Although it’s very important to vocalize regularly, it’s also very important to put what you practise into song. It’s more difficult in song because “your muscle memory” will want to do what it has done previously with that song. However, with the right approach you can experience your song in a new way. I highly recommend this be done with a qualified coach. It’s important that you are actually singing the song with the correct coordination in order to overcome your previous issues.
This may mean that you need to sing the song in a consonant/vowel coordination that feels unusual, or a mouth/tongue position that feels different. This may seem odd, but performing a song with this new “feeling” engages the correct coordination and is a necessary step to singing better.
Remember, your job as the singer is to simply concentrate on the “feel” of your voice. This may seem like an unusual thing to do, but as a singer you are in control of 3 things…..your air flow, your vocal cord closure, and your vowel/consonant combination. As a singer you need to learn how these combinations “feel” to you, in order to overcome an obstacle that might be in your way.
Does this make sense to you? Let me know.
Makes absolute sense to me, Susan. I think it is paramount that we don’t just spend endless time vocalising with our students. Whilst it has its place in building technique, the requirements are often very different when it comes to singing songs.
My students sing songs right from the start, no matter what level they are at – even the ones with pitching problems. The need to develop many different skillsets, and I personally never understood why some singing teachers only have their students vocalise for 6 months, or even longer. It makes no sense to me. One can build technique with a song!