Im a Brazillian Singer, and you did it ! without you i would never find out what was causing this "pillow" in the back of my throat to stop me from singing more clearly or high. God bless you man !
I'm really happy that this video gave you the answer you were looking for. Thank you so much for watching and taking the time out to share your success!
the 5 tone exercises are a 'gas'... I really enjoy them and I do the male and also begin the female.... my resonance is more comfortable to create and to listen to...I am beginning to unscrew my jaw and my cheek muscles are inviting me to massage them + the bottom eye sockets....My face is starting to come apart. in a catastrophic manner...at last !!!!! Power to your elbow Marnell !
You can do other vocal exercises along with this one. Just don't try to take too many exercises at once. Choose a few and try to master them before moving on to other things.
I'm watching this at the office at work, and I can't wait to get home and give it a try. I can sing pretty decent and people do enjoy it a lot, but it's just so painful to me due to so much tension in the jaw and the tongue that it really made me think of just sticking to playing piano and don't sing again. Thanks for the video, greetings from Argentina!!!
Year ago when I stumbled upon this very video I though to myself ''How come someone's jaw,neck or let alone,tongue is tensed! That's a huge chunk of baloney.''. Yet I continued to sound muffled,static,unable to sing scales meant for ladies,I was only capable to do scales and exercises designed for male voices which were more comfortable for me,but most of the times too low ,as a result then I aquired a bad habit to darken my tone which completely hindered my potential to improve. And only currently I gave a shot for these exercises and you know what? A few hours into tongue stretching and I am finally able to go into my higher register.Boy,I am so happy! Thanks for your wonderful tuts! Seriously,It is a miracle!
just discovered you, Marnell. you are very good, I felt as if you were in the room! And this is so useful for me as I get tense singing higher notes as the lower range is my comfort zone. thank you very much.
I've been trying for so long to be able to relax the throat and get good tone and resonance at the same time, and this exercise finally has helped me do it! Amazing!! So helpful, thank you!
Everyone says "sing with an open throat, reduce tongue and neck tension, etc", but NO ONE said HOW to do it, with practical techniques and exercises. Can you tell us how?
Wow this video CHANGED THE GAME for me. I was having a ton of tongue and throat tension in "una voce poco fa" and this eliminated the vast majority of it. I thought the problem was my larynx raising to high (which it certainly was) but that was only a side effect of tensing up the tongue in the mouth. bravo. I can't wait to see where I am a year from now after doing this exercise!
Hi, Marnell. Over 60 years ago I studied with an opera singer/teacher who had me do the exact same exercises using gauze pads that she got from the local drug store. It was total game changer for me. While everybody can't take personal lessons from a competant teacher one of the most important concepts I learned was that it is wrong, wrong, wrong to try to feel or manipulate the tongue while singing. To do so will put tension into the vocal apparatus! The absolute worst thing to do. It all has to do with the sound you are producing, which is why a competant teacher is so important. Anyway, keep up the good work and stay healthy.
I have to say that Marnell's set of exercises on RU-vid are some of the best I've found for me, a baritone interested in belting/high jazz/crooning style singing. Fixing all those problems and supporting my voice fully. Thank you, Sir!
This is one of the most comprehensive explanations I've had of this. Thank you! I will let you know how I go...I am just a beginner so this is so helpful.
Thank you so much sir! I'll be practicing what you teach every day. My tongue is very shaky when doing these exercises because I'm so tight. But I already feel it making a difference! Thank you for your wisdom!
Great exercise , I use this in a sequence as follows: Warm up with your video on singing clearly, then the video for advanced singers to increase chest voice range, then this one. All three takes about 45 minutes to a hour, but when finished my voice is in a really good condition. I first noticed the singing with the tongue out of the mouth in 2009, watching Adam Lambert on American Idol. Your demonstration and explanation is so complete that the first time viewing it I was able to do a 5 tone ascending scale up to a D5!!! Thank you so much for all of your good work.
