Expert: Wanda Reinholdt - 11/8/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi. I used to have a rather limited range, of about an E3 to a Dflat5. I've been trying to expand it lately, but I'm not exactly sure if I'm approaching it the right way. I'm trying by repetitively singing scales & arpeggios. These help me to be able to sing up to a C5, but I have to work really hard to keep my muscles relaxed(if that makes sense?). I was wondering, is there anything else I should be doing, or that I am doing wrong? I wouldn't know because I never took lessons & can't at the moment, although I do perform in musical theater. Thank you!

ANSWER: Hi there, Jasmine...And thanks for writing.

I'm thinking that your breathing may be what is causing your tenseness.  If you have support of the breath, the less likely you are to tense up.  So I would actually stop the work with the scales and arpeggios for a time and focus only on the breath.  Do breathing exercises where you take in as much breath as you can and hold it and then using your diaphragm control the release of the breath.  Then do the same exercise adding 1 note.  And then the same exercise using your scales and arpeggios.  

Let me know how it goes and we will go from there.

Wanda

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for answering! I am a little bit confused about the exercise though. How am I supposed to control my diaphragm? I play a wind instrument; should I be breathing the same way as I do when I play?
I noticed a typo in my original message. I meant to put C6, not C5. What I originally wrote doesn't make much sense. Sorry if it was a bit confusing. Again, thank you.

Answer
Hi there, Jasmine...Yes.  Using your breathing from the wind instrument which comes from your abdomen is a good way to think about it.  Controlling your breath from there instead of your chest is key in doing this exercise.

Let me know how it goes.

Wanda