Going in circles

If we don’t paddle on both sides of the boat, we just go in circles.

The brain has a tendency to focus on the negative, a basic survival instinct. To compensate, we have taken to focusing on the positive. However, this isn’t always enough to shift our vocal habits into more balanced patterns of expression. We need to paddle on both sides, to eliminate what isn’t working as well as employ solutions.

For example, we need to know what is causing us to tense our tongue in order to know how to correct that reflex.

• Maybe the tense tongue is trying to compensate for insufficient support, an attempt to get more volume or clarity when there is too much air in the tone. Until the body is sufficiently engaged to pace the flow of breath, it will be difficult to release the tension in the tongue.
• Maybe the tongue is tense because the person is trying not to cry and needs to process emotions before the tongue can relax.
• Maybe the tongue is tense because a person believes he isn’t smart and is afraid to express an opinion.

Technically releasing the tongue will release thoughts and feelings as well as tonal quality. Voice teachers are not often trained to deal with these releases. Therefore, students might need to see a therapist or engage in a spiritual practice before the voice will improve.

Another solution is to work at transforming thoughts and feelings using the breath and tone, and this is really the basis of story medicine or singing cures. 

When we treat voice work as a purely physical endeavor we often end up going in circles and failing to improve. The personality must also be considered or the mechanical issue will come back. Nor is it enough to be positive and encouraging. We have to embrace the whole of ourselves and work all aspects in balance whether we are flowing with the current or paddling upstream.