This is a great video, I actually find this simple exercise to be an "all encompassing" vocal exercise: first, it opens up the mouth (resonance), second it moves the tongue out of the way (resonance + brightness), third because the mouth is open and the tongue is moving forward, it makes it hard to create a sound by "squeezing" the throat so it encourages using the lower part of the body (breath support) to create the sound, and fourth which is related to the 3rd point - because there's no "throat squeeze" it encourages cord closure in a healthy (unsqueezed) way. Am I right on these points?
Thank you for your comment. And yes, it does all of these things at once. Actually, most well designed vocal exercises are targeting multiple things simultaneously. :-)
Well these are my favourite exercises for getting me to relax my head and neck muscles and to stretch my top lip muscle too (into 'lemon-face'). Helps my learn my fingering for scale accompaniment. Many thanks. My birthday this week: born in 1941. Hurrah
After taking the Skype lesson with you Marnell, I now have a new-found appreciation for the tongue exercises. You make it look so effortless but for a total beginner such as myself, it's really challenging, even more challenging than other exercises that require more physical effort. Great video from a great teacher.
+Raffster A Yes, this one really gets to your nervous system and the heart of a lot of deep seated fears and tensions, so it has its own unique challenges. Thanks for the great compliments. :-)
I usually regret not checking your videos more often and really paying attention - you always have awesome tips and explanations. I've done tongue exercises before - just tongue stretches - and this exact exercise except in a different way which didn't seem to be as efficient for me (Singing Mary had a little lamb while pulling the tongue - tons of L's so ). I think it's a common variation. To be fair i wasn't exactly consistent with doing it - reason being because as i've said tons of times - i improve consistently. So whatever doesn't seem to be working i just put it on stand by for further evaluation. Today was the revaluation for me - for "tension" related topics - to further increase my knowledge in that aspect. And man - as always your videos provide much insight. The exercise seems to be much more effective with instructions you provide - i find that i seem to be able to do the exercise without using the washcloth and i still feel release and like my voice gets clearer/ has more ping / smoother and like fluid. I'll be doing this one now too see how it goes - not sure if i really need it but if it instantly gives me a result pretty much - i'd say that's a good indicator. Though i still improve consistently - but I barely stretch the tongue though so i'm sure that's something i should do. I remember we had a convo about "if it's working just stick to it and stop searching" - but man - is hard not to - because when you're teaching yourself independently you don't exactly know if you're doing "All you can" to improve. So i think it's very valuable to always be reevaluating singing knowledge - analyzing deeper what we "think" we know. Many times i think i have something figured out and then i find a better way to do it that gives much more value to the exercise etc - or i guess you could just say "the correct" way to do it. Like i just did with this video. And it just makes the improvement more efficient and consistent - so it's awesome. Always about doing it as efficiently as possible - that's why i choose to reevaluate and not just dismiss - gotta be open to every possibility - as someone trying to learn without visual/auditory help from a teacher - you never know - if you actually don't know about - what you think you know. But then again that's why i chose to learn without 1 on 1 lessons - i feel it's a much more rewarding journey IMO. You experience and learn a lot of things firsthand - especially if it doesn't take you "Years and years" to improve then stick with it. But it's only for people who are TRULY dedicated / passionate / disciplined - i work on singing 6days a week for hours each day so. It's not for everyone - you have to truly want it. Even when things get rough - which they were much more annoying back then. Many times i was close to giving up. But never did and never will. Awesome stuff marnell. And i'm sure you're used to my rambling by now so. Shouldn't be a suprise.
