Saturday, July 30, 2011

Releasing a tight jaw

"O.K., I have a tight jaw. What can I do about it?"

Some years ago, when I was singing in Germany, I went to Armand MacLean-Lanier in Frankfurt for a lesson. Armand was a great character and a fine teacher. He saw that my jaws were extremely tight and gave me an exercise which I still use with my students.

Those of you who deal with the same issue may find it helpful. The exercise is a string of syllables on one pitch. It is done on a comfortable middle register note. and can be continued up and done the scale ad lib.

The syllables are "Geh-gi-geh-gi-kich" (ɡɛ-ɡi-ɡɛ-ɡi-kiç), where the ch is the German "ch" from "ich". Do it with about a thumbs-width of space between the back teeth, and without moving the jaws. Keep a steady flow of air, and good focus (clarity) in the tone. You can also do it with a hand on the jaw to aid the release.

I will never forget seeing a Bulgarian friend of mine (a great mezzo soprano) start her morning warm-up with her hand on her jaw, and a series of slow moving scales.

You can also do this exercise on three note scale patters (12321). Try it, and let me know how it works for you.

3 comments:

Danielle said...

Joel, have you worked with a lot of students who suffer from TMJD? What patterns do you see besides jaw tightness - do they use other things to compensate for not being able to open? Any other observations?

Unknown said...

Hi, Danielle:

Over the years I have worked with students who have jaw tension issues of various kinds. They usually come in three types;

1. Jaw is clenched all the time. For these, learning to release the jaw on the "i" vowel is very helpful. These are usually the singers who have anemic voices, and problems getting from the low register to the middle. Top is often spread, because the larynx is high. This is what the French call the "voix blanche".

2. I call this the Jessye Norman syndrome. Jaw is overextended, especially in the upper register, and the front part of the jaw joint, in the cheek area, is usually very tight by being shoved forward, although the jaws are open. This is usually learned behavior, from a voice studio where the student is taught to drop the jaw at all costs. In this case the student needs to release the back of the jaw (under the ears), something they have probably never considered. Having the student put their fingers in their ears while opening the jaw helps give an idea of how far back the hinge of the jaw actually extends. A hand mirror gives a good view of this, with the head turned to one side. Look for a view of the jaw that shows the back of the jaw, under the ear. A note of caution: have the student hold the mirror with each hand in turn, so they don't develop the habit of singing to one side, or make the habit worse, if they already have it. Students with this problem often have colorful but airy voices that mysteriously end just over the secondo passaggio (in a soprano, nothing from G up).

3. Lopsided jaw opening. This is almost always because the teeth do not meet, and the bite is irregular. Careful work to make space between the back teeth during the singing is necessary. The student will feel that a balanced jaw opening is unnatural, because they are so used to the other. This is often associated with irregular vibrato, because there is more pressure on one side of the throat than the other.

Generally speaking, where the jaw is tight, the larynx is high. Where the jaw is pressed down, there is pressure on the vocal cords as well. This leads to an overblown airy sound, with a limited top. Types 2 and 3 often have a "click"
to the jaw when they try to open.

Hope this helps....

Best wishes,
Joel

Anonymous said...

I am glad I stumbled upon your post. I have #2 that you Call Jessye Norman and I developed the problem from years of braces where I had rubber-bands Holding my jaw together, forcing me to keep my jaw tight in order to fix my overbite. Now my jaw is always tight and pops a lot when I open it. I do not know how to relax it, it has been this way for over 15 years. I am going to try your suggestions. Thank you!
Camille