Songs for Saturday: Singing Through a Straw

[mdlbear]

So this s4s is about singing, than any particular set of songs.

A few weeks ago my singing teacher introduced me to a rather bizarre exercise: singing through a straw. Also known as straw phonation, it's a form of SOVT -- semi-occluded vocal tract -- exercise. It's said to have all sorts of benefits, which mainly come from being easier on your vocal folds than straight singing. (Less often mentioned is the fact that it's very quiet, so you can warm up and practice without bothering anyone.)

Anyway, I've been exploring the inside of that particular rabbit hole. It mostly comes down to keeping more acoustic energy inside your vocal tract, where the resonance helps your vocal folds vibrate, rather than sending most of it out your mouth. That, plus the reduced air flow, reduces stress on your vocal folds -- they can relax and let resonance do the work. It's also a resistance exercise -- like exercising in a pool -- for the muscles behind that air flow.

But don't take my word for it -- save the straw from your next coffeehouse drink, and try it yourself.

@ Straw Phonation - VoiceScienceWorks What we do - VoiceScienceWorks " Our goal is to take contemporary research on the voice and translate it into directly applicable information so that you, the voice user, can immediately apply it in your practice. " Warm ups and exercises - VoiceScienceWorks NCVS: Ingo Titze bio How blowing into a straw can save your voice - Vox The Unspoken Benefit of the Straw – Petersen Voice Studio " There’s one really great additional usage of the straw that often isn’t mentioned: You can practice and warm up in environments where normally it would be inappropriate to sing! " Harmonics Vs. Formants - VoiceScienceWorks Blow Into a Straw to Exercise (and Avoid Losing) Your Voice Vocapedia - Vocal Straw Exercise How & Why – Straws for Voice

Comments

[jesse_the_k]

Fascinating!