Body Engagement For Singers

Toi, Toi, ToITLE IX!

No matter who you are, singing requires energy.

Energy that needs to be released!

And lucky for you, I have officially read three articles on it.

Guys, I'm basically an expert now.

So, here are a few tips that will make you think...

And make Chafin yell in your lesson...

Lower Body Support

Unlock your knees, and get ready to drop your jaw, because Chafin was right. Disconnect between your lower body and your voice is essentially the same as being sawed in half by a magician. You are left useless, and your voice becomes stuck.

Now, you may be asking, "How do I learn to engage my transverse muscles?"

Exercise. Things like running, jump rope, and yoga are all great ways to strengthen your core, and learn how to engage your transverse muscles while singing. However, there is one exercise that you can do while singing that can help you discover what your muscles should be doing while you sing.

WALL SITS!!!

Wall sits are extremely effective. And I know this, because Shannon [Pictured above (look how talented she is)] let me use her as my lab rat. One day, she was singing another one of those soprano notes that soars into the heavens, when we started talking about body engagement while singing for a "comedic article on body engagement for singers" that I had to write. *wink* So, Shannon, being a good friend, agreed to sing the same warm up twice (once while standing, the second time while doing a wall sit). And what we discovered, is that Shannon's voice sounded and felt more free while she was doing the wall sits.

WHAT?!? WHY?!?

When you do a wall sit you naturally engage your transverse muscles, and activate your lower body support. The sound that you produce then becomes more free, because it has the support it needs. Some articles even suggested to feel your transverse muscles while you are doing the wall sit, so you can learn what they should be doing while you sing.

Now, there is also some hippy dippy stuff you can try...

Like chakras.

But we're not going to get into that.

So, go on and engage your lower body. And if this doesn't work for you, don't worry about it.

Because everyone is different.