVA, as consonants tend to close down the throat. To me, it doesn't seem logical to sustain an 's' sound. I don't see the use in singing, and i don't see the use of it as an exercise. Furthermore, i can imagine it being 'stressing' on the throat.

So what i'd like to recommend: Go to Ken's youtube channel, and watch some of his instructional videos. Start with abdominal support, and then go to a video where he demonstrates singing a scale. See if you can sing those scales with less trouble.

This is what i think about it, i hope it helps you!

Ben

Wigs

@bentk it’s an exercise I’ve seen online that some people use as a way of figuring out how to regulate air and understand a bit about support. I do agree though that @meggustah should check out the videos.

bentk

@Wigs thanks for the info! I didn't know about it.

doc_ramadani

Hi all,

I think that the HIS exercises are counterproductive because the close the throat. AND they are no part of the KTVA methodology. For me, the best way to learn breath control are the lip burbles.

Doc

meggustah

@Wigs it's not even a tone, it's like when you let air out of a balloon really slowly or a snake hissing. I've seen even opera singers do it too. Sometimes I get it in the right place but I have to spend like 30 min before practice only on that to get in max relaxed/open condition.

@doc_ramadani I also do the lip rolls BUT even in them, sometimes it feels like the sound/air gets stuck in the throat. Sometimes it's feels open and it passes through like nothing but sometimes it gets stuck.

I always practice in front of a mirror, I'm into meditation too so I know a thing or two about relaxation of the body. That's why I've been wondering why this has been happening. The thing is I want to get through that all the time. It's really frustrating when it works and then some other days it doesn't.

bentk

It's difficult for us to determine what is going on without enough information or an audio sample of you doing the exercise. The lip rolls should generally feel very smooth and light, going through the bridge as well. But even on the lip rolls, it is important to get your abdominal support right. And like i said, Ken has some free information about support on youtube, which might be very helpful for you!

meggustah

@bentk thanks man but I've already watched them. That's how I learned about the lip roll lol

Guys! I think I've got it! I think I have acid reflux, cause I always feel like I have to clear my throat, like somethings there and it's not from pulling the throat/singing too high cause I've takin breaks to test it. It feels like something is coming from my stomach up to my throat and is kinda burning but a little not like hard. Even when just staying in front of the pc and just breathing I have felt the feeling I have described in my first post! So I think that's what has been "keeping it" in the throat. Guess I'll have to fix my diet

HuduVudu

Ohhhhh ... I found out that I am allergic to citric acid and I would get acid reflux really badly from it. I got the food allergy fixed, but it left behind something that was far worse ... tonsil stones. You may want to check to see if you have those because they can reek havoc on your throat and singing.

meggustah

Oh man sorry to hear that. @HuduVudu how did you discover you have tonsil stones?

HuduVudu

Smell and more importantly feel. I could feel them when I sang. They were super aggravating until I got them gone, but once they were out holy cow there is definitely a difference.

I had known peripherally that they could exist, but I didn't think to actually check my tonsils until I had singing issues. Mine were so bad that it was quite obvious that they were there. It took me about six months to get them completely removed.

meggustah

Ohh my god, I have to check my tonsils!! Thank you so much man, really appreciate it!

HuduVudu

No problem