One of the greatest tasks facing young singers is learning to relax the larynx. Allowing the larynx to drop (better put, allowing the depressors of the larynx to pull it down) opens up the pharyngeal cavities above the vocal folds, and generates a voice that is louder, easier and has greater quality and resonance.
Most voice teachers work on this by emphasizing a relaxed jaw, tongue, and floor of the mouth, but the story doesn’t end there. A number of other factors may influence a singer’s ability to produce the ideal voice, such as support from the abdomen and pelvis, and projection through a relaxed upper airway.
Think of the muscles of the body as a vast population of cells that are constantly talking to each other. Information is shared, mostly through electric impulses, between groups of muscles. Adjacent muscles are constantly communicating in order to adjust their levels of contraction. This is what allows the body to assume its upright posture, move purposefully, and to perform tasks most efficiently, without antagonistic muscle groups needlessly expending effort pulling against each other.
When muscle tension increases in a specific group of muscles, this is communicated not only to adjacent muscles, but also to all the muscles in the body. Thus, even muscles not involved in a specific task are “put on alert.”
It is clinically known, for example, that if you clench your teeth, or try to pull your clasped hands apart (isometric contraction of the arm muscles), this will increase the deep tendon reflexes in the knee and ankle, quite some distance away. The heightened muscle tone is communicated to all muscles in the body.
If tension in the jaw can affect muscle tension in the leg, it then stands to reason that for optimal singing you need to relax your non-singing muscles as much as possible, even those muscles that are far away and seem unrelated to the singing task.
The most important muscles to consider are those of the jaw. TMJ (temporomandibular joint) problems relate to the hinge joint in front of the ear, between the jaw and the side of the head. These problems are almost always caused by excessive tension in the chewing muscles. Even in the absence of pain, the degree of tension in these muscles may be high. This can be due to clenching the teeth when angry, grinding the teeth at night, or just habitual gum chewing.
Even non-clenchers usually have a favorite side for chewing. If you habitually chew on one side, you may develop not only asymmetric wear patterns on your teeth, but also increased muscle tension, even increased mass, in the jaw muscles on that side. This is a subtle but real cause for increased muscle tension, which can result in increased tone and tightness among the adjacent muscles of the neck and larynx. Some physicians feel that the asymmetry in muscle pull in the jaw causes contraction down the full length of the body, even causing the leg on the same side to be pulled up and seem “shorter.”
Also, there may be primary problems in the neck muscles. The well-known and dramatic results of whiplash are pain, tightness, and limitation of movement of the neck. But even in less acute situations, the muscles of the neck may be tight. Typical causes include arthritis, disc problems, tension, and habitual misalignment.
The shoulder muscles (trapezius and others) also talk to the muscles of singing. Shoulders that are habitually pulled up high, usually from tension or fear, generate excessive muscle tone in the singing area.
Some of these issues are well addressed by the Alexander technique and other methods of realigning the head, neck and torso.
When the back (vertebral column) is misaligned, the attached muscles try to compensate by pulling in an asymmetric fashion. The most frequent cause for this among younger female singers is scoliosis. This curvature of the spine (most often in the thoracic region) is usually subtle, and not looked for. In dramatic cases, of course, the curvature is obvious, and can even cause a crowding of the ribs and thus affect breathing. But most cases fall far short of Rigoletto and are, in fact, unperceived, unless one specifically examines the back with this condition in mind.
Farther down, the pelvis may be tilted. The many possible causes include a lower spinal curvature, disc disease (which may cause sciatica), or a leg that is truly shorter than the other. Once again, the obvious cases are, well, obvious, whereas the subtle ones are not looked for, and hence, often missed.
What, you may ask, is the point of this litany of musculoskeletal woes?
Simply this. Excess muscle tension in the larynx is probably the most frequent cause of vocal difficulties, one that plagues the beginner, the Broadway and pop singer, and the under trained and misdirected classical singer. If, despite good teaching and hard work, you are having difficulties getting rid of laryngeal muscle tension, consider some of the above as possible contributing causes, and address them, all the while continuing to “drop the jaw and relax the tongue.”
Disclaimer: The suggestions given by Dr. Jahn in these columns are for general information only, and are not to be construed as specific medical advice or advocating specific treatment, which should be obtained only following a visit and consultation with your own physician.
