Maybe you think all that facial movement is just for show?
Careful. Don’t underestimate the value of having the ability to sing with your mouth wide open, or your cheeks lifted high.
Try it. Is it easy? It should be. You voice will feel like it’s out in front of your mouth or nose….not in your throat.
Now be careful again. Make sure you are not squeezing your sound (compressing the vocal cords together too much). You should be able to sing loud and soft in an open mouth and high cheek position with free movement of your jaw. This is the tell-tale sign to know if you are over-compressing. If your face sits back down and relaxes when you are singing soft and easy on low notes, then you are probably over-compressing your cords, and allowing your larynx to rise too high to sing high notes. Low notes and high notes should not feel any different in the facial, jaw and cheek area.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nBU9VR2X5g Check out Headley. He is a great example of a singer with freedom in the face and mouth.
You will be hard-pressed to find a famous recording artist who isn’t free in the face and mouth area. As an listener, we are instantly drawn to the raw and almost naked emotion of facial expression with singing. They go hand-in-hand. When a singer bares it all…..we are pulled in by the resonance and the bite of singing “out the face”.
Any questions or comments? Leave them below and I’ll be sure to address it.