Excerpt – An Alexander Technique Approach to Singing (Singers’) Technique (Musicians)(Pain)(Strain)(Injuries)(Posture)(Albuquerque)

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Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A. (MOVEMENT THERAPY)

What is support? It is what a classically trained singer does to create the most powerful sound she can with a vocal tone of the highest quality. How is this done? On the inhale the ribcage expands as the lungs are filled with air, and as the singer sings the ribcage remains expanded on the controlled exhale of singing. How is this done so that the singer can do the least amount of work to support the ribcage open, and it all have a feeling of effortlessness?

You do the least amount of muscular work to support the ribcage open as you sing each piece. How do you do the least amount of muscular work to support the ribcage wide open as you sing? Sing something and place all of your awareness on what your ribcage is doing as you sing. Really experience the feedback that is coming back to your brain as you order your ribcage to remain expanded, as you sing a complete piece.

What did you notice? Did you experience tension in the ribs the whole time, as if it were hard work to keep the ribcage expanded? Was this a new awareness that you were working as hard as you were, as you experienced your ribs held open on the exhale? Does it have to be so much work? No!

Sit down on the edge of a chair that is comfortable and supportive. Be fully upright and your knees slightly lower than your hip joints. Let your hands rest on your legs. Have a sense of being fully balanced and let your skeleton do most of the work of supporting you upright as your head leads your back into lengthening and your neck is asked to be free. This is directing.

Now, take a full inhale, expanding your torso as much as you can. Allow a slow controlled exhale and support the ribs fully expanded as you exhale. Notice I said supported open instead of holding your ribs out. By definition holding is immobilizing, and what I want you to be aware of is that you don’t immobilize your ribcage open when you sing.

Take a series of deep breaths and experiment with how little muscle it takes to open the ribcage on the inhale. It is the diaphragm contracting downwards that pushes the ribs out and up. If you pull the ribs open with the musculature of the ribcage this is not breathing. For the moment don’t support the ribcage open on the exhale.

What did you notice? I’m guessing you began to consciously experience for the first time how little muscle it takes to have your ribcage open up, since it is the diaphragm opening them. But remember, there is the air in the lungs backing up and expanding the musculature of the ribcage. Now, inhale, stop, support the ribcage with the least amount of muscle and then exhale with support. Do this over and over, and each time use the least amount of muscle to support the ribcage open. You will discover how little effort it takes to support the ribcage open.