Open throat feeling

flannelfrogs

Hi, I am new here, so if this was already answered, please refer me to the post.
I wanted to ask, is there a difference between how open throat feels while singing and the normal relaxed position it is in when you don't speak? Should one try to open it more?
I have been able to find the right feeling while singing(in a relatively small range though, because I don't think I have the strength to take it high up yet), but I noticed that whenever I try to intentionally open my throat rather than just relax and keep my abdomen strong, it ends up being counter productive and it stiffens or closes down.
Maybe it would be useful to know that I have been playing the flute for over 9 years now, so breathing is one thing I can do right. I have also been doing yoga for a while now using a breathing technique that involves slightly closing your throat with the back of your tongue, so maybe the muscle memory I gained there plays a part.

Wigs

I used to play the trumpet so that helped me realise that different shapes and sound pressures are needed for different note values, but taking and using the correct breath for singing is completely different. Also yoga breathing can be different as well. Have you looked up Ken's diaphragmatic breathing and support videos on you tube?

flannelfrogs

Hi! I have looked at the videos, a while ago though(I sang a lot 2-3 years ago but then unfortunately got caught up in other things + couldn't afford the course, to be fair I still can't, I'm waiting for October and the big discount), so I looked at them again. I think I understand what I'm supposed to do pretty well. It's the relaxation above the abdomen that I struggle to maintain, hence where my question is coming from - what am I going towards?

For instruments, when I want to relax, I either sing while playing or check if the back of my tongue can freely oscillate and create something that reminds me of the extreme version of goaty vibrato haha, like cleaning your throat after brushing your teeth, but I obviously can't do either of those for singing. I tired that thing I saw many times with letting my lips do a brrrrr sound but that just sets me up for overusing air. Maybe I'm doing it wrong, or I shouldn't be doing it at all?

I might be all over the place here, but essentially, is there some way to check that my throat is not closing down and that the problem is somewhere else, since I unfortunately don't have anyone to tell me when I'm not doing things correctly? I am well aware that I sometimes get slightly hoarse because I overuse air, and I'm working on that, but it would be nice to be able to distinguish between those two and fix any problem with my "setup"(strong abdomen, relaxed lungs) so that I can stop worrying about that and focus on further strengthening the muscles and not wasting air.

(I'm sorry if I'm going about this all wrong and you just had to read three paragraphs of nonsense)

Wigs

The best thing to do is post an example of an ah scale for us to listen to.

https://forum.kentamplinvocalacademy.com/discussion/14675/how-to-upload-your-audio-and-video-files-for-feedback#latest