Thank you for your insights. You will ALWAYS find a better way of doing things. That's just a part of life. But how about this. I know what it's like to self-train and feel so unclear about what it is you're actually doing. It feels like there are so many options -- and overwhelming amount of options -- and all of them seem like they each have their merit and value. And you might try them all, but then feel like, "Is this the BEST for me? Is this the most efficient route to my destination?" You're looking for confidence and security in the decisions you've made. For people in that situation, sometimes the EASIEST choice is to just take a lesson every once in a blue moon. Just whenever you feel you get to that point of being indecisive and unsure about what you're doing. You just want a someone with more experience and perception other than your own that can tell you, "Ok, this thing you're doing right here, this is really good. It's right on track. This other thing over here is doing nothing for you. You should do it more like THIS to take you towards your goal." Feedback like that makes all the difference in the world between spending 6 months wondering, "Am I doing the right thing?" and 6 months KNOWING with confidence, "Yes, I'm definitely on the right track." Then you can go back to practicing on your own until you feel you reach another point of uncertainty again. Just something to consider. I am available for such lessons if you ever decide to go that route. www.vocalliberation.com/singing-lessons
O trust me marnell if i ever do choose to go that route - you are definitely high on the list of people i'd like to take lessons with. This was 2 weeks ago and since then i've kept studying as always and have learned a lot. So i keep being happy with my progress - and what i keep learning. Just wanted to let you know - your videos certainly are a part of it!.
Zero dislikes. Thats something. And so far, it's difficult at first. Other muscles keep jumping into play. I have to distinguish throat and laryngeal muscles and relax them a bit more, but it's starting to happen. Thank you man!
+Traveling Teacher It is a gradual process, learning to uncouple those tensions, but you'll get it one day at a time. Glad you're finding the information helpful. :-)
I have just watched your Video. I have a massive problem with tongue and neck tension. I have just tried your technique and omg. I have just hit notes I can't even remember I had. I am going to practice this daily and see how I go. Amazing. Thank you for sharing. 👌
I found it funny I learn more about accents and languages from this video than videos about accents and languages, because they never get into details into sounding 100% like that accent or langauge. I guess singing is a real benefit for everything.
It's been only a few days trying this exercise and I think it's working wonders on my voice. Just one little question: Does my jaw needs to be open down to it's maximum (till I feel the muscles of my face streching too) or should I only focus in the tongue with a relaxed jaw+smile? And is it ok to consciously lift the soft palate while going up the scale? Thank you so much, sir. ♥️♥️♥️♥️
Oh man, where were you, virtuoso, when I was 22? Guess what? I've been making myself good in guitar this meanwhile, and I`m 51 now, armed with a degree in guitar AND this video, and an intention of making a lot of noise! This is my other `priceless` video on singing :D Thank you very much for this. I just wonder If you`re changing so many lives as you did mine, without realizing it. ;)
Perfect video, when I audition for the voice I did well. Didn't get a pink slip but I felt confident and well prepared thanks to your tips. I noticed a little tongue tension, not sure if it was from nervousness did my thumb check but I definitely felt my tongue going back.
Eric Holman Happy to hear you did well with your audition! Keep putting yourself out there as an artist, and I'm sure you will get some things that will come through. Thanks for watching the vid.
best exercise for loosening up throat ive tried yet. I am not a fan of how the AH sounds though...I like a smoother richerr tone, so not sure if I can get that using this technique or that"s just the way its gonna sound in my singing period. not sure if that makes sense to you or anyone out there....
Thanks for responding. If the AH sounds very brassy and piercing, it's a good indication that at least your vocal cords are coming together and vibrating efficiently. You may not be used to that quality in your voice, though. There are ways to tame that quality. You start from this basic place, and then begin to shape the mouth differently. So, start out like you're going to say AH, and then while still holding the tone, let the lips and only the lips change shape to more of an AW. That will keep some of the brassy buzz in the voice, but it will become a little less prominent. The tone will become a bit more round without sacrificing strength and freedom. This is especially important as you go higher in your range!
The sides of my jaw was pretty bad at first but I got over it after about 10 min of practice. I been singing for years for fun but just recently due to CVD started to take it seriously.
I got rid of my wash-clothe !!! Thanks Marnell. Currently I am learning 'Blackbird' by McCartney & Lennon and 'Short-term memory loss blues' by Ray Jessel.
