Vocal practice using a straw

Hello, this is KAN from Loose Voice!
Do you know how to practice singing with a straw, which can be done even in an environment where you shouldn’t use a loud voice, such as at home?

Straws are used as a voice rehabilitation method for people who have a sore throat, and are very convenient for adjusting vocalization while reducing the burden on the vocal cords.
They are also often used in voice training.

The reason is, of course, that it is easy to correct the sound to an appropriate one, but there is another reason to recommend it.
It is also "easy to judge for yourself whether or not the vocalization is appropriate".

In an actual lesson, when you use a straw to sing a scale, some people can sing almost the same as without a straw, while others find it difficult to sing when they are using a straw.
This time, I want to aim for "it’s easy to sing even with a straw in the mouth".

I would like this practice method to be used by those who have the following problems while singing!

• My throat gets clogged and it becomes painful
• I can't hit high notes well
• My voice does not sound beautiful
• I can't hear it well because my speaking voice and my singing voice do not change.
• I want to extend my range

What do you think?
I think that these are problems that many people have, so if you have any of them, please read on.

I will explain how to practice this and how to check if your vocalization is appropriate!

How can we confirm that our vocalization is appropriate?

First, how to check. I will explain the details later, but when you sing the scale with a straw in addition,
"Make sure you have a nearly constant amount of breath coming out of the straw."
Only this.

The reason for being "almost constant" is that if the pitch or the strength of the voice changes, the amount of breathing will change slightly. For example, as the pitch goes up, exhalation decreases, so it's okay to think that there is a slight change in the amount of breath.

A good thing to imagine and experience is that you are breathing moderately, your throat is relaxed, and you are able to raise and lower the pitch.
It's as if you're playing on a recorder ♪

Explanation of the actual practice method

① You need a straw.

Do not insert it too far, but lightly touch (or ride on) the tip of the tongue.
* If you insert it all the way, your tongue's freedom may be affected and strength will increase. Hold your palm over the outlet of the straw so that you can check the amount of exhaled breath.

② At the height of a normal speaking voice, lightly say "U" in your chest voice.

The words will be obscured; don’t worry about this. I want you to make as natural a voice as possible, so please do your best and avoid whispering.
Now try to make a falsetto in the same way. At this time, make sure that the exhalation volume of the chest voice and falsetto (a height that is easy to make is OK) does not change much. If the falsetto has more exhalation, try practicing at the same level as the chest voice.

③ Try to sing the scale

Try raising the sound in semitone steps with a falsetto that is easy to produce. Always keep in mind the amount of exhaled air that hits the palm.
Be careful not to get a sore throat or make sudden changes in exhaled breath. Men often get stuck at "high do (C5)" and women at "high mi (E5)", so check that out!
Similarly, we will do it with the chest voice. Try both the chest voice and falsetto within the range used in the song.

How was it?
Those who can easily sing with a nearly constant amount of exhalation are considered to have the basics down.
However, I think that there are many people who did not do well, so I will tell you the cause and how to improve it.

Cause and remedy

Breath is flowing from the straw, but the voice is about to turn inside out or trembles and is not stable. If this happens, I suspect the following two things.

Part 1: The vocal cords are closed too tightly

A state in which the voice becomes thick and muffled and cannot escape from the chest voice (a muffled voice that has a chesty sound). It will be painful if the tone sounds like a cow's "moo".

■ How to improve
Try to speak out while breathing through your nose. In other words, it's like humming.
Even with this, I think there are people who can't breathe and without feeling pain. In such a case, try to exaggerate your breathing (makes you breathe out from your nose with big nostrils, which you often see in manga).
You’ll want to suppress the unnecessary vocal cord closing movement by letting it flow that much.
If you can breathe well through your nose, try pushing it through a straw (from your mouth) as well.

Part 2: The back of the tongue is lowered too much

Some people unknowingly lower their tongue too much when they use a straw.

■ How to improve
Raise your tongue to a position where you can say "e". Then, in the same way, breathe out from your nose and say "he".
I think it feels strange to pronounce "he" with a straw in it, so if your tongue is raised, it's okay if the words are unclear.
When you feel comfortable, breathe out from the straw and sing.

In most cases of distress, the vocal cords are closed too tightly (thick voice, low-pitched vocalization).
First of all, I think that you can get a feeling of comfortable vocalization by breathing through your nose like lightly humming.
Please feel free to go at it at home!
See you again.