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Shure Vocal Mastery - Video Workshop N°3: „Vocal Health“
If the string of a guitar breaks, it will be replaced by a new one... Unlike other instruments, our very own instrument – our voice – can sometimes n…
In this video workshop Erika Footman explains how to connect with the inner core, respectively with the entire body while singing. Many singers don’t know that singing does not only involve the upper body part, but the whole body should be used from head to toe instead.
When vocal coaches tell their students to “connect”, they mean that their students should connect with their inner core in a way of supporting their body and connecting with their diaphragm. To avoid slouching and other bad habits, Erika Footman tells her students to pull in and pull up. This way the muscles are being used to hold the skeleton up and keep the body in an upright posture.
Another bad habit of many singers is to less support the body when singing lower notes. During higher notes, most keep well connected to their inner core. But during lower notes, it occurs that singers neglect this connection. Erika shows a tool to improve the connection during both high and low notes. She lets Gemma, one of her students, stand on a wobble board. It has a round shape and to firmly stand on it, it is necessary to tense the body. Thereby it forces her to contract her muscles and support her body. Erika also shows Gemma an easy trick how to find the important muscles in her belly which need to be contracted.