Thank you for the video, I’m looking forward to trying out the exercises. Just one question: for the “making sound with a free tongue” portion of the video, should I consider this an actual exercise that I should include in my routine? Or is it just intended to increase familiarity with the open mouth/tongue pose in the beginning? If it is considered a separate exercise, how long do you recommend I do it?
You're welcome. It can be used both as a familiarization exercise as well as a vocal exercise. However, I wouldn't focus on doing it with the washcloth for too long -- you can't sing that way on stage. The washcloth is just a crutch -- a temporary crutch to help you become familiar with the sensation. Get rid of it as soon as possible. As a familiarization exercise, you could spend around 10 minutes on it, possibly longer, just to identify the sensations in your body. As an exercise in a regular everyday routine, you don't need to do it for more than 1-2 minutes. Then I would move on to your next exercise.
Thanks for putting this up. In hindsight, it's obvious that I should be working on this continually, in conjunction with my regular warm-up routine. Better late than never, I guess. Thanks again. p.s. This vid is now the first thing in my favorites, so I'm sure to remember to keep at it.
Marnell, will you be putting any more videos up of you doing some singing? I liked your acapella that you did of the Dru Hill song a while back and was hoping that you'd record some more for us
lifelonglearner I do have some songs I've been working on, one of which includes another Dru Hill song. I just have to learn how to play it first, lol. I normally like to make my own arrangements of songs and like to change up chords and the groove of the song, but I end up coming up with stuff that I can't play!!!! So I'm practicing. I might put up another cover soon using a backing track for "A House Is Not a Home", though.
Sweet! It's very rare that you see a vocal coach who puts up quality videos of themselves singing. I can count them on one finger. So, I can't wait to hear your new stuff!
I will let you know once it is released. I always try to sneak in parts of songs here and there in my clips though, but this upcoming one will exclusively be just a song. :-)
+Aravind Raj You're welcome. I don't have any plans for a warm up video yet, as most people will need a custom routine unless you're already advanced.... But I will keep your suggestion in mind.
Its good that you made that note: to feel resonance in a soft palate while making "a" sound. I have a question just to be sure. When we are just normally speaking we have to feel resonance in the mask right ? Only in this exercise we have to try make a resonance in soft palate ?
+Music Stuff Trying to place the voice in the mask, even when speaking, often leads to raising the larynx and various degrees of constriction. When you produce the voice efficiently, you will NOTICE that you feel it in the mask, but you don't intentionally try to place it there. The speaking voice should be treated the same as the singing voice. So go for the same resonance you would when singing. Often times, though, speech habits have to totally be reworked. You want it to the point where there is no difference between your singing and speaking voice -- that they all feel like they come from the same place.
Thanks Marnell this is sweet, I still don't quite have it yet but it looks like it will work. Just a quick question, how long at a time should I do this exercise?
+Eric Yeo Yes, sir, although there might be other things that you specifically may need to work on. The best way to determine that would be in a one-on-one lesson with me.
The technique is the same regardless of voice type. The only difference is for a bass and/or contralto, there will be a more drastic change in COLOR of the voice as you go up. The change in color can be psychologically upsetting to some singers if you've mentally married yourself to only one color in the voice. It may feel like it's "not you" at first. This is a specific problem lower voiced singers have to deal with IF they want to sing higher. Any musical instrument goes through color changes as it goes throughout its range. However, the bigger the instrument, the more drastic the color change. Take a bass guitar, for instance. In the 2nd octave, it takes on the deeper, fuller character most people would typically associate with a bass guitar. However, once it starts playing in the 4th octave, it sounds quite different! It begins to sound more like a guitar! This is very similar to what happens in the bass voice. When a bass starts getting around the 4th octave, the voice takes on more tenor-like qualities. If you don't allow this to happen, you will end up fighting the voice. Look up Ildebrando D'Arcangelo singing "Dov'è la figlia". He is an operatic bass baritone, but as he goes deeper into the 4th octave, the voice sounds more tenor-like, especially from E4-A4. Same for another bass-baritone, Wintley Phipps, singing "Wade in the Water" or "How Great Thou Art". Higher instruments experience a change in color in their sound, but it is less drastic compared to a lower instrument. Compare a violin vs cello; a trumpet vs. tuba; a soprano sax vs. baritone sax; a lyre to a harp; a ukelele to a guitar; a flute to a bassoon; etc. Also, you will experience a change in color depending on the dynamic level you are singing at. This is true of all instruments. As you play/sing softer, a lighter and/or more delicate color tends to come out; as you play louder, you get more of the full color of the instrument, even if it's the exact same note. So, if you are truly a bass, as you sing softly, you will sound a bit more tenor-like, but as you sing louder (on the same note), you will get more of the full bass color. Again, you must allow this to happen. If you resist these things, then you will limit your voice and get stuck in only one segment of your range. And just for clarification, this change is color does not mean singing in falsetto. It will still be your full voice, but a different aspect of your full voice. (The full voice has many shades and colors within it.)
Sir, do u have any idea of muscle tension dysphonia ? I have been suffering from it since three years now. I am a baritone but possibly i used a wrong technique or using the chest voice more to hit the high notes with lack of breath. I have been through a plethora of vocal therapists, all those vocal box oriented test and they could not find a perfect solution since there is no physical damage. The problem is that i cant sing and speak comfortably or normally as i always feel a tension at the back and around my neck mostly in the right side. There is a lot tremor in the voice and mostly it happens as it gets higher. I have nothing or no hope to get from my voice but i just i cant give up. Your video just someway or the other made me leave this comment , so any help will be a blessing. Thank u for such awesome lessons. Have a better day.
+Ayan Saha Muscle tension dysphonia is a special case that would likely need a more unique diagnosis in a one-on-one interaction. I do have exercises that can help, but it all depends on what you've tried already and the current state of your voice. Why don't you shoot me an email and describe a little more some of the things you have tried and what initially triggered the onset of the problem. www.vocalliberation.com/contact
Hi Marnell, thanks so much for your videos- they are great! Is this an exercise to do everyday? Is it supposed to train you to reposition your tongue? I am not a singer but have a raspy, inconsistent croaky speaking voice and have tried just about everything. I've even had botox injections in my vocal chords to plump them up, so they close together, to avoid me straining neck muscles. Unfortunately the botox is only a few months fix... so I am trying to realign everything to solve the problem. Hopefully this helps! I do notice my tongue is naturally sitting back in the back of my throat. Sorry for all the info!
Hi, I've just started with this, I've been doing it daily, and it's been great. The muscles controlling the voice in the larynx are very small as such they can be worked daily (compared to the larger groups that need much more time for recovery) hope this helps.
thank you so much..finally an understandable video!!!....i have a 2 questions *sorry for my bad english* do am i doing right if i don't feel tension in my face but instead in my chest? and also...it happens to me that when i sing there's a sensation like if i would be singing only with my left..i mean i don't feel the air pass by all my throat just on the left vocal cord...what can i do for change it?
ñañelaaa asdfghkl You're welcome. It's a little hard to tell what you might be doing based on your description. So why don't you record a video of yourself doing the exercise and send me a link to it so I can see what you're doing. Send it via www.vocalliberation.com/vocal-assessment
Hi Marnell Sample, thank you for your work and dedication ! I am working on eliminating tension so your lessons were very useful but I have one question : While sticking the tongue out and open the face on 'ah' how can you keep the ear aligned with the shoulders ? Don't you stretch your neck forward a bit to give space to the throat ? 'Cause when i follow your advice on this vid and the one on jaw and neck tension (with the thumb exercice) I feel as if my thoat doesn't have too much space... Am I clear? :)
What I show in the other video -- you don't want to retract your head that much for this exercise. For this particular exercise, it's even ok to look up towards the ceiling a little bit.
Hi! you´re great, really, I´m happy I found you on youtube. I have a question, I can´t finish some songs I would like to, not because I don´t get to the notes or because I ran out of air. It happends because my face hurts too much!! like the muscles on my cheeks and on the back of my chin... everybody say "you have to relax!" but thats the point, I can do massages and relax my face, but when I start to sing, it automatically (like unconcient??... my english is terrible) gets to tight and stressed and I cant finish the song because of the pain! :( what can I do? Something magical?? :) :) :)
+Daniela Camaiora Oficial Oh, that's a big coordination issue! Learning to keep the face itself relaxed, especially the jaw area, is something that requires practice and a lot of attention to detail. It definitely will not happen overnight. There are exercises you can do for this, but they require one-on-one work to make sure you're doing them correctly. If you would like to set up a lesson, feel free to do so here: www.vocalliberation.com/singing-lessons
I have a question: what exactly do I have to learn in order to improve? Because I find a lot of things on RU-vid like diaphragmatic support, vowel modifications, glottal stop, belting and other stuff, but I don't know what I should learn first and what after.
Watch his video about why learning to sing is so hard. And then after that pick somebody’s program or lessons and just stick with em for 6-8 weeks. I’m doing Power To Sing free program rn just started it yesterday. Guy who made it also has a lot of youtube vids.
thanks bro! real helpful stuff here, sometimes i find that when i use consonants like 'S' or 'T' that require i very brief flick of the tongue to pronounce, i hold the tension in the tongue and ruin my singing attempts.. any help or advice for me??
You're welcome. Consonants are a little bit of a tricky area when it comes to singing, because they do tend to induce tension for a lot of singers. The trick with them is to figure out the bare minimum necessary in order to produce the consonant sound and be understood. Most people when they speak have much more activity than necessary when producing consonants, especially in American English. Then you try to take those habits over into singing, and it's not helpful. In singing, you want to primarily be on the vowel sound. Then the consonant comes in for just a split second to interrupt that so you can get right back to that free vowel sound. You have to learn to be GENTLE on your consonants so your articulators can learn to be more loose and flexible. Imagine if you're trying to talk really fast like one of those auction guys in the south. Then think you're going to speak at a low volume at that speed. That's the kind of quick and gentle articulation of your consonants you need. In singing, you want to spent 99% of your time on vowels, and just 1% of your time on consonants.
thank you man! very helpful, ill keep practising! feel free to comment on one of my singing videos on how i can improve, im celebrating 2.5 million spotify streams this week yay haha
Congrats on your success!! You should be proud of yourself. Just checked out "Clouds". The big thing I'm hearing you would need to work on is vowel modifications, particularly in the chorus of your song. You need to sing your vowels not so wide and open. It would give you a lot more ease and consistency there. If we did a one-on-one lesson, that's something we could sort through very easily. In the meantime, check out Episode 3 of The Path to Vocal Mastery. Phil Moufarrege and I give you a basic intro on how to handle these vowel modifications in an actual song. (I know it's long, but it's where much of the heart of vocal technique lies.)
thank bro! means a lot, i think i just got lucky i guess haha.. i am interested in doing some sort of one on one lesson but it might be difficult as i live in England.. do you do 1 on 1 skype sessions or anything like that? if so how much do you charge? feel free to msg me on instagram or twitter if you wanna discuss it there instead.. twitter: @coreylayzell insta: corey_layzell
You're welcome. I do one-one-one Skype lessons with people from all over, including the UK. So it's not a problem. They are $150 per hour. You can find more info here: www.vocalliberation.com/singing-lessons Unfortunately, I don't use Instagram or Twitter. Send me an email from here if you have more questions. www.vocalliberation.com/contact
It won’t go away, the muscles under my chin won’t relax. They tense when I’m nearing my bridge between chest and head and it tenses wherever I go when my tongue